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`PATENT NUMBER
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`8804101
`'\\\\~·\\~l\\111 \~\\~\l\\l\lll\l\\\ll 11\1 !
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`6604101
`
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`
`U.S. UTILITY Patent Application
`PATENT DATE
`~UG 0 5 2001
`
`!_ uJ O.I.P .E.
`~CANNED ~ Q .A1
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`SUBCLASS ~T EXAMINER
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`APPLICATION NO.
`09/606655
`
`CONT/PRIOR CLASS
`707
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`12/99
`
`ISSUING CLASSIFICATION
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`7c'J'1
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`CROSS REFERENCE(S)
`
`SUBCLASS (ONE SUBCLASS PER BLOCK)
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`CLAIMS ALLOWED
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`Print Claim for O.G.
`
`I ~
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`NOTICE OF ALLOWANCE MAILED
`
`s;-( ( 6(63
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`•
`Amount Due
`if~~-o·~
`
`ISSUE FEE
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`.£E.
`
`Date Paid
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`li{ ~J.. ...--~ «;
`ISSUE BATCH NUMBER
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`DTERMINAL
`DISCLAIMER
`
`~
`
`(date)
`
`0 The term of this patent
`subsequent to
`has been disclaimed.
`0 The term of this patent shall
`not extend beyond the expiration date
`of U.S Patent. No.
`
`0 The terminal _months of
`this patent have been disclaimed.
`
`(Assistant Examln¢'
`
`(Date)
`
`.•"
`t
`
`_
`
`//
`
`(Primary Examiner)
`
`--
`
`(Date)
`
`WARNING:
`The information disclosed herein may be restricted. Unauthorized disclosure may be prohibited by the United States Code Title 35, Sections 122, 181 and 368.
`Posse~:sion outside the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office is restricted to authorized employees and contractors only.
`
`Form PT0-436A
`(Rev. 6/99)
`
`... . ,.
`
`FILED WITH: D DISK (CRF) D FICHE D CD-ROM
`
`(Attached in_pocket on right Inside flap)
`
`(FACE)
`
`AOL Ex. 1006
`Page 1 of 116
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`
`
`- - - -
`
`. ENT APPLICATION
`PA~~~~~~~~~~~m
`
`09606655
`
`.
`
`CONTENTS
`Date Received
`/
`(Incl. C. of M.)
`or
`Date Mailed
`
`/
`
`,1<'1-'
`
`/,,./··
`
`INITIALS.---···
`~rt'4009A
`
`Date Received
`(Incl. C. of M.)
`or
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`
`43. _ _ _ _;__ _ _ _ _
`
`44. - - - - - - - - - - - · -
`
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`
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`
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`(LEFT OUTSIDE)
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`
`2 3 . - - - - - - - -
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`26. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
`
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`
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`
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`
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`3 8 . - - - - - - - -
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`40. - - - - : ; - - - - - - - - -
`41. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
`
`AOL Ex. 1006
`Page 2 of 116
`
`
`
`PATENT APPLICATION SERIAL No.o9'--Co&.C~L
`
`·,
`
`U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`FEE RECORD SHEET
`
`'710712000 SCIIlfiCH OOOOOo42 09606655
`1 FC:201
`? FC:202
`~ FC:203
`
`345.00 DP
`117.00 OP
`27.00 DP
`
`PT0-1556
`(5/87)
`
`'U.S. GPO: 1999-459..082/19144
`
`AOL Ex. 1006
`Page 3 of 116
`
`
`
`. . '
`
`\
`
`Page 1 of 1
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND 'IRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 ~111111 ~~
`Bib Data Sheet
`
`SERIAL NUMBER
`09/606,655
`
`\.
`
`FILING DATE
`06/28/2000
`-
`RULE
`
`fAPPLICANTS
`Ning-Ping Chan, El Cerrito, CA;
`Xiong Zhenghui, Baixiang, CHINA;
`Liu Zhuo, Sushe, CHINA;
`Xiwen Ma, Redwood Cityjt;;
`J
`I** CONTINUING DATA*************************
`
`I** FOREIGN APPLICATIONS •• !!.1**************
`
`1
`
`.
`
`IF REQUIRED, FOREIGN FILING LICENSE
`GRANTED ** 09/20/2000
`Dyes~no
`Foreign Priority claimed
`35 USC 119 (a-d) conditions D yes liJ no D Met after
`S/l
`Initials
`
`met
`~erified and
`~cknowledged
`fAD DRESS
`
`Anowzx:
`
`Exa~r's;!ignature
`
`-
`
`ILl''-'
`
`''"''"'
`
`~5696
`ITITLE
`Mett1cd a11el sys~eiTl feF ~FaF1slil'l~t:u:1l tFaAslatieA et EJbl&f¥ acd search and retrie~al of rnultili~:~g~::~al iAfeFffiatieiA-GR
`
`COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`UNITED STATES PATENT ANO TRADEMARK OFFICE
`WASHINGlON, D.C. 202.31
`www.uspto.gov
`
`.
`GROUP ART UNIT
`2'776
`
`CLASS
`707
`
`ATTORNEY
`DOCKET NO.
`20334-0011
`
`**SMALL ENTITY,**
`
`STATE OR SHEETS
`COUNTRY DRAWING
`CA
`3
`
`TOTAL
`CLAIMS
`23
`
`INDEPENDENT
`CLAIMS
`6
`
`-
`
`'
`
`ID All Fees
`
`ID 1.16 Fees (Filing)
`
`D 1.17 Fees (Processing Ext. of
`time)
`
`ID 1.18 Fees (Issue)
`
`I
`
`I
`
`I
`
`FILING FEE FEES: Authority has been given in Paper
`to charge/credit DEPOSIT ACCOUNT
`RECEIVED No.
`for following:
`No.
`554
`
`~ .. . . ..
`
`································-·············
`
`ID Other
`
`ID credit
`
`I
`
`I
`
`........................... ,
`
`file://C:\APPS\PreExam\correspondence\1_A.xml
`
`2/2/01
`
`AOL Ex. 1006
`Page 4 of 116
`
`
`
`Page 1 of 1
`
`UKITED STATES DEPARTMIDIT OF COMMERCE
`Unit .. d Atut ... PatHnt and 'T'rad .. mark om ....
`AddroOJ: COMMISSIONER ·OF PATE!\TS AND TRADEMARKS
`P.O. Dox 1450
`Alwwuh;.. VilgiJU. 22313-WO
`W\\'W.Wiplo.gov
`
`CONFIRMATION NO. 5510
`
`CLASS
`707
`
`GROUP ART UNIT
`2171
`
`ATTORNEY
`DOCKET NO.
`20334-0011
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND ThADEMARK OFFICE
`
`1111~1 WI IIIII Wlll~l ~11111111 WIIII~II~IIIWI IIIII i 1111
`
`Bib Data Sheet
`
`SERIAL NUMBER
`09/606,655
`
`FILING DATE
`06/28/2000
`RULE
`
`I
`
`APPLICANTS
`Ning-Ping Chan, El Cerrito, CA;
`Xiong Zhenghui, Baixiang, CHINA;
`Liu Zhuo, Sushe, CHINA;
`Xiwen Ma, Redwood City, CA;
`
`~* CONTINUING DATA***********"'****"'"'**"'"'"'**
`
`""" FOREIGN APPLICATIONS *****"'"'"'"'***********
`
`IF REQUIRED, FOREIGN FILING LICENSE GRANTED,.. SMALL ENTITY**
`** 09/20/2000
`.
`
`r:J yes r:J no
`Foreign Priority claimed
`35 USC 119 (a-d) conditions r:J yes r:J no r:J Met after
`met
`Allowance
`rverified and
`~cknowledged
`~DDRESS
`~5696
`
`Examiner's Signature
`
`Initials
`
`STATE OR
`'SHEETS
`COUNTRY DRAWING
`CA
`3
`
`TOTAL
`CLAIMS
`23
`
`INDEPENDENT
`CLAIMS
`6
`
`TITLE
`Method and system for translingual translation of query and search and retrieval of multilingual information on a
`computer network
`
`FILING FEE FEES: Authority has been given in Paper
`to charge/credit DEPOSIT ACCOUNT
`RECEIVED No.
`for following:
`No.
`632
`
`jr:J All Fees
`jr:J 1.16 Fees (Filing)
`r:J 1.17 Fees ( Processing Ext. of
`time)
`jr:J 1.18 Fees (Issue)
`jr:J Other
`lr:J Credit
`
`I
`I
`
`I
`I
`I
`
`AOL Ex. 1006
`Page 5 of 116
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`
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK
`
`J Box PATENT APPLICATION
`· Assistant Commissioner for Patents
`Washington, D.C. 20231
`
`FILING TRANSMITTAL
`
`Attorney's Docket No.: 20334-0011
`
`Transmitted herewith for filing is the Patent Application of: Ning-Ping Chan et al.
`
`"METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSLINGUAL TRANSLATION OF QUERY
`For:
`AND SEARCH AND RETRIEVAL OF MULTILINGUAL INFORMATION ON THE
`WEB"
`
`ENCLOSURES
`
`0
`0
`0
`0
`
`_1§_ page application including specification, claims and abstract;
`_3_sheets (Figs. 1- 3) of D informal/0 formal drawings;
`A Declaration, Power of Attorney & Petition (Dsigned/ 0unsigned);
`A postcard for return to us as proof of receipt of the referenced documents.
`and
`0 An Assignment of the invention with a cover sheet for recordation;
`0
`Verified Statement Claiming Small Entity Status (37 CFR 1.9(t) and 1.27(b));
`IDS (form PT0-1449) and copies of references;
`D
`D An Associate Power of Attorney;
`D A certified copy of the priority document (Under 35 USC 119);
`D A Power of Attorney by Assignee;
`D Other.
`
`D
`D
`
`0
`
`TYPE OF FILING
`This application claims the benefit of an earlier filed U.S. Patent Application
`This is an application filed pursuant to 37 CFR 1.53, permitting receipt of a filing date
`upon filing of specification, claims and drawings, if required, with applicant being given a
`period of one month from the date of notice to file the fee and oath or declaration ..
`In the event any parts of this application are missing, please treat this as a filing under
`37 CFR 1.53 as defmedjust above.
`
`CERTIFICATE OF MAILING (37 CFR l.lO(a))
`CERTIFICATE OF MAILING BY "EXPRESS MAIL"- Rule 10: I hereby certify that this correspondence is being deposited
`with the U. S. Postal Service "Express Mail Post Office to Addressee" under 37 CFR 1.10 as Express Mail No. EL409574020US
`addressed to the Assistant Commissioner for Patents, Washington, D.C. 20231 on June 28, ~00~ by Jivian L. Shreve.
`
`Date: June28, 2000
`
`l ~ -~
`
`Vivian L. Shreve
`
`Attorney Docket: 20334-0011
`PATENT FILING TRANSMITTAL
`
`Page I
`SV/99604.01
`
`AOL Ex. 1006
`Page 6 of 116
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`
`
`·,..
`
`The filing fee has been calculated as shown below:
`
`FEE CALCULATION
`
`BASIC FEE Design Patent
`BASIC FEE Utility Patent
`EXTRA FEES
`Total claims
`Independent Claims
`0 Multiple Dep. Claim
`liD Assignment
`0 Rule 53 Surcharge
`TOTAL
`
`SMALL ENTITY
`$155
`$345
`
`OR
`
`OTHER THANA
`SMALL ENTITY
`$310
`$760
`RATE
`xiS=
`x78=
`+260=
`+40=
`+130=
`
`$
`$
`FEE
`$0
`$0
`$
`$40
`$
`$
`
`$
`$345.00
`FEE
`$27.00
`$117.00
`$
`$40.00
`$
`$529.00
`
`23
`6
`
`minus20=
`minus 3=
`
`3
`3
`
`FEE PAYMENT
`
`RATE
`x9=
`x39=
`+130=
`+40=
`+65=
`
`0 Attached is Check No. 124129 in the sum of 529.00 to cover the filing fee.
`0
`Please charge Account No. 02-3964 the sum of$ _ _ _
`
`FEE DEFICIENCY
`
`0
`0
`
`Please charge Account No. 02-3964 in the sum of$ _ _ _
`The Commissioner is authorized to charge (or credit any overpayment) to deposit account
`No. 02-3964:
`0 Any additional filing fees required under 37 CFR 1.16, except Rule 53 filings,
`which will be paid within the time permitted by PTOL 1533.
`0 Assignment Recorda! fees.
`The filing fee and surcharge under 3 7 CFR 1.16, patent application processing fees under
`3 7 CFR 1.1 7 and patent issue fees under 3 7 CFR 1.18 are intended to be paid by our firm
`as they arise. As no abandonment is intended by any inadvertent nonpayment of fees, the
`Commissioner is hereby authorized to charge payment of such fees as from time to time
`come due, if not paid prior to due date to our Deposit Account No. 02-3964.
`0 A duplicate copy of this sheet is enclosed.
`
`0
`
`Dated: June 28, 2000
`
`OPPENHEIMER WOLFF & DONNELLY LLP
`3373 Hillview Avenue, Suite 200
`Palo Alto, CA 94304-1204
`(650) 320-4000
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`Chien-Wei (Chris) Chou
`Reg. No: 41,672
`
`Attorney Docket: 20334-0011
`PATENT FILING TRANSMITTAL
`
`Page2
`SV/99604.01
`
`AOL Ex. 1006
`Page 7 of 116
`
`
`
`SPECIFICATION
`
`MMHOD AND~M FOR T:RANSLINGUAL TRANSLATION OF OUERY A~ SEARCH AND
`RETRIEVAl. OF MULTILINGUAL INF'ORMA TION ONi'HE 'llBB
`==
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Field of the Invention
`
`This invention relates generally to translation of query and retrieval of multilingual
`
`information on the web and more particularly to a method and system for conducting a
`
`translingual search on the Internet and accessing multilingual web sites through dialectal
`
`standardization, pre-search translation and post-search translation.
`
`5 Description of prior art
`
`The World Wide Web is a fast expanding terrain of information available via the Internet.
`
`The sheer volume of documents available on different sites on the World Wide Web ("Web")
`
`warrants that there be efficient search tools for quick search and retrieval of relevant information.
`
`In this context, search engines assume great significance because of their utility as search tools
`
`lli 10
`
`that help the users to search and retrieve specific information from the Web by using keywords,
`
`phrases or queries.
`
`A whole array of search tools is available these days for users to choose from in
`
`conducting their search. However, search tools are not all the same. They differ from one
`
`another primarily in the manner they index information or web sites in their respective databases
`
`15
`
`using a particular algorithm peculiar to that search tool. It is important to know the difference
`
`between the various search tools because while each search tool does perform the common task
`
`of searching and retrieving information, each one accomplishes the task differently. Hence, the
`
`difference in search results from different search engines even though the same phrases/queries
`
`are inputted.
`
`20
`
`Search tools of different kinds fall broadly into five categories, which are as follows:
`
`1. directories;
`
`20334-0011
`
`1
`
`SV/96928.01
`06272000118:27/0.0
`
`AOL Ex. 1006
`Page 8 of 116
`
`
`
`2. search engines;
`
`3. super engines;
`
`4. meta search engines; and
`
`5. special search engines.
`
`5
`
`Search tools like Yahoo, Magellan and Look Smart qualify as web directories. Each of
`
`these web directories has developed its own database comprising of selected web sites. Thus,
`
`when a user uses a directory like Yahoo to perform a search, he/she is searching the database
`
`maintained by Yahoo and browsing its contents.
`
`Search engines like lnfoseek, Webcrawler and Lycos use software such as "spiders" and
`
`"robots" that crawl around the Web and index, and catalogue the contents from different web
`
`sites into the database of the search engine itself.
`
`A more sophisticated class of search engines includes super engines, which use a similar
`
`kind of software as "robots" and "spiders." However, they are different from ordinary search
`
`engines because they index keywords appearing not only on the title but anywhere in the text of
`
`a site content. Hot Bot and Altavista are examples of super engines.
`
`Mil
`!'kl
`
`Search engines further include meta search engines, which consist of several search
`
`engines. A user using a meta search engine actually browses through a whole set of search
`
`engines contained in the database of the meta search engine. Dogpile and Savvy Search are
`
`examples of meta search engines.
`
`20
`
`Special search engines are another type of search engines that cater to the needs of users
`
`seeking information on particular subject areas. Deja News and lnfospace are examples of
`
`special search engines.
`
`Thus, each one of these search tools is unique in terms of the way it performs a search
`
`and works towards fulfilling the common goal of making resources on the web available to users.
`
`20334-0011
`
`2 J
`
`SV/96928.01
`06272000/18:27/0.0
`
`AOL Ex. 1006
`Page 9 of 116
`
`
`
`However, most of these search engines are limited in their scope in so far as most of these
`
`search engines cater to the needs of the English speaking community alone and help in the search
`
`and retrieval of monolingual documents only. Most of these search engines require input in
`
`English and search web sites that have information available in English only. In other words,
`
`5 most of the search tools cater primarily to the needs of the English speaking Internet user. This
`
`attribute renders these search tools almost useless to the non-English speaking Internet users who
`
`constitute as much as 75% of the Internet user population. This non-English speaking user
`
`community is unable to search English web sites since it cannot adequately input phrases or
`
`queries in English. Consequently, this community of users is unable to benefit from the search
`
`10
`
`tools and web documents available in English. This is a serious drawback, which has not been
`
`addressed by any of the existing search engines.
`
`'=;~
`~-:61
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`Likewise, the non-English speaking Internet users also create web sites to store
`
`information in non-English languages. This rich source of information is not available to query
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`by English oriented search engines. As a result the English speaking population remains
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`deprived of the resources available in the other languages of the world for the same reasons as
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`discussed above.
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`As an example, when preparing a Chinese To-fu dish which calls for "shrimp caviare," a
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`search was made on a super engine, such as Altavista.com to check the availability of "shrimp
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`caviare" anywhere in the world. A search using Altavista.com under "all language" revealed no
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`matching results under either "English" or "Chinese" setting. A search was then made for the
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`English term "shrimp caviare" at China.com, which is a Chinese search engine, but to no avail.
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`Subsequently, the term "shrimp caviare" was looked up in Chinese to find its Chinese equivalent.
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`The Chinese equivalent thus found was " xiazi" (meaning, "shrimp roe"). This word was then
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`used for making the search on China.com and yielded as many as twenty-four hits.
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`Thus, a need exists for a translingual search engine with a built-in translator. Such a
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`system should be capable of standardizing the query or phrase input by the user to a commonly
`known word and then translating the same into a target language prior to a search for sites that
`satisfies the search criteria. Such a system should be capable of inputting the translated keyword
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`into a search engine of the target language to yield search results. Further, for convenience of
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`the user, the system should be capable of translating the search results obtained in the target
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`language back into the source language.
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`Such a system will help the users to transcend language barri~rs while making a search
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`on the web. Such a system also obviates the need to manually and unsystematically find out the
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`translated equivalent of a word in another language prior to conducting a search in that language.
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`Such a system will go a long way in transcending all language barriers and improving
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`inter-human communication. This will not only pave the way for a healthier interactive
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`environment and cultural exchange but also help in an optimal utilization of available resources
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`on the Web.
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`There are some web sites, which offer translation services, but such sites merely create an
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`illusion of multilingual search and information retrieval. What these sites offer in effect are
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`machine translation services. Machine translation services are services that provide a literal
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`translation of the words queried by users. Such translations are often found to be unintelligible
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`and incomprehensible and as a result fall short of fulfilling any meaningful objective of users.
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`Systems have also been developed which attempt to transform a query input by the user
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`in the native language also referred to as source language into a resulting language also referred
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`to as a target language and provide as many translations as possible in the target language. The
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`idea is to have such a transformed query ready for use in any of the available information
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`retrieval systems.
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`However, this system is similar to the 'other search tools discussed earlier that fail to
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`placate the long standing need for a one stop shop for users to dialectally standardize a user
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`query to a more commonly known word and then translate this standardized word intelligently to
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`the target language prior to search. Such a tool being also capable of conducting a search in the
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`target language through the input of the translated'keyword into a search engine of the target
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`language and producing search results, and even generating translations of the search results in
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`the source language.
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`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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`One object of the present invention is to provide a method and a system that dialectally
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`standardizes the keyword or query input by the user to a more commonly known and/or used
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`term. Dialectal standardization is distinctly helpful because standardizing the word to a
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`commonly known word insures that the search engine of the target language will recognize it.
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`Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system that translates
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`intelligently the standardized keyword or query input by the user in a source language into the
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`target language.
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`Yet another object of the invention is to provide an option to the users to have the search
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`results retrieved in the target language to be translated back into the source language.
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`A method for dialectally standardizing a query input by the user in the source language
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`and then translating the standardized keyword to the target language and searching and retrieving
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`web documents in the target language as well as providing translations of said search results into
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`the source language.
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`In this method, the user first inputs a query in the source language through a unit such as
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`the keyboard. This query is then processed by the server at the backend to extract content word
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`from the input query. The next step takes place at the dialectal controller, which performs the
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`function of dialectally standardizing the content word/words extracted from the input query.
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`This insures that the keyword is standardized to a commonly known word/term. At this stage,
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`the user may be prompted for some more input so as to refine the search or to perform dialectal
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`standardization where the initial input phrase by the user was insufficient to perform Dialectal
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`Standardization.
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`Thereafter, the dialectally standardized word is inputted into a translator to translate the
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`dialectally standardized word into the target language. This process of translation that takes
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`place prior to a search is known as pre-search engine translation. Following translation, the
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`translated word is input into a search engine in the target language. Such an input yields search
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`results in the target language that satisfy the search criteria. The-results so obtained are then
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`displayed in the form of site names (URL) on the user's screen.
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`Once the search results are made available to the user, the user has a set of available
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`options. The user may either browse the search results in the target language or request that the
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`search results obtained in the target language be translated into the source language. The user
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`may further specify whether the entire search results or just portions C>f it need to be translated.
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`This can be done by merely highlighting the portions of the search results desired to be translated
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`and then entering the appropriate command.
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`The user may also specify as to what kind of a translation is required by the user
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`depending on his/her needs i.e whether a simple machine translation with reading aids will be
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`sufficient or a more intelligible trap.slation of the search results and the contents of those web
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`10
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`sites is desired.
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`bl
`.~.c.
`cr.'l
`.,...,.,.
`~J
`tf~·
`rn,
`,.,.
`IJ115
`wi
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`n ......
`20
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`An alternative embodiment of the present invention may also be used with a query
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`prompter on the server so that in cases where the initial query entered by the user is insufficient
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`for dialectal standardization, more input is solicited by the query prompter from the user to help
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`standardize the words into acceptable and known words in the target language.
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`One advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and a system that
`
`dialectally standardizes the keyword or query input by the user to a more commonly known
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`and/or used term. Dialectal standardization is distinctly helpful because standardizing the word
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`to a commonly known word insures that the target language search engine will recognize it.
`
`Another advantage_ of the present invention is to provide a _method and system that
`
`translates intelligently the standardized keyword or query input by the user in a source language
`
`into a target language.
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`Yet another advantage of the invention is that it provides an option to the users to have
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`the search results retrieved in the target language to be translated back into the source language.
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`The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be
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`apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which makes
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`reference to the drawings. ·
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`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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`Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of the general overview of the
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`system for translingual translation of query and search and retrieval of multilingual web
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`documents;
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`Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the different steps involved in the process of translingual
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`5
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`translation of query and search and retrieval of multilingual web documents; and
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`Fig. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the processing of query input by a user in the source
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`language, dialectal standardization of the input query, translation of the standardized
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`word/keyword into a target language and obtaining search results in the target language and
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`translation of search results into the source language.
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`10
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`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
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`The invention incorporates a new and unique methodology and system for translingual
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`translation of query and search and retrieval of multilingual web documents. Such a system
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`enables a user to access web documents in a target language other than his/her own source
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`language with the option of having these web documents translated back either in part or in
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`whole into the source language.
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`Broadly speaking, the process and system embodied by the invention take place in three
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`stages: dialectal standardization, pre-search engine translation and post search engine translation.
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`Figure 1 is a schematic representation of one embodiment of the general overview of the
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`system for translingual translation of query and search and retrieval of multilingual web
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`20
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`documents.
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`As illustrated in Figure 1, a query input unit 100 is present on the computer used by a
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`user. The query input unit has a query input device 102 such as a keyboard. The query input
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`unit is connected to a server 104 which has at least three units, namely, a dialectal controller 106,
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`a query prompter 108 and a translator 110. The server 104 is connected to a search engine 112,
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`which in tum is connected to the Internet 114.
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`Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the different steps involved in the process of
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`translingual translation of query and search and retrieval of multilingual web documents. The
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`. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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`different steps take place in the three stages of dialectal standardization, pre-search translation
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`and post-search translation.
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`DIALECTAL STANDARDIZATION
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`According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in Figure 2,
`a user 116 inputs a query in the source language 118 through an input device such as a keyboard.
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`5
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`The query is received by a dialectal controller which processes the query and identifies a
`keyword from the query input 120. The dialectal controller extracts content word out of the
`query. The next step involves dialectal standardization 122, wherein the dialectal controller at
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`server backend picks up the keyword and standardizes it to a commonly known word and/or
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`term. This is done to bring about a consistency in the meaning of a word notwithstanding
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`dialectal variations.
`
`Dialectal standardization is an important step because oftentimes words encountered
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`have several different dialectal variations. A language such as English itself is full of dialectal
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`variations in the form of British English and American English to name a few. Good examples
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`of dialectal variations in these two dialects of English include centre vs. center, lorry vs. truck,
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`queue vs. line and petrol vs. gasoline etc. Similar instances could be cited in many of the other
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`languages of the world, too. In Chinese, for instance there are as many as 41 different dialectal
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`variations for just one particular word. Such instances corroborate the fact that dialectal
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`variations are the rule rather than the exception and therefore the only way to counter them is by
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`standardizing a query or a word to a commonly known word.
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`In particular, the importance of dialectal standardization cannot be undermined in the
`
`present invention where the identified keyword needs to be given one consistent meaning.
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`Otherwise, a single inconsistency could result in a wrong translation and ruin the entire search
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`process during subsequent stages of search and information retrieval.
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`25
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`In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, if the dialectal controller fails to
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`recognize the word and thus is unable to perform dialectal standardization, the query prompter
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`unit may prompt the user for more input or request the user to choose from a set of expressions
`· to assist, to clarify and to sharpen his/her query 128. In that case the user may submit another
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`query to the query input device. Such a query may either be a standard term or a non-standard
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`term. For instance, different variants of the word "auto" including automobile and transportation
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`vehicle are permitted to be input by the user as part of the dialectal standardization process.
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`PRE-SEARCH TRANSLATION
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`5
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`According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dialectally
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`standardized output for the identified keyword is input 126 into the translator. The translator
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`translates the standardized keyword into an equivalent in a target language and gives an output in
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`the target language 130, such target language having been pre-selected by the user prior to the
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`translation stage. In one embodiment, a pre-determined target language can be selected as a
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`10
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`default target language. The output so obtained in the target language is then fed into a search
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`a,·.
`f1gl5
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`p;;;
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`engine of the target language 132. This input sets the search engine into motion and the search
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`engine begins searching for sites related to that particular keyword and provides an output of
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`search results 134. The search results obtained following the search are displayed as search
`results on the screen 115 of the user. The search results obtained may be of many different kinds
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`such as titles/catalogs along with their URL links or actual web sites or web pages with contents
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`or even subpages with title along with their URL links. The search results obtained may be any
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`or all of these.
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`POST- SEARCH TRANSLATION
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`According to the preferred embodiment of this invention, the user now has access to the
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`search results in the target language.
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`Depending on the user's competence level and needs, the user may either choose to view
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`the search results so obtained in the target language itself, or he/she may specify that the search
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`results be translated in whole or in part into the source language.
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`This can be done by the user by selectively highlighting the portions that he/she desires to
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`be translated and by entering an appropriate command or selecting an appropriate option. In
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`accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, if the user chooses to have a
`post-search tr