Conversion of Input Text Strings
Assigned to: Google LLC
Patent family:
Free for public use from 2032 onward.
A method for converting strings of geographic names from one script or language into another by combining two techniques: translating words by meaning where a known equivalent exists (e.g. “Park” → 「公園」), and transliterating the remaining words phonetically into the target script. The two are combined into a single mixed-form output — for example, an English park name ending in “Park” gets its generic part translated and its specific part transliterated, matching how such names are conventionally rendered by fluent speakers of the target language.
Patented technology for converting place names and similar geographic strings between writing systems — part of the same line of work as the ICU transforms talk.