Method, system, and apparatus for converting dates between calendars and languages based upon semantically labeled strings

• US 7,707,496 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2002
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abbar, Mohamed A., Moore, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stork; Kyle R
• Application Number:
  US10/141,712
• Time in Patent Office: 2,910 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/9, 715/762, 715/866, 715/513, 715/517, 715/523, 715/530, 715/234, 715/243, 715/254, 715/255, 705/8
• US Class Current: 715/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus are provided for converting dates between calendars and languages. When a string of text is entered into an application program, the string is analyzed to determine whether the string of text includes a date. If the string of text includes a date, the date is semantically labeled with schema information that identifies the calendar and language used to express the date. When a selection is received of the date or an indication that the date is labeled with schema information, a list of actions may be provided identifying conversion options available for the date. One of the conversion options may then be selected resulting in the conversion of the selected date to the calendar and language identified by the selected action. The converted date may then be inserted into the string of text to replace the selected date.

Claims

1. In a system for creating and editing an electronic document, a method for converting a date between calendars and human languages, the method comprising:

registering at least one date conversion component with the system;

receiving a list of actions capable of being performed by the at least one date conversion component;

determining whether a string of text contained within the electronic document contains a date;

in response to determining that the string of text includes a date, semantically labeling the date within the electronic document with schema information identifying a calendar and a human language used to express the date wherein identifying comprises associating the string of text with an inline eXtensible Markup Language (XML) tag belonging to at least one semantic category that indicates that the date is convertible and that the semantic categories are stored in the electronic document, and the schema information including a format indices indicating a format the date is written in, a calendar type indices indicating the calendar the date is written in, a language indices identifying the human language the date is written in, and properties identifying a year, a month number, and a day-of-month for the date, wherein the semantic label further includes the list of actions capable of being performed by the at least one date conversion component on the string of text determined as including a date;

providing an indication that the date is semantically labeled;

identifying a plurality of enabled human languages;

generating a plurality of menu item corresponding to the list of actions for each of the plurality of enabled languages;

determining a current user interface language setting;

providing the list of actions as a plurality of menu items corresponding to the list of actions for the current user interface language setting that may be performed on the date for converting the date in the semantically labeled string of text to another calendar, the list of actions identified based upon the schema information, wherein the application is operative to permit the editing of the electronic document in at least one of the plurality of enabled human languages, and wherein determining whether a string of text contained within the electronic document contains a date comprises determining whether a string of text contained within the electronic document contains a date expressed in one of the enabled human languages;

receiving a selection of an action from the list of actions; and

generating a converted date by converting the date to the other calendar identified by the selected action, wherein generating the converted date comprises;

sending the schema information and the date to the at least one date conversion component, and

receiving the converted date from the at least one date conversion component.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

replacing the date in the string of text with the converted date.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein replacing the date in the string of text with the converted date comprises utilizing a document object model provided by an application for editing the electronic document to replace the date with the converted date.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the date may be expressed in one of a plurality of calendars, human languages, and date formats.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the list of actions comprises a dropdown menu having the plurality of menu items corresponding to the list of actions that may be performed on the date to convert the date to another calendar.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying the string of text and an indication that the date has been semantically labeled, and wherein the list of actions is provided in response to the selection of the date or the indication.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

converting the date to another human language.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating a converted date by converting the date to the other calendar and the other human language identified by a selected action; and

replacing the date in the string of text with the converted date and human language.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the string of text includes the date includes providing a location and a length of a portion of the string comprising the date.

10. In a system for creating and editing an electronic document, a computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon for converting a date between calendars and human languages, the instructions comprising:

registering at least one date conversion component with the system;

receiving a list of actions capable of being performed by the at least one date conversion component;

receiving a portion of the electronic document as a string of text;

analyzing the string of text to determine whether the string of text includes a date;

in response to determining that the string of text includes a date, semantically labeling the date with schema information identifying a calendar and a human language used to express the date wherein identifying comprises associating the string of text with an inline eXtensible Markup Language (XML) tag belonging to at least one semantic category that indicates that the date is convertible and that the semantic categories are stored in the electronic document, and the schema information including a format indices indicating a format the date is written in, a calendar type indices indicating the calendar the date is written in, a language indices identifying the human language the date is written in, and properties identifying a year, a month number, and a day-of-month for the date, wherein the semantic label further includes the list of actions capable of being performed by the at least one date conversion component for converting the date to another human language and another calendar to be performed on the string of text determined as including a date;

displaying the string of text and an indication that the date has been semantically labeled;

identifying a plurality of enabled human languages;

generating a plurality of menu items corresponding to the list of actions for each of the plurality of enabled languages;

determining a current user interface language setting;

providing the list of actions as a plurality of menu items corresponding to the list of actions for the current user interface language setting that may be performed on the date to convert the date in the semantically labeled string of text to another human language and calendar based on the semantic label;

receiving the selection of an action from the list of actions;

in response to receiving the selection of an action, generating a converted date by converting the date to the other calendar and human language identified by the selected action, wherein generating the converted date comprises;

sending the schema information and the date to the at least one date conversion component, and

receiving the converted date from the at least one date conversion component; and

replacing the date with the date converted to the other human language and calendar in the string of text.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein displaying the list of actions comprises displaying a dropdown menu having at least one of the menu items corresponding to the list of actions that may be performed on the date to convert the date to another calendar.

12. A system for converting a date between calendars and human languages, the system comprising:

a recognizer plug-in capable of;

identifying a plurality of enabled human languages,

receiving a portion of an electronic document as a string of text from an application program,

analyzing the string of text to determine whether the string of text includes a date,

in response to determining that the string of text includes a date, semantically labeling the date within the electronic document with schema information identifying a calendar and a human language used to express the date wherein identifying comprises associating the string of text with an inline eXtensible Markup Language (XML) tag belonging to at least one semantic category that indicates that the date is convertible and that the semantic categories are stored in the electronic document, and wherein the semantic label further includes a list of actions to be performed for converting the date to another human language and calendar, wherein the list of actions comprises a dropdown menu having a plurality of menu items corresponding to the list of actions that may be performed on the date to convert the date to another calendar and human language,

generating the plurality of menu items corresponding to the list of actions for each of the plurality of enabled languages,

determining a current user interface language setting for an application program associated with the electronic document to determine the human language used to express the date, the schema information including a format indices indicating a format the date is written in, a calendar type indices indicating the calendar the date is written in, a language indices identifying the human language the date is written in, and properties identifying a year, a month number, and a day-of-month for the date, and

providing, to the application, the plurality of menu items corresponding to the list of actions and the current user interface language setting;

the application program for creating and editing the electronic document, the application program capable of;

displaying the string of text and an indication that the date has been semantically labeled,

displaying the list of actions that may be performed on the date to convert the date in the semantically labeled string of text to another human language and calendar,

receiving the selection of an action from the list of actions, and

sending the selected action and the date to an action plug-in; and

an action plug-in capable of;

registering the action plug-in with the application program,

providing the list of actions that may be performed on the date,

receiving the schema information and the date from the application program,

generating a converted date by converting the date to the other calendar and human language identified by the selected action, and

replacing the date with the converted date in the string of text.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the recognizer plug-in is further configured to provide a location and a length of a portion of the string comprising the date.