Multilingual graphic user interface system and method

• US 20020133523A1
• Filed: 07/19/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Ambler, Anthony, Wheeler, William, Flores, Juan E.
• Application Number:
  US09/907,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20020133523A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

A multilingual user interface system and method that allows for easily and immediately switching between available languages, without interrupting application program operation, and easily adding and editing a wide array of languages and language-specific user interface attributes, without modifying the application program and without requiring significant, if any, programming skills, is described. A table of user interface attributes confers language specificity.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system for displaying language-specific attributes of a user interface in a desired language, said system including

a reference source including data corresponding to the language-specific attributes for the desired language,

means for defining the language-specific attributes of the interface with said data from the reference source, and

means for generating the user interface, including the language-specific attributes of the interface defined with said data from the reference source, on a visual display.

2. The computer implemented system according to claim 1, further including an interface control means for selecting the desired language.

3. The computer implemented system according to claim 2, wherein the data include text characters comprising a message for each language-specific attribute of the user interface having text.

4. The computer implemented system according to claim 3, wherein the data further include style parameters for the text characters, said style parameters defining the appearance of said text characters on the visual display.

5. The computer implemented system according to claim 4, wherein the data further include a reference to a character code set that includes said text characters for the language-specific attributes of the user interface having text.

6. The computer implemented system according to claim 5, wherein the data corresponding to the language-specific attributes for the desired language comprise a block of data having an offset value identifier.

7. The computer implemented system according to claim 6, wherein the means for defining the language-specific attributes of the interface with said data from the reference source includes means for updating the language-specific attributes of the user interface with the data.

8. The computer implemented system according to claim 7, wherein the interface control means references the offset value identifier for the block of data.

9. The computer implemented system according to claim 8, wherein the data further include a reference to a graphic file for a control icon corresponding to the interface control means for selecting the desired language.

10. The computer implemented system according to claim 9, further including an audio data file corresponding to a spoken message in the desired language for the user interface.

11. A computer implemented system for changing language-specific attributes of a user interface from a first language to a second language, said system including

interface control means for selecting the second language,

a reference source including data corresponding to the language-specific interface attributes for the second language,

means for replacing language-specific interface attributes for the first language with language-specific interface attributes for the second language, and

means for generating the user interface, including the language-specific attributes for the second language, on a visual display.

12. The computer implemented system according to claim 11, wherein the data corresponding to the language-specific interface attributes for the second language include text characters comprising a message in said second language for each language-specific attribute of the user interface having text.

13. The computer implemented system according to claim 12, wherein the data corresponding to the language-specific interface attributes for the second language further include style parameters for the text characters, said style parameters defining the appearance of said text characters on the visual display.

14. The computer implemented system according to claim 13, wherein the data further include references to a character code set that includes the text characters for each of said language specific attributes having text for the second language.

15. The computer implemented system according to claim 14, wherein the data corresponding to the language-specific attributes for the second language comprise a block of data for the second language having a unique offset value identifier.

16. The computer implemented system according to claim 15, wherein the means for replacing language-specific interface attributes for the first language with language-specific interface attributes for the second language includes means for updating the language specific attributes of the interface with the data corresponding to the language-specific interface attributes for the second language.

17. The computer implemented system according to claim 16, wherein the interface control means for selecting the second language references the offset value identifier for the block of data for the second language.

18. The computer implemented system according to claim 17, wherein said reference source is in a text format readable by a computer system and said means for generating the user interface on a visual display is in a format executable by the computer system.

20. The computer implemented method according to claim 19, wherein the data corresponding to the language-specific attributes for the second language comprise a block of data having a unique offset value identifier in the reference source, said method further including the step of referencing the offset value identifier for said block of data.

21. The method according to claim 20, further including the step of generating the offset value identifier for the block of data by selecting a user interface icon corresponding to the second language.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the step of obtaining data corresponding to the language-specific interface attributes for the second language further includes obtaining text characters comprising a message in said second language for each language-specific interface attribute having text.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of obtaining data corresponding to the language-specific interface attributes for the second language further includes obtaining style parameters for said text characters, said style parameters defining the appearance of said text characters on the visual display.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the step of obtaining data corresponding to the language-specific interface attributes for the second language further includes obtaining a reference to a character code set that includes said text characters in said second language for each language-specific interface attribute having text.

19. A computer implemented method for changing language-specific user interface attributes from a first language to a second language, said method including the steps of

obtaining data corresponding to the language-specific interface attributes for the second language from a reference source,

replacing language-specific user interface attributes for the first language with language-specific user interface attributes for the second language based upon said data, and

generating a user interface, including the language-specific attributes for the second language, on a visual display.