Browser based language recognition supporting central web search translation

• US 9,223,869 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Inventors: Bennett, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Roberts, Shaun
• Application Number:
  US13/665,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 704 1- 9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation

Abstract

A web browser agent or plug-in installed into a web browser of a client device provides translation services along with a search engine server. The system accesses a web page in one (local) language and then translates to another (foreign) language and displays the translated content in a web page for user'"'"'s viewing. The web browser agent is an add-on software tool or plug-in, provided by the search engine server and installed into the web browser. As a result of installation, a toolbar appears on the top of the web browser'"'"'s page. This toolbar provides the interface to enable local translation of web pages from a local/web language to a target/foreign language useful to the user. Centralized (cloud computing) translation services by servers of a third party may also be employed. Web pages in any number of languages may be accessed using this operations/structure.

Claims

1. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing computer program code, the computer program code comprising instructions executable by a first device of a first user to perform a method for interacting with a web search infrastructure, the first user having a preference for reading text of a first language, the web search infrastructure gathering both first web text of a second language and second web text of a third language, the method comprising:

directing the first device to automatically identify the second language within first search results received from the web search infrastructure, the first search results including at least a portion of the first web text, the automatic identification of the second language being performed using a web browser agent comprising a plurality of translation modules configured to provide auxiliary language translation assistance for different languages, wherein at least a portion of the web browser agent is provided from the web search infrastructure before receiving the first search results;

wherein the browser agent is further configured to provide a toolbar on a web browser screen, the toolbar including buttons for enabling translation from the first language to at least the second language;

directing the first device to automatically identify the third language within second search results received from the web search infrastructure, the second search results including at least a portion of the second web text;

directing the first device to respond to the identification of the second language by offering to the first user via the first device remote language-translation processing services to be conducted by the web search infrastructure;

directing the first device to respond to the identification of the third language by offering to the first user via the first device local language-translation processing services to be conducted by the first device; and

presenting the translation results on the first device, wherein the translation results are determined by using a conjugate terms database, wherein the translation results include results having meanings that differ from one another due to alternate meanings of a search string in the first language used to produce the first web text of the second language and the second web text of the third language.

2. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, the method further comprising directing the first device to perform the local language-translation services.

3. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the web search infrastructure does not support translations involving the third language.

4. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the local language-translation services are performed offline.

5. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, the method further comprising directing the first device to send a translation request to the web search infrastructure, the translation request identifying the second language.

6. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, the method further comprising directing the first device to receive second language related data.

7. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing computer program code, the computer program code comprising instructions executable by a first device of a first user to perform a method for interacting with a web search infrastructure, the first user having a preference for reading text of a first language, the web search infrastructure gathering first web text of a second language, the method comprising:

directing the first device to receive a second language related delivery comprising second language related data from the web search infrastructure, wherein the second language related delivery comprises digital delivery of at least a portion of a browser agent configured to provide a toolbar on a web browser screen, the toolbar including buttons for enabling translation from the first language to at least one second language; and

directing the first device to perform translation related processing using the second language related data in at least a portion of the translation related processing, the translation related processing including;

(i) automatically identifying, based on the second language related data, the second language within first search results received from the web search infrastructure, the first search results including at least a portion of the first web text, and the second language related data being received before receiving the first search results; and

(ii) managing a translation from the second language to the first language relating to the first web text;

(iii) presenting the translation results in the new window, wherein the translation results are determined by using a conjugate terms database, and wherein the translation results include results having meanings that differ from one another due to alternate meanings of a search string in the first language used to produce the first search results.

8. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the managing the translation comprises performing the translation locally on the first device.

9. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the managing the translation comprises performing the translation remotely on the web search infrastructure.

10. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the web search infrastructure does not support the translation.

11. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the computer program code comprises web browsing code.

12. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the automatic identification involves an analysis of only a portion of the second language text in the first search results.

13. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, the method further comprising directing the first device to receive a third language related delivery from the web search infrastructure to support translation of the third language on the first device.

14. A web search system that supports a plurality of users via an Internet, a first user of the plurality of users having a preference for reading first language text via a first device, the web search system gathering first web text of a second language, the web search system comprising:

a processing infrastructure that sends to the first device, prior to delivery of first search results, a translation process related delivery comprising at least a portion of a web browser agent configured to use a plurality of different translation modules to provide auxiliary language translation assistance for different languages;

the processing infrastructure receives a first search request and responds by delivering the first search results to the first device to enable on the first device an automatic language analysis process that is based at least in part on the translation process related delivery, the receipt of the first search request occurring after the translation process related delivery;

the processing infrastructure receiving a translation request constructed based on an identification by the first device that the first search results contains text of the second language for translation to a first language, the identification being based at least in part on the automatic language analysis process;

the processing infrastructure translating the first search results using at least a conjugate terms database to produce translation results, the translation results include results having meanings that differ from one another due to alternate meanings of a search string in the first language used to produce the first search results;

the processing infrastructure directing the first device to open a new window for presentation of the translation results; and

the processing infrastructure transmitting the translation results to the first device for presentation in the new window.

15. The web search system of claim 14, wherein the automatic language analysis process involves an analysis of only a portion of the second language text in the first search results.

16. The web search system of claim 14, wherein the translation process related delivery supports identification of the second language on the first device.

17. The web search system of claim 14, wherein the translation process related delivery supports translation of a third language on the first device.

18. The web search system of claim 14, wherein the translation process related delivery comprises a client browser program code related delivery.

19. The web search system of claim 14, wherein the translation process related delivery comprises a second language related data.

20. The web search system of claim 14, wherein the translation request identifies at least one of the source language and the destination language.

21. A web search infrastructure that supports a plurality of users via an Internet, a first user of the plurality of users having a preference for reading first language text via a first device, the web search system gathering first web text of a second language, the web search system comprising:

a client side program that directs operations of the first device to support web browsing and related language translation;

a central processing infrastructure that delivers to the first device second language related data and first search results that include the first web text, the second language related data is delivered before the first search results are delivered, wherein the second language related delivery comprises digital delivery of at least a portion of a browser agent configured to provide a translation-related toolbar on a web browser screen;

the client side program directs the first device to apply a language analysis process based on the second language related data to identify a portion of the first web text as being of the second language;

the client side program directs the first device, based at least in part on the identification, to deliver a translation request to the central processing infrastructure, the translation request identifying a source language as the second language and a destination language as a first language;

the central processing infrastructure produces translation results in response to the translation request using at least a conjugate terms database, wherein the translation results include results having meanings that differ from one another due to alternate meanings of a search string in the first language used to produce the first search results;

and

the client side program directs the first device to present the translation results.

22. The web search infrastructure of claim 21, wherein the client side program is downloaded by the first device from a system that supports the web search infrastructure.

23. The web search infrastructure of claim 21, wherein the client side program comprises browser software that is tailored to interact with the central processing infrastructure to support an overall translation solution relating to web searching.

24. The web search infrastructure of claim 21, wherein at least a portion of the client side program comprises a software module that operates with a web browsing application that runs on the first device.

25. The web search infrastructure of claim 21, wherein the central processing infrastructure performs translation to service the translation request and to translate search input text.

26. The web search infrastructure of claim 21, wherein the client side program directs the first device to deliver the translation request based also on receiving a confirmation input from the first user.

27. The web search infrastructure of claim 21, wherein the client side program directs the first device to apply the language analysis process to a second search results which results in an identification of a third language text which is translated within the first device to the first language.

28. The web search infrastructure of claim 21, wherein the language analysis process is performed automatically in response to receiving the delivery of the first search results.