Multi-language compatible information system

Claim 2

A multi-language compatible service offering/ receiving system according to claim 1, wherein upon reception of data by said first or second information processing apparatus (1 or 2) from said (4), said translation rule acquiring means (15 or 25) acquires translation rule relevant to said data from said third information processing apparatus (3) when rules relevant to common words or common sentence structuring rule or rules for common scale are not stored in said storage means (13 or 23).

Claim 3

A multi-language compatible service offering/ receiving system according to claim 1, wherein said third information processing apparatus is provided for each of the languages or for each of the scale units, and wherein each of said first and second information processing apparatuses includes: means for selecting information expressing form discretely for said languages or for said the scale units, respectively, means (18, 28) for storing communication addresses of said third information processing apparatuses (3) discretely for said languages or said scale units, respectively; and means for acquiring the communication addresses for said third information processing apparatuses (3) on the basis of classes of said data to be translated when the translation rule relevant to said data to be translated is unavailable.

Claim 4

A multi-language compatible service offering/ receiving system according to claim 1, wherein an information processing apparatus (1003) for managing correspondence relations between the communication addresses of said third information processing apparatus and classes of the data to be translated is connected to said communication network (4).

Claim 5

A multi-language compatible service offering/ receiving system according to claim 1, wherein said translation rule includes as attributes thereof a classifier representing a name which conceptually encompasses words to undergo said translation and an item name, and wherein said translating means performs translation of said information expressing forms by limiting the words to undergo the translation to words of conceptually lower rank encompassed by said classifier and said item name as designated.

Claim 6

A multi-language compatible service offering/ receiving system which includes a plurality of first information processing apparatuses (1, 1001) for offering services, a plurality of a second information processing apparatus (2, 1002) for receiving said services and at least one third information processing apparatus (3) for managing translation rules for translating information expressing forms such as languages, scale units or the like, wherein said first, second and third information processing apparatuses are interconnected via a communication network (4), wherein said first information processing apparatus (1, 1001) and said second information processing apparatus (2, 1002) respectively comprises at least communication means (11, 21) for performing communication with the other information processing apparatus via said communication network (4), input/output means (11, 12; 1011, 1022) for inputting/outputting data, wherein storage means (13, 23; 1017, 1027) for storing data; said third information processing apparatus (3) comprises at least communication means (31; 1031) for performing communication with other processing apparatuses via said communication network (4), storage means (33; 1033) for storing said translation rules (39), and translation means (14, 24; 1034) for performing translation of the information expressing forms in accordance with said translation rules (19, 29; 1039), wherein said translation rules are constituted by a set of rules stipulating correspondence relations between words of an intermediate expression each having a meaning common to a plurality of languages and words of a specific language or by a set of rules stipulating correspondence relations between scale units of intermediate expression serving as standards for scale units (such as units of length, unit of weight, unit of currency or the like), respectively, and specific scale units, and and wherein upon reception of words of a specific language or specific scale units from said communication network (4), said translating means translates words of said specific language into words of said intermediate expression while translating said specific scale units into scale units of said intermediate expression by making use of said translation rules, while upon reception of the words of said intermediate expression or the scale units of said intermediate expression from said communication network (4), said translating means translates the words of said intermediate expression into the words of the specific language or translates the scale units of said intermediate expression into the specific scale units.

Claim 7

A multi-language compatible service offering/ receiving system according to claim 6, wherein said third information processing apparatus is provided for each of the languages or for each of the scale units, respectively; and wherein each of said first information processing apparatus and said second information processing apparatuses includes: means for selecting information expressing forms discretely for said languages or for said the scale units, respectively; means (18, 28; 1018, 1028) for storing communication addresses of said third information processing apparatuses discretely for said languages or said scale units, respectively; and means for acquiring the communication addresses for said third information processing apparatuses (3) on the basis of the classes of the data being attempted for translation unless the translation rule relevant to said data is available.

Claim 8

A multi-language compatible service offering/ receiving system according to claim 6, wherein an information processing apparatus (1003) for managing the communication addresses of said third information processing apparatus is connected to said communication network (4).

Claim 9

A multi-language compatible service offering/ receiving system according to claim 6, wherein said translation rule has a classifier representing a name which conceptually encompasses words to undergo said translation and an item name as attributes, and wherein said translating means performs translation of said information expressing forms by limiting the words to undergo the translation to words of conceptually lower rank encompassed by said classifier and said item name as designated.

Claim 10

In an information processing apparatus connected to a network and including a display device, a method of displaying data, comprising the steps of: responding to reception of data via said network to make decision as to whether data given in an intermediate expression common to information processing apparatuses connected to said network is contained in the received data; and displaying said data of common intermediate expression when contained in said received data after having translated said common intermediate expression into a specific expression preset inherently to said information processing apparatus.

Claim 11

A data displaying method according to claim 10, wherein said information processing apparatus is provided with a translation rule table containing correspondence relations for translation of said intermediate expression into said specific expression, comprising the step of: translating said intermediate expression into said specific expression by referencing said translation rule table.

Claim 12

A data displaying method according to claim 11, wherein said translation rule table contains a set of rules stipulating correspondence relations between words of an intermediate expression each having a meaning common to a plurality of languages and words of a specific language, and wherein in said displaying step, the word of said specific language resulting from translation of the word of said intermediate expression contained in said received data is displayed.

Claim 13

A data displaying method according to claim 11, wherein said translation rule table contains a set of rules stipulating correspondence relations between scale units of intermediate expression serving as standards for units of length, weight, currency and the like, respectively, and specific scale units, and wherein in said display step, said specific scale unit resulting from translation of the scale unit of said intermediate expression is displayed.

Claim 14

A data displaying method according to claim 11, wherein upon reception of data containing data given in said intermediate expression from said network, said information processing apparatus sends out a request for acquisition of relevant translation rule table to other information processing apparatus via said network, unless the translation rule table pertinent to said data of intermediate expression as received is available in the first mentioned information processing apparatus.

Claim 15

In an information processing apparatus connected to a network and including a storage unit for storing information to be sent via said network, a method of sending data, comprising the steps of: making decision as to whether data of a specific expression is contained in data held by said information processing apparatus upon sending of said data onto said network; translating said data of specific expression as contained in the data held by said information processing apparatus into data of an intermediate expression common to information processing apparatuses provided on said network; and sending data containing the translated data onto said network.

Claim 16

A data sending method according to claim 15, wherein said information processing apparatus is provided with a translation rule table containing correspondence relation for translation of said specific expression into said intermediate expression, comprising the step of: translating said intermediate expression into said specific expression by referencing said translation rule table.

Claim 17

A data sending method according to claim 16, wherein said translation rule table contains a set of rules stipulating correspondence relations between words of said intermediate expression each having a meaning common to a plurality of languages and words of a specific language, wherein in said translating step, the word of said specific language contained in said data to be sent out is translated into word of said intermediate language.

Claim 18

A data sending method according to claim 16, wherein said translation rule table contains a set of rules stipulating correspondence relations between scale units of the intermediate expression serving as standards for units of length, weight, currency and the like, respectively, and specific scale units, wherein in said translating step, said specific scale unit is translated into the scale unit of said intermediate expression.

Claim 19

A data sending method according to claim 16, wherein upon sending of data containing data given in said specific expression onto said network, said information processing apparatus sends out a request for acquisition of relevant translation rule table to other information processing apparatus via said network, unless the translation rule table pertinent to said data of the specific expression is available in the said information processing apparatus.

Claim 20

In an information processing apparatus connected to a network for transferring data sent out from a first information processing apparatus to a second information processing apparatus, a method of transferring data, comprising the steps of: determining a communication address of said second destination information processing apparatus added to data sent from said first information processing apparatus, making decision as to whether data of a specific expression is contained in the data to be transferred, translating data of said specific expression as contained in said data to be transferred into specific expression pertinent to said second information processing apparatus; transferring data containing the translated data to said second information processing apparatus.