Systems and methods for multi-user multi-lingual communications

• US 9,231,898 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mz Ip Holdings, LLC (AppLovin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Machine Zone, Inc. (AppLovin Corporation)
• Inventors: Orsini, Francois, Bojja, Nikhil, Puzon, Bartlomiej
• Primary Examiner(s): JACKSON, JAKIEDA R
• Application Number:
  US14/294,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/51 Translation evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

Various embodiments described herein facilitate multi-lingual communications. The systems and methods of some embodiments enable multi-lingual communications through different modes of communication including, for example, Internet-based chat, e-mail, text-based mobile phone communications, postings to online forums, postings to online social media services, and the like. Certain embodiments implement communication systems and methods that translate text between two or more languages. Users of the systems and methods may be incentivized to submit corrections for inaccurate or erroneous translations, and may receive a reward for these submissions. Systems and methods for assessing the accuracy of translations are described.

Claims

1. A method implemented by data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

providing a text message chat system to a plurality of users of an online game, the users comprising an alliance having access to its own chat room in the text message chat system, the chat room allowing the users in the alliance to exchange text messages;

associating a respective distinct language translation process with each of the users in the alliance, wherein each of the translation processes comprises a plurality of different transformation modules that are each configured to accept as respective input a portion of a message of the associated user and provide as respective output a transformed version of the respective input according to an order of transformations wherein the respective output of a particular transformation module is provided as the respective input to another transformation module following in the order;

receiving a request from a first user to block a second user from the chat room; and

following receipt of the request, blocking the second user from the chat room, wherein blocking the second user comprises removing a translation process from the chat system, the translation process being associated with the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, following receipt of the request, blocking future invitations from the second user to the first user to engage in a chat session using the text message chat system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second request from the first user to unblock the second user from the chat room.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, following receipt of the second request, permitting the second user to access the chat room.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising, following receipt of the second request, permitting future invitations to be sent from the second user to the first user to engage in a chat session using the text message chat system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different transformation modules comprises at least one of:

(i) a chatspeak module for identifying a chatspeak word or phrase in a message, and replacing the chatspeak word or phrase with a non-chatspeak word or phrase;

(ii) a spelling check module for performing a spelling check on a message;

(iii) an abbreviation module for identifying an abbreviation in a message, and replacing the abbreviation with a word or a phrase corresponding to the abbreviation;

(iv) an acronym module for identifying an acronym in a message, and replacing the acronym with a word or a phrase corresponding to the acronym;

(v) a colloquialism module for identifying a colloquial word or phrase in a message, and replacing the colloquial word or phrase with a word or a phrase representing the colloquial word or phrase; and

(vi) a profanity module for identifying a profane word or phrase in a message, and replacing the profane word or phrase with a non-profane word or phrase or removing the profane word or phrase.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing to the first user a list of users who have been blocked from the chat room.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an instruction from the first user to edit the list of users who have been blocked from the chat room.

9. A system comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon; and

a data processing apparatus configured to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

providing a text message chat system to a plurality of users of an online game, the users comprising an alliance having access to its own chat room in the text message chat system, the chat room allowing the users in the alliance to exchange text messages;

associating a respective distinct language translation process with each of the users in the alliance, wherein each of the translation processes comprises a plurality of different transformation modules that are each configured to accept as respective input a portion of a message of the associated user and provide as respective output a transformed version of the respective input according to an order of transformations wherein the respective output of a particular transformation module is provided as the respective input to another transformation module following in the order;

receiving a request from a first user to block a second user from the chat room; and

following receipt of the request, blocking the second user from the chat room, wherein blocking the second user comprises removing a translation process from the chat system, the translation process being associated with the second user.

10. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising, following receipt of the request, blocking future invitations from the second user to the first user to engage in a chat session using the text message chat system.

11. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising receiving a second request from the first user to unblock the second user from the chat room.

12. The system of claim 11, the operations further comprising, following receipt of the second request, permitting the second user to access the chat room.

13. The system of claim 11, the operations further comprising, following receipt of the second request, permitting future invitations to be sent from the second user to the first user to engage in a chat session using the text message chat system.

14. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising providing to the first user a list of users who have been blocked from the chat room.

15. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising receiving an instruction from the first user to edit the list of users who have been blocked from the chat room.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of different transformation modules comprises at least one of:

(i) a chatspeak module for identifying a chatspeak word or phrase in a message, and replacing the chatspeak word or phrase with a non-chatspeak word or phrase;

(ii) a spelling check module for performing a spelling check on a message;

(iii) a abbreviation module for identifying an abbreviation in a message, and replacing the abbreviation with a word or a phrase corresponding to the abbreviation;

(iv) an acronym module for identifying an acronym in a message, and replacing the acronym with a word or a phrase corresponding to the acronym;

(v) a colloquialism module for identifying a colloquial word or phrase in a message, and replacing the colloquial word or phrase with a word or a phrase representing the colloquial word or phrase; and

(vi) a profanity module for identifying a profane word or phrase in a message, and replacing the profane word or phrase with a non-profane word or phrase or removing the profane word or phrase.

17. A computer program product stored in one or more non-transitory storage media for controlling a processing mode of a data processing apparatus, the computer program product being executable by the data processing apparatus to cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

providing a text message chat system to a plurality of users of an online game, the users comprising an alliance having access to its own chat room in the text message chat system, the chat room allowing the users in the alliance to exchange text messages;

associating a respective distinct language translation process with each of the users in the alliance, wherein each of the translation processes comprises a plurality of different transformation modules that are each configured to accept as respective input a portion of a message of the associated user and provide as respective output a transformed version of the respective input according to an order of transformations wherein the respective output of a particular transformation module is provided as the respective input to another transformation module following in the order;

receiving a request from a first user to block a second user from the chat room; and

following receipt of the request, blocking the second user from the chat room, wherein blocking the second user comprises removing a parallel translation process from the chat system, the parallel translation process being associated with the second user.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, the operations further comprising, following receipt of the request, blocking future invitations from the second user to the first user to engage in a chat session using the text message chat system.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, the operations further comprising receiving a second request from the first user to unblock the second user from the chat room.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, the operations further comprising, following receipt of the second request, permitting the second user to access the chat room.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, the operations further comprising, following receipt of the second request, permitting future invitations to be sent from the second user to the first user to engage in a chat session using the text message chat system.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the plurality of different transformation modules comprises at least one of:

(i) a chatspeak module for identifying a chatspeak word or phrase in a message, and replacing the chatspeak word or phrase with a non-chatspeak word or phrase;

(ii) a spelling check module for performing a spelling check on a message;

(iii) an abbreviation module for identifying an abbreviation in a message, and replacing the abbreviation with a word or a phrase corresponding to the abbreviation;

(iv) an acronym module for identifying an acronym in a message, and replacing the acronym with a word or a phrase corresponding to the acronym;

(v) a colloquialism module for identifying a colloquial word or phrase in a message, and replacing the colloquial word or phrase with a word or a phrase representing the colloquial word or phrase; and

(vi) a profanity module for identifying a profane word or phrase in a message, and replacing the profane word or phrase with a non-profane word or phrase or removing the profane word or phrase.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, the operations further comprising providing to the first user a list of users who have been blocked from the chat room.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, the operations further comprising receiving an instruction from the first user to edit the list of users who have been blocked from the chat room.