Communication devices and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11880361-B2
Application number	US-201816623993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2018
Priority date	Jun 20, 2017
Publication date	Jan 23, 2024
Grant date	Jan 23, 2024

Abstract

A communication device associated with a transmitting entity and including: a first transmitting/receiving module capable of receiving, from the transmitting entity, a query formulated in a predetermined computer language or in a predetermined natural language; a translation module, activated if the query is formulated in the predetermined computer language, and configured to translate the query into the predetermined natural language; an extraction module configured to extract from the query formulated in the predetermined natural language at least one keyword representing the query; an identification module configured to identify, using the at least one keyword extracted, a target device supporting the predetermined natural language towards which to transmit the query; and a second transmitting/receiving module configured to transmit the query formulated in the natural language to the target device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A communication device associated with a transmitting entity, the communication device comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor configure the communication device to perform acts comprising:
receiving with a first transmission/reception module, from the transmitting entity, a request formulated in a formal language or a predetermined natural language;
translating the request into the predetermined natural language in response to said request being formulated in the formal language;
extracting, from the request translated into the predetermined natural language or formulated in the predetermined natural language, at least one keyword representative of the request;
identifying from target devices known by the communication device, by using said at least one extracted keyword, a target device supporting the predetermined natural language to which to transmit the request; and
transmitting with a second transmission/reception module the request formulated in the natural language to the target device.

2. The communication device as claimed in claim 1 , in which the communication device is further configured to:
activate the first transmission/reception module on reception of a response formulated in the natural language to the request, to transmit this response to the transmitting entity; and
translate the response prior to its transmission to the transmitting entity into the formal language in response to the transmitting entity communicating by using the formal language.

3. The communication device as claimed in claim 1 , in which the communication device is further configured to:
interrogate, by using said at least one extracted keyword, a database comprising at least one keyword belonging to the predetermined natural language, linked to at least one communication device supporting the predetermined natural language and associated with a communicating object capable of processing the request of which said at least one keyword is representative.

4. The communication device as claimed in claim 3 , in which the communication device is further configured to identify as the target device:
a communication device associated with a communicating object capable of processing the request and linked in the database to said at least one extracted keyword; or
a predefined device if the database does not contain said at least one extracted keyword.

5. The communication device as claimed in claim 4 , in which the predefined device is a device capable of identifying a communicating object capable of processing the request of which said at least one extracted keyword is representative.

6. The communication device as claimed in claim 3 , in which the communication device is further configured to:
obtain capabilities of at least one communicating object; and
add to the database a communication device supporting the predetermined natural language and associated with the communicating object by linking it to at least one keyword determined on the basis of the capabilities obtained from the communicating object.

7. The communication device as claimed in claim 3 , in which, in the database, at least one keyword representative of a request is also linked to a parameter that makes it possible to specify said request.

8. The communication device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising using the second transmission/reception module to set up, with the target device, a communication channel of instant messaging type to communicate with this target device by using the predetermined natural language.

9. The communication device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the communication device is further configured to maintain a context for the request over a determined period, the context maintained by a management module comprising a context identifier associated with the request.

10. The communication device as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the communication device is further configured to supply, without invoking the transmitting entity, at least one parameter to the target device specifying the request in a message comprising the context identifier associated with the request.

11. A communication device associated with a communicating object, the communication device comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor configure the communication device to perform acts comprising:
identifying said communication object by the communication device from target devices known by the communication device;
receiving with a first transmission/reception module, from an origin device, a request that the communicating object is capable of processing, said request being formulated in a predetermined natural language;
translating with a translation module the received request formulated in the predetermined natural language into a request formulated in a formal language used to communicate by the communicating object; and
transmitting with a second transmission/reception module, the request formulated in the formal language to the communicating object.

12. A communication method implemented by a communication device associated with a transmitting entity, said method comprising:
receiving a request transmitted by the transmitting entity and formulated in a formal or a predetermined natural language;
translating the request into the predetermined natural language in response to said request being formulated in the formal language;
extracting, from the request translated into the predetermined natural language or formulated in the predetermined natural language at least one keyword representative of the request;
identifying from target devices known by the communication device, by using said at least one extracted keyword, a so-called target device supporting the predetermined natural language to which to transmit the request; and
transmitting the request to the identified target device.

13. A communication method implemented by a communication device associated with a communicating object, wherein the communication method comprises:
identifying said communication object by the communication device from target devices known by the communication device;
receiving, from an origin device, a request that the communicating object is capable of processing, said received request being formulated in a predetermined natural language;
translating the received request formulated in the predetermined natural language into a request formulated in a formal language used by the communicating object to communicate; and
transmitting the request formulated in the formal language to the communicating object.

14. The communication method as claimed in claim 13 , also comprising:
receiving, from the communicating object, a response to the request, said response being formulated in the formal language;
translating the response formulated in the formal language into a response formulated into the predetermined natural language; and
transmitting to the origin device of the response formulated in the predetermined natural language.

Assignees

• Orange

Inventors

• Zimmermann Julien
• Bertin Emmanuel

Classifications

• G06F16/2452 Primary

  Query translation · CPC title

• G06F16/243

  Natural language query formulation · CPC title

• G06F40/42

  Data-driven translation · CPC title

• G06F40/58

  Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation · CPC title

• G16Y40/35

  Management of things, i.e. controlling in accordance with a policy or in order to achieve specified objectives · CPC title