Multilanguage UI with localized resources

• US 7,340,389 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vargas, Garrett R
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITS, TALIVALDIS IVARS
• Application Number:
  US09/784,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,573 Days
• Field of Search: 704/9, 704/8, 704/2, 704/7
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/58 including a multilanguage function

Abstract

A multi-language user-interface (MUI) for use in a mobile electronic device accesses language-dependent information. The MUI system includes a display, an operating system, a localized data store, and an application. The MUI system is used in displaying information in a selected language on the mobile electronic device. The needed language-dependent information may be localized or include a portion that is localized. When the application needs to display localized language-dependent information (e.g., resource strings, settings stored in a registry, or file names), this information is obtained from the localized data store, which also contains language-dependent for all of the languages supported by the mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a multi-language mobile device to accommodate data variances among geographic locations, the method comprising:

configuring the multi-language mobile device to include a language resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the language resource data store includes a first group of non-localized language-dependent elements for viewing an application in a first language and a second group of non-localized language-dependent elements for viewing an application in a second language, the second language being different than the first language;

configuring the multi-language mobile device to include a geographical resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the geographical resource data store includes geographically dependent elements for association with the application to update the application for a geographic location;

processing a request from an application to retrieve geographically dependent elements;

providing requested geographically dependent elements from the geographic resource data store to the application; and

displaying the geographically dependent elements on the multi-language mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing a second request to access the language resource data store, the language resource data store including the language-dependent elements for viewing the application in the first language, the language resource data store having a plurality of language-dependent elements, each language-dependent element being associated with a uniquely identified language.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the language resource data store comprises a dynamically linked library.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a language setting of the multi-language mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographical resource data store is organized hierarchically with a plurality of levels.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein processing the request further comprises accessing a level of the geographical resource data store to retrieve the requested geographically-dependent element.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising accessing another level hierarchically below the level when the requested geographically-dependent element is not found in the level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographical resource data store comprises a look-up table.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographically dependent element is a file name formatted in the first language.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the geographical resource data store is accessible by an application to load the file name into the application.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for configuring a multi-language mobile device to accommodate data variances among geographic locations, the instructions comprising:

configuring the multi-language mobile device to include a language resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the language resource data store includes a first group of non-localized language-dependent elements for viewing an application in a first language and a second group of non-localized language-dependent elements for viewing an application in a second language, the second language being different than the first language;

configuring the multi-language mobile device to include a geographical resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the geographical resource data store includes geographically dependent elements for association with an application to update the application for a geographic location;

processing a request from the application to retrieve geographically dependent elements;

providing requested geographically dependent elements from the geographic resource data store to the application; and

displaying the geographically dependent elements on the multi-language mobile device.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising processing a second request to access the language resource data store, the language resource data store including the language-dependent elements for viewing the application in the first language, the language resource data store having a plurality of language-dependent elements, each language-dependent element being associated with a uniquely identified language.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the language resource data store comprises a dynamically linked library.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, further comprising determining a language setting of the multi-language mobile device.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the geographical resource data store is organized hierarchically with a plurality of levels.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein processing the request further comprises accessing a level of the geographical resource data store to retrieve the requested geographically-dependent element.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising accessing another level hierarchically below the level when the requested geographically-dependent element is not found in the level.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the geographical resource data store comprises a look-up table.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the geographically dependent element is a file name formatted in the first language.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the geographical resource data store is accessible by the application to load the file name into the application.

21. A multi-language mobile electronic device, comprising:

a geographic resource data store means on the multi-language mobile electronic device for storing geographically dependent elements for a plurality of geographic locations, wherein the geographically dependent elements are stored for association with an application of the multi-language mobile electronic device to update the application for a geographic location;

means for processing a request from the application to retrieve geographically-dependent elements from the geographic resource data store means;

a language resource data store means on the multi-language mobile electronic device for storing language-dependent elements for viewing the application in a first and second language, the language resource data store means having a plurality of language-dependent elements, each language-dependent element being associated with a uniquely identified language;

means for displaying information; and

means for providing requested geographically-dependent elements from the geographic resource data store means to the application to be displayed.

22. The multi-language mobile electronic device of claim 21, further comprising:

means for processing a second request to access the language resource data store means.

23. The multi-language mobile electronic device of claim 21, further comprising means for determining a language setting of the mobile electronic device.

24. The multi-language mobile electronic device of claim 21, wherein the geographic resource data store means is organized hierarchically with a plurality of levels.

25. The multi-language mobile electronic device of claim 24, wherein the means for processing the request further comprises means for accessing a level of the geographic resource data store means to retrieve the requested geographically-dependent elements.

26. The multi-language mobile electronic device of claim 25, wherein the means for accessing is configured to access another level that is hierarchically below the level when the requested geographically-dependent elements are not found in the level.

27. The multi-language mobile electronic device of claim 21, wherein the geographic resource data store means comprises a registry.

28. The multi-language mobile electronic device of claim 21, wherein the geographic resource data store means comprises a look-up table.

29. The multi-language mobile electronic device of claim 21, wherein the geographically-dependent element comprises a file name formatted in the first language.

30. The multi-language mobile electronic device of claim 29, wherein the geographic resource data store means is accessible by an application to load the file name into the application.

31. A system for configuring a multi-language mobile device to accommodate data variances of geographical regions, comprising:

a display unit;

a language resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the language resource data store is configured to store a first group of language-dependent elements for viewing an application in a first language and a second group of language-dependent elements for viewing the application in a second language, the second language being different than the first language;

a geographical resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the geographical resource data store is configured to store geographically-dependent elements for association with an application to update the application for a geographic location;

an application associated with the multi-language mobile device; and

an operating system coupled to the display, the geographical resource data store, and the application, wherein the operating system is configured to process a request from the application to retrieve geographically-dependent elements from the geographical resource data store, provide requested geographically-dependent elements from the geographical resource data store to the application, and cause the display unit to display the geographically-dependent elements.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the language resource data store includes a plurality of language-dependent elements, each of the language-dependent elements being associated with a uniquely identifier language, wherein the operating system is configured to process a second request from the application to access the language resource data store.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the language resource data store comprises a dynamically linked library.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the operating system is further configured to determine a language setting of the multi-language mobile device.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the geographical resource data store is organized hierarchically with a plurality of levels.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the geographically-dependent elements are associated with a base key of the registry.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the geographically-dependent elements are associated with a sub key of the base key.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the geographical resource data store comprises a look-up table.

39. The system of claim 31, wherein the geographically-dependent elements are comprises a file name formatted in the first language.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the geographical resource data store is accessible by the application to load the file name into the application.

41. A computer-implemented method for configuring a multi-language mobile device to accommodate data variances of geographical regions, the method comprising:

providing an application for generating user interface elements;

configuring the multi-language mobile device to include a language resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the language resource data store includes a first group of language settings for the user interface elements associated with a first language, and a second group of language settings for the user interface elements associated with a second language, the second language being different than the first language;

configuring the multi-language mobile device to include a geographic resource data store on the multi-language mobile device having geographically specific user interface elements;

requesting a language setting associated with a language;

providing user interface elements in the language;

requesting a geographic specific user interface element; and

associating the geographically specific user interface element with the application.

42. The computer-implemented method of claim 41, wherein the geographically specific user interface element is at least one of:

a time zone name, daylight savings, and a name of a location.

43. The computer-implemented method of claim 41, wherein the geographically specific user interface element includes the language of the language setting.

44. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for configuring a multi-language mobile device to accommodate data variances of geographical regions, the instructions comprising:

providing an application for generating geographically neutral user interface elements and geographically dependent user interface elements;

configuring the multi-language mobile device to include a language resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the language resource data store includes a first group of language settings for the neutral user interface elements associated with a first language, and a second group of language settings for the neutral user interface elements associated with a second language, the second language being different than the first language;

configuring the multi-language mobile device to include a geographic resource data store on the multi-language mobile device having the geographically specific user interface elements;

requesting a language setting associated with a language;

providing geographically neutral user interface elements in the language;

requesting a geographic specific user interface element; and

associating the geographically specific user interface element with the application.

45. The computer-readable medium of claim 44, wherein the geographically specific user interface element is at least one of:

a time zone name, daylight savings, and a name of a location.

46. A multi-language mobile device for accommodating data variances among geographical regions, the device comprising:

a language resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the language resource data store includes a first group of language settings for user interface elements associated with a first language, and a second group of language settings for user interface elements associated with a second language, the second language being different than the first language;

a geographic resource data store on the multi-language mobile device, wherein the geographic resource data store includes geographically specific user interface elements;

an application associated with a display for displaying the user interface elements on a display, wherein the application is configured to;

request, from the language resource data store, a language setting associated with a language;

display the user interface elements in the language;

request, from the geographic resource data store, a geographically specific user interface element; and

display the geographically specific user interface elements.

47. The computer-implemented method of claim 46, wherein the geographically specific user interface element is at least one of:

a time zone name, daylight savings, and a name of a location.