Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-19
2004-09-21
Corrielus, Jean M. (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06795822
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of The Invention
The present invention generally relates to a technology that allows a plurality of users to communicate simultaneously sharing a single network. More specifically, the present invention relates to a text communication method and/or system that makes it easy for a user to transmit text messages over the shared network.
B. Definition of Terms
Hereinafter, a chat system refers to a system that includes a chat server and a plurality of chat clients, wherein a plurality of users using the chat clients can communicate each other simultaneously sharing a single channel.
A channel is a virtual space shared by the plurality of chat clients. A nickname is identification information that specifies a user uniquely in a chat system.
An agent terminal or acting device is a device that relays communications between the chat server and the chat clients. Preferably, an agent terminal or acting device acts as a client with respect to the chat server, and as a server with respect to the chat clients.
C. Description of The Related Art
There has been known an internet relay chat (IRC) as a system that allows text communications on a real time basis among a plurality of users. However, to conduct a text communication on a system such as IRC, a user has to type many words. In other words, the user's burden of typing messages is enormous. To reduce the typing burden, users have been registering frequently used words and idioms in a Chinese character conversion program. A user registers frequently used words and idioms in a dictionary with each of the words and idioms being associated with a certain combination of letters. The words and idioms can be obtained by typing certain combinations of letters and executing conversion thereon. Thus, text can be obtained by typing a fewer number of letters.
There has also been known a method in which frequently used texts are assigned to special keys, such that frequently used texts can be obtained by simply typing the special keys. The frequently used texts are determined from a history of typed texts.
Now that use of the internet and portable information devices increased rapidly, there are users who chat from a portable device while on a trip, from a desktop computer while at work, and from a home computer while at home. However, a keyboard of a portable device is not as easy to type as a keyboard of a desktop computer, because otherwise portable devices cannot be portable. Therefore, it is difficult to send and/or receive text messages using a portable device. The problem of typing is even greater with a chat because chatting requires a quick response.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
Several conventional methods have been developed to reduce the users' burden of typing. However, most of these conventional methods for reducing users' burden of typing have several problems. For example, in some of these prior methods, a user has to manually create a dictionary that converts a short text to a longer text. Therefore, the user still has a burden of creating the dictionary.
Moreover, in some of these prior art methods, a user has to re-create a dictionary every time the user uses a different terminal. In other words, the user has to create a dictionary many times. Consequently, the user may end up having two or more different dictionaries. For example, the user may have one in a computer that he or she uses at work, and another in a portable computer that he or she uses while on trip. This can be even more inconvenient for the user.
A user generally wants to reduce the burden of typing to a different degree depending on the type of the terminal he or she uses. For instance, a user may want to use a shortcut function to obtain a long text by typing a shorter text when he or she is using a portable device because a portable device is difficult to type. However, the same user may not need such function when he or she is using a desktop terminal. There has been no technology that allows a user to adjust the degree of reducing the burden of typing depending on the device that the user uses.
Also, since a portable device has a smaller display area to display text messages than that of a desktop terminal, long text messages may not be fully displayed.
Usually, a game device does not have a keyboard to receive inputted commands therefrom. However, there has been game devices that have an internet connection function for allowing a user to view home pages and participate in a chat system. If a user having such a game device wants to type texts to participate in a chat, the user has to create text messages by typing a software keyboard with a mouse. Since it is difficult to type texts in this manner, the user tends not to fully utilize some of the functions of the device that require typing.
In view of the above problems, there exists a need for improved text conversion method and device for a chat system which overcomes the above mentioned problems in the prior art by making it easier for a user to write and receive text massages. This invention addresses this need in the prior art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above described problems, one object of the present invention is to provide a method and a system for text communication by enabling a user to use the same dictionary from a plurality of information terminals in order to reduce the user's burden of typing and creating dictionaries.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a text communication method for communication devices is adapted to send and receive a text message. The communication devices utilize an acting device, which is adapted to relay the text message. The text communication method includes steps of:
(A) providing the acting device with a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion of text messages, with the dictionary corresponding to at least one of the communication devices or a user;
(B) sending from the communication device to the acting terminal a command that specifies whether a text message sent and received via the acting device should be converted or not; and
(C) converting the text message according to the command.
The communication device sends a command that specifies whether a text message should be converted or not. For instance, when the communication device establishes a connection to the acting device, it sends a command specifying whether or not to convert the text message. The acting device then configures whether text messages should be converted or not for each communication device.
Preferably, the text communication system of the present invention comprises a plurality of communication devices and an acting device. The communication devices are adapted to send and receive a text message. Each of the communication devices has reporting means for sending identification information and a command. The identification information can identify either the communication device or the user. The command specifies whether a text message should be converted or not.
The acting device is adapted to be connected with the communication devices for relaying a text message that the communication devices send and receive. The acting device has storing means and conversion means. The storing means stores a dictionary containing rules regarding conversion of text messages. The dictionary corresponds to at least one of the communication devices or the user. Upon receiving a command from one of the communication devices regarding conversion of a text message, the conversion means is adapted to convert a text message based on the dictionary corresponding to the communication device or the user.
The communication devices send and receive text messages by connecting to the acting device. Examples of communication devices that can be used with the present invention include an information terminal that runs a chat client or a portable terminal such as a pager, which simply can send and receive text me
Matsumoto Yasuhide
Murakami Masahiko
Okada Sumiyo
Corrielus Jean M.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
To Baoquoc N
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