Text communication method and text communication system

• US 6,795,822 B1
• Filed: 10/19/1999
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Yasuhide, Murakami, Masahiko, Okada, Sumiyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Baoquoc N
• Application Number:
  US09/420,595
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1-9, 709/205-207, 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A text communication system is that reduces user'"'"'s burden of typing text messages. An acting device is provided with a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion of text messages, with the dictionary corresponding to one or more communication devices or a user. A command that specifies whether the text message should be converted or not is sent from the communication device via the acting device. Text messages are converted according to the command. It is also possible to configure conversion mode in advance, with the conversion mode corresponding to each communication device, and convert text messages sent and received via the acting device. A user can use the same dictionary from different information devices. There is also less burden of typing text messages. It is even more preferable if the dictionary can be updated automatically according to text messages inputted at the communication terminals, since the user'"'"'s burden of updating dictionaries is also relieved in this way.

Claims

1. A text communication method for use with communication devices adapted to send and receive text messages over a network, at least some of the communication devices utilizing an acting device adapted to relay text messages between the communication devices and a communication server providing text message communication among the communication devices, said text communication method comprising:

providing the acting device, on the network, with a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion between words and word IDs that specify the words, with the dictionary corresponding to at least one of the communication devices or a user, where the acting device sends and/or receives the text messages to and/or from at least some of the communication devices over the network;

providing for sending from the one communication device to the acting device a conversion command that specifies whether text messages sent over the network to and/or from the one communication device via the acting device should be converted or not by the acting device, and based on the conversion command the acting device determines accordingly whether or not to convert the text messages of the one communication device with the dictionary;

providing a determination table specifying a conversion mode for at least some of said communication devices, where a communication device'"'"'s conversion mode indicates whether or not to convert its text messages;

using the determination table to determine at the acting device whether or not to convert the text messages with the dictionary; and

at the acting device, converting the text messages with the dictionary when so determined, and relaying the converted and unconverted text messages between the one communication device and the communication server.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein when a command is not sent the acting device determines whether to convert or not convert the text message with the dictionary according to the determination table.

2. A text communication system, comprising:

a plurality of communication devices adapted to send and receive text messages over a network, each of said plurality of communication devices having a reporting unit to send identification information and a command, the identification information identifying either the communication device or a user, the command specifying whether a text message should be converted or not; and

an acting device, located on a network, adapted to be connected with said communication devices relaying over the network converted and unconverted text messages that said communication devices send and receive over the network, said acting device having a storing unit and conversion unit,

said storing unit storing a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion between word IDs and words, with said dictionary corresponding to at least one of said communication devices or a user,

said conversion unit adapted to convert words or word IDs in text messages to and/or from the communication devices, and converting for a communication device after receiving from said communication device a command regarding conversion, where the converting is based on the dictionary corresponding to the communication device which sent the command, and

where the acting device is provided with a determination table specifying for each of said communication devices a conversion mode, where a communication device'"'"'s conversion mode indicates whether or not to convert its text messages, and where the determination table can be used to determine whether or not the conversion unit converts the text messages based on the dictionary.

3. The text communication system set forth in claim 2, wherein said acting device further includes dictionary administration means for updating the dictionary according to text messages sent from said communication devices.

4. The text communication system set forth in claim 2, wherein said communication devices send to said acting device identification information that identifies the user;

and said dictionary that said storing unit of said acting device stores corresponds to the user.

14. The text communication system set forth in claim 2, wherein said acting device further includes a dictionary administration unit updating the dictionary according to a text message sent from said communication devices that stores a frequency at which the word is used and sorts the dictionary according to the frequency.

5. A text communication method for communication devices adapted to send and receive text messages over a network, the communication devices utilizing an acting device adapted to relay their text messages, said text communication method comprising:

providing the acting device with a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion of text, with the dictionary corresponding to at least one of the communication devices or a user and a determination table in which each of said communication devices specifies a conversion mode indicating whether its text messages should be converted or not;

setting in the determination table the conversion mode of at least some of the communication devices in advance;

allowing the acting device to obtain or make a determination of whether or not to convert a communication device'"'"'s text messages based on its conversion mode in the determination table; and

at the acting device, with the dictionary containing the rules regarding conversion of text, converting the text messages of a given communication device according to a conversion determination based on whether the conversion mode is set to on or off for that given communication device, where the acting device relays the converted text messages so that they can be received by another communication device.

6. A text communication system, comprising:

communication devices adapted to send and receive text messages over a network; and

an acting device adapted to be connected to said communication devices for relaying the text messages that said communication devices send and receive over the network, said acting device comprising;

a first storing unit storing a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion of text, with said dictionary corresponding to at least one of said communication devices or a user,

a second storing unit storing a determination table in which each of said communication devices specifies a conversion mode indicating whether its text messages should be converted or not, and

a conversion unit adapted to convert text messages based on said dictionary corresponding to at least one of said communication devices or a user, with each of said communication devices adapted to report to said acting device identification information that identifies the communication device, where the conversion unit converts the text messages of an identified communication device according to the communication device'"'"'s conversion mode.

7. The text communication system set forth in claim 6, wherein said communication devices further include a registration unit receiving a name of a communication device and conversion mode inputted thereto, and sending the name of the communication device and the conversion mode to said acting device;

and

said acting device further includes a table updating unit registering in said determination table the inputted name of the communication device or the user and conversion mode.

8. The text communication system set forth in claim 6, wherein said determination table further stores dictionary mode that shows whether said dictionary should be updated according to a text message sent from said communication devices, with the dictionary mode corresponding to the communication device or the user;

and

said acting device further includes a dictionary administration unit updating said dictionary according to a text message if required by the dictionary mode in said determination table.

9. The text communication system set forth in claim 6, wherein said communication device reports to said acting device identification information that identifies the user;

said first storing unit of said acting device stores said dictionary, with said dictionary corresponding to the user; and

said second storing unit of said acting device stores a determination table in which each of the users specifies its conversion mode.

10. A text communication system comprising:

communication devices adapted to send and receive text messages over a network, at least one or more of said communication devices having a reporting unit; and

an acting device adapted to be connected to said communication devices and relaying the text messages sent and received from one of said communication devices, said acting device comprising;

a first storing unit storing a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion of text, with said dictionary corresponding to at least one of said communication devices or a user,

a second storing unit storing a determination table in which each of said communication devices specifies a conversion mode, where a communication device'"'"'s conversion mode indicates whether its text messages should be converted or not,

a table administration unit updating a communication device'"'"'s conversion mode in said determination table according to a command from said communication device, and

a conversion unit converting the text messages for an identified communication device based on said dictionary corresponding to the communication device or the user if and when required by a conversion command sent to the acting device by the communication device, and converting the text messages based on said dictionary corresponding to the communication device or the user if so indicated by the conversion mode of the communication device when the communication device does not send the conversion command, with said reporting unit adapted to report to said acting device the command regarding conversion of text messages and identification information that identifies at least the communication device or the user and thereby identifies its conversion mode.

11. A computer readable recording medium having a text communication program recorded therein, said text communication program adapted to be used in an acting device, the acting device being adapted to be connected over a network to communication devices and for relaying text messages between the communication devices and a server providing text message communication among the communication devices, the text messages being sent and received by the communication devices, said text communication program performing a process comprising:

storing a dictionary, on the network, containing rules regarding conversion between words and word IDs, said dictionary corresponding to at least one of the communication devices or a user, where the acting device sends and/or receives the text messages to and/or from at least some of the communication devices over the network;

providing a determination table specifying a conversion mode for at least some of said communication devices, where a communication device'"'"'s conversion mode indicates whether or not to convert its text messages;

using the determination table to determine at the acting device whether or not to convert the text messages with the dictionary; and

using the dictionary to convert between words or word IDs in the text messages of an identified communication device after receiving from the communication device a conversion command and identification information that identifies the communication device or the user if required by the conversion command.

12. A computer readable recording medium having a text communication program recorded therein, said text communication program adapted to be used in an acting device, the acting device being adapted to be connected over a network to communication devices and for relaying text messages sent and received by the communication devices, said second communication program performing a process comprising:

storing a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion of text, said dictionary corresponding to at least one of the communication devices or a user;

storing a determination table in which each of the communication devices specifies a conversion mode, where a communication device'"'"'s conversion mode indicates whether its text messages should be converted or not; and

converting the text messages of an identified communication device after receiving from the communication device identification information that identifies the communication device or the user, and converting the text messages based on the dictionary corresponding to the communication device or the user if required by the conversion mode of the communication device.

13. A computer readable recording medium having a text communication program recorded therein, said text communication program adapted to be used in an acting device, the acting device being adapted to be connected over a network to communication devices and for relaying text messages sent and received by the communication devices, said text communication program performing a process comprising:

storing a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion of text, said dictionary corresponding to at least one of the communication devices or a user;

storing a determination table in which each of the communication devices specifies it'"'"'s a conversion mode, where a communication device'"'"'s conversion mode indicates whether its text messages should be converted or not;

updating a communication device'"'"'s conversion mode in the determination table after receiving from the communication device a conversion command; and

converting the text messages of a communication device based on the dictionary corresponding to the communication device or the user if required by the conversion command after the communication device sends the conversion command, and converting the text message based on the dictionary corresponding to the communication if required by the un-updated conversion mode of the communication device communication device when it does not send the conversion command.

15. A method of relaying network text messages, where, at a client hosted on a device, a text message with shorthand codes has been composed by a user, where the client is one of a plurality of text communication clients adapted for users to send and receive text messages over a network, where the text message has been sent by the client and over the network to an intermediary, where the intermediary is adapted to send and/or receive text messages sent to and/or from at least some of the clients over the network, the method comprising:

at the intermediary, responsive to receiving the text message sent by the client, obtaining a determination of whether to perform conversion mapping for the client that sent the text message by referring to a plurality of conversion settings which have been set to indicate conversion modes to be used for determining whether to perform conversion for clients that use the intermediary as a text message relay, where a conversion mode indicates a mode of conversion for a sender and/or receiver of a text message to be relayed by the intermediary, and if conversion is indicated by the determination, the intermediary;

selecting a conversion mapping dictionary based on an identity of the device or based on an identify of the user thereof;

using the selected conversion mapping dictionary to generate a converted version of the text message with words in place of the shorthand codes, the words having been matched to the codes using the selected conversion mapping dictionary; and

relaying the converted text message by sending the converted text message, with its shorthand codes converted to the words, to a server providing networked text discussion; and

if conversion is not indicated by the determination, then from the intermediary, relaying the text message to the server without conversion by the intermediary.