Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Linguistics – Multilingual or national language support
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-28
2001-11-20
Edouard, Patrick N. (Department: 2644)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Linguistics
Multilingual or national language support
C379S088050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321190
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Automated message-generating arrangements have a wide range of applications. For example, in interactive voice-response systems, they are used to generate messages for playback to a user which either provide the user with information or prompt the user for action.
The design and use of the message-generating arrangement is relatively simple if only one language is supported. For example, the sentence structure required for any announcement is known a-priori, thereby making the construction of announcements relatively simple. However, even if only one language is supported, there is still a problem of entering information that is context-dependent or user-dependent into the announcements. An example of context-dependent information is singular versus plural terms. An example of user-dependent information is date information: “day/month” order in some cultures versus “month/day” order in others.
As a result of language-, culture-, or market-specific variations in representing information, the design of the message-generating arrangement usually is language-, culture-, or market-specific. But this limits use of the arrangement to only the particular market, culture, or language for which it was designed, and different designs must be created for each market, culture and language. This is very expensive and highly inefficient.
To avoid this problem, efforts have been made to design message-generating arrangements that are language-, culture-, or market-independent. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,164 discloses a voice-messaging system whose design is based upon “semantic expressions” that are used to evaluate language-, culture-, or market-specific data. While effective, this design still does not separate the “semantic expressions” from associated application code to the extent needed to make the design completely application-independent and therefore completely versatile and generic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to solving these and other problems and disadvantages of the prior art. Generally according to the invention, there is provided an infrastructure for developing an application-independent language module for language-independent applications. The language module responds to a request identifying a concept that is generic to a plurality of languages and also identifying the language that the concept is to be expressed in by generating and returning an expression of the identified concept in the identified language. All grammar and syntax of the concept in the identified language is defined by the language module. The language module thus separates and hides all language dependencies from applications, while preferably the language module is application-independent. The term “language” is used broadly throughout to include culture and market as well as other contexts that affect the expression of concepts.
According to an aspect of the invention, an infrastructure for developing a language module that enables applications to communicate concepts in language-independent manner comprises a plurality of stored foundation class objects that include the following. An instantiatable concept object for defining a plurality of concepts that are generic to a plurality of languages in language-independent manner and pointing to concept definitions each defining the corresponding concept in a different language. An instantiatable concept definition object for defining the plurality of concepts in language-dependent manner and pointing to parsers each for expressing a portion of an expression of the concept in the language of the concept definition and further associating any variables that are involved in the concept with said parsers. An instantiatable parser object for expressing portions of the expressions of the concepts in the languages of the corresponding concept definitions and for expressing values of any variable associated with the parsers in the languages of the corresponding concept definitions. And programming interface for creating instances of the foundation class objects thereby to express the concepts in the languages. Preferably, the foundation class objects further include an instantiatable variable object for defining variables each as corresponding to a particular data type, an instantiatable data type object for defining particular types of data, and an instantiatable language object for defining individual languages. The infrastructure further preferably includes a database cooperative with the programming interface for storing the created instances of the foundation class objects, and means for compiling the contents of the database into the language module. The infrastructure yet further preferably includes a database of media fragments and/or means for developing the database of media fragments, wherein the expression of the concept identifies the media fragments and their order forming a communicable version of the identified concept in the identified language. The infrastructure further preferably also includes an interface that enables applications to identify to the language module concepts that are generic to a plurality of languages and a language that the concept is expressed in, and to receive from the language module an expression of the identified concept in the identified language.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a method of creating a language module that enables applications to communicate concepts in language-independent manner comprises the following steps. Defining a plurality of concept instances each defining in a language-independent manner a different concept that is generic to a plurality of languages. Defining a plurality of concept definitions each defining a concept in a language, each concept definition being pointed to by the concept instance of the corresponding concept. Finally, defining a plurality of parsers each for expressing a phrase in a language, each parser being pointed to by the concept definition of the concept whose expression includes the corresponding phrase in the corresponding language. Thus, the parsers pointed to by an individual concept definition together express the concept of the concept definition in the language of the concept definition. Illustratively, the method is effected in object-oriented programming, and each defining step comprises creating a plurality of instances of corresponding foundation class object. Further illustratively, the method also includes storing the defined entities in a database and then compiling contents of the database into the language module, and also including in the language module an interface (e.g., a processing engine that uses an interface) that enables applications to identify to the language module concepts that are generic to a plurality of languages and languages that the concept is to be expressed in, and to receive from the language module an expression of the identified concept in the identified language.
The invention encompasses both methods that comprise the above-characterized steps and apparatus that includes the above-characterized elements or effects the method steps. The latter apparatus preferably includes an effect or—any entity that effects the corresponding step, unlike a means—for each step. Further, the invention encompasses computer-readable media containing instructions which, when executed in a computer, either cause the computer to perform the method or cause the computer to embody the apparatus.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention considered together with the drawing.
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Bernardes Marcelo C.
Giorgetti Cleber D.
Avaya Technologies Corp.
Edouard Patrick N.
Volejnicek David
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