Pointer initiated instant bilingual annotation on textual information in an electronic document

• US 20060100849A1
• Filed: 09/27/2003
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: QNATURALLY SYSTEMS INC.
• Original Assignee: QNATURALLY SYSTEMS INC.
• Inventors: Chan, Ning-Ping
• Application Number:
  US10/529,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20060100849A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• 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

This invention provides a system and method for providing a user an artificial intelligence based bilingual annotation, displayed in a callout associated with the user'"'"'s mouse pointer, on a piece of textual information contained in a segment of text adjacent to, or overlaid by, the user'"'"'s mouse pointer while the user is reading an electronic document on the computer screen.

Claims

1. A system for providing a user with bilingual annotation on a piece of textual information in a first language contained in an electronic document displayed in the user'"'"'s screen, the system comprising a processor which is configured to:

screen-scrape a segment of text adjacent to, or overlaid by, the user'"'"'s pointer;

calibrate said screen-scraped segment of text into a query according to one or more logic, linguistic and/or grammatical rules;

translate said query into a second language by looking up a database and applying a set of logic, linguistic and grammatical rules; and

display a visual cue on the user'"'"'s screen, said visual cue containing said query, said query'"'"'s translation and/or other reading aid information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said segment of text is fixed in length.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the length of said segment of text is automatically adjusted according to one or more logic, linguistic and/or grammatical rules.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said visual cue is dynamically associated with the user'"'"'s pointer.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said visual cue comprises a tail which approximately overlaps with the user'"'"'s pointer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said visual cue is fixed in size.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said visual cue is adaptive to fit the content therein.

8. A computer usable medium containing instructions in computer readable form for carrying out a process for providing a user with bilingual annotation on a piece of textual information in a first language contained in an electronic document displayed in the user'"'"'s screen, said process comprising the steps of:

screen-scraping a segment of text adjacent to, or overlaid by, the user'"'"'s pointer,

calibrating said screen-scraped segment of text into a query;

translating said query into a second language; and

displaying a callout on the user'"'"'s screen, said callout containing said query, said query'"'"'s translation and/or other reading aid information.

9. The computer usable medium of claim 8, wherein said segment of text is fixed in length.

10. The computer usable medium of claim 8, wherein the length said segment of text is automatically adjusted according to one or more logic, linguistic and/or grammatical rules.

11. The computer usable medium of claim 8, wherein said callout is dynamically associated with the user'"'"'s pointer.

12. The computer usable medium of claim 11, wherein said callout'"'"'s tail approximately overlaps with the user'"'"'s pointer.

13. The computer usable medium of claim 8, wherein said callout is fixed in size.

14. The computer usable medium of claim 8, wherein said callout is adaptive to fit the content therein.

15. A method for providing a user with bilingual annotation on a piece of textual information in a first language contained in an electronic document displayed in the user'"'"'s screen, comprising the steps of:

screen-scraping a segment of text adjacent to, or overlaid by, the user'"'"'s pointer;

calibrating said screen-scraped segment of text into a query according to one or more rules;

translating said query into a second language by looking up a database and applying a set of logic, linguistic and grammatical rules; and

displaying an annotation callout on the user'"'"'s screen, said annotation callout containing said query, said query'"'"'s translation and/or other reading aid information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said segment of text is fixed in length.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the length said segment of text is automatically adjusted according to one or more logic, linguistic and/or grammatical rules.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said callout is dynamically associated with the user'"'"'s pointer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said callout'"'"'s tail approximately overlaps with the user'"'"'s pointer.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said callout is fixed in size.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said callout is adaptive to fit the content therein.

22. A system for returning to a remote user from a web server a bilingual annotation on a piece of textual information in a first language contained in a website supported by the web server, said system comprising an application which operates to:

screen-scrape a segment of text adjacent to, or overlaid by, the user'"'"'s pointer;

calibrate said screen-scraped segment of text into a query;

translate said query into a second language; and

send a signal to display said query, said query'"'"'s translation and/or other reading aid information in a visual cue on the user'"'"'s screen.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said application comprises a graphical user interface embedded in each page of said web site, said graphical user interface comprising:

means for activation or deactivation of said application; and

means for selecting said second language from a list of languages.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said application is automatically activated when said second language is selected.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein said segment of text is fixed in length.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the length of said segment of text is automatically adjusted according to one or more logic, linguistic and/or grammatical rules.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein said visual cue'"'"'s position is dynamically associated with the user'"'"'s pointer.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said visual cue comprises a tail which approximately overlaps with the user'"'"'s pointer.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said visual cue is fixed in size.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein said visual cue is adaptive to fit the content therein.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein said graphical user interface further comprises:

means for setting parameters of said visual cue.

32. A method for returning to a remote user from a web server a bilingual annotation on a piece of textual information in a first language contained in a website supported by the web server, comprising the steps of:

screen-scraping a segment of text adjacent to, or overlaid by, the user'"'"'s pointer;

sending said screen-scraped segment of text to the web server;

calibrating said screen-scraped segment of text into a query according to one or more rules;

translating said query into a second language by looking up a database and applying a set of logic, linguistic and grammatical rules; and

returning said query along with said query'"'"'s translation to the user'"'"'s computer; and

sending a signal to display a callout containing said query, said query'"'"'s translation and/or other reading aid information on the user'"'"'s screen.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said application comprises a graphical user interface embedded in each page of said web site, said graphical user interface comprising:

means for activation or deactivation of said application; and

means for selecting said second language from a list of languages.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said application is automatically activated when said second language is selected.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein said segment of text is fixed in length.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the length of said segment of text is automatically adjusted according to one or more logic, linguistic and/or grammatical rules.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein said callout'"'"'s position is dynamically associated with the user'"'"'s pointer.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said callout'"'"'s tail approximately overlaps with the user'"'"'s pointer.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein said callout is fixed in size.

40. The method of claim 32, wherein said callout is adaptive to fit the content therein.

41. The method of claim 32, wherein said graphical user interface further comprises:

means for setting parameters of said callout.

42. A system for providing real-time multilingual annotation service over a global network from a server to a user, said system comprising:

(a) a client application which runs on the user'"'"' computer, said client application being operable to;

screen-scrape a segment of text in a first language, said segment of text being adjacent to, or overlaid by, the user'"'"'s pointer;

calibrate said screen-scraped segment of text into a query;

send said query to the server; and

display an annotation callout which contains said query and the translation of said query returned from the server; and

(b) a server application which runs on the server, said server application being operable to;

translate said query into a second language by looking up a database and applying a set of logic, linguistic and grammatical rules; and

return the translation of said query to the client application.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein said segment of text is fixed in length.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein said segment of text is automatically adjusted according to one or more logic, linguistic and grammatical rules.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein said callout is dynamically associated with the user'"'"'s pointer.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein said callout'"'"'s tail approximately overlaps with the user'"'"'s pointer.

47. The system of claim 42, wherein said callout is fixed in size.

48. The system of claim 42, wherein said callout is adaptive to fit the content therein.

49. A method for providing real-time multilingual annotation service over a global network from a server to a user, said method comprising:

screen-scraping a segment of text in a first language, said segment of text being adjacent to, or overlaid by, the user'"'"'s pointer;

calibrating said screen-scraped segment of text into a query;

sending said query to the server;

translating said query at the server into a second language by looking up a database and applying a set of logic, linguistic and grammatical rules;

returning the translation of said query to the user'"'"'s computer; and

displaying an annotation callout which contains said query, the translation of said query, and/or other reading aid information, returned from the server.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein said segment of text is fixed in length.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein the length of said segment of text is automatically adjusted according to one or more logic, linguistic and/or grammatical rules.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein said callout is dynamically associated with the user'"'"'s pointer.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein said callout'"'"'s tail approximately overlaps with the user'"'"'s pointer.

54. The method of claim 49, wherein said callout is fixed in size.

55. The method of claim 49, wherein said callout is adaptive to fit the content therein.

56. A system for providing an annotation on a piece of textual information in a first language contained in an electronic document stored in a server communicatively connected to a client via a network, the system comprising a processor configured to:

receive from the client data identifying said piece of textual information;

calibrate said identified textual information into a query according to one or more logic, linguistic and/or grammatical rules;

translate said query into a second language by looking up a database and applying a set of logic, linguistic and grammatical rules; and

forward to the client a translation of said query.

57. A computer usable medium containing instructions in computer readable form for carrying out a process for providing a user with bilingual annotation on a piece of textual information in a first language contained in an electronic document displayed in the user'"'"'s screen, said process comprising:

receiving data identifying said piece of textual information;

calibrating said piece of textual information into a query;

translating said query into a second language; and

forwarding said translated query to the user.

58. A method for providing a user with bilingual annotation on a piece of textual information in a first language contained in an electronic document displayed in the user'"'"'s screen, said method comprising:

receiving data identifying said piece of textual information;

calibrating said piece of textual information into a query;

translating said query into a second language; and

forwarding said translated query to the user.