Locale Determination for Electronic Documents

Solution Overview

Problem

In distributed computer systems, processing large volumes of documents with different locales, such as varying languages and formatting, is challenging due to the need for manual configuration to recognize schemas, leading to inaccurate document processing.

Innovation Solution

A system that automatically determines the locale of electronic documents by assigning weight values to unknown-language data elements based on matches with known-language data elements, using locale metadata and document schema analysis to calculate a language confidence level for accurate processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual configuration is used to recognize document schemas, then processing accuracy is improved, but processing time and operational complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedocument processing accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically determines locale by analyzing document content itself without requiring manual configuration. The locale determination module extracts language indicators, date formats, and numerical patterns directly from the document to identify its locale, enabling self-service processing that eliminates manual setup while maintaining accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs locale determination as a preliminary step before document processing. By pre-identifying the document's locale through automated analysis of its content characteristics, the system prepares the appropriate processing context in advance, avoiding the need for manual configuration during the actual processing phase

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If manual configuration is used to recognize document schemas, then processing accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedocument processing accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically determines locale by analyzing document content itself without requiring manual configuration. The locale determination module extracts language indicators, date formats, and numerical patterns directly from the document to identify its locale, enabling self-service processing that eliminates manual setup while maintaining accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the approach from static manual configuration to dynamic automated parameter determination. By analyzing multiple document parameters (language patterns, date formats, numerical conventions) and determining locale based on these characteristics, the system replaces complex manual setup with automated parameter-based identification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If documents with different locales are processed without automatic locale determination, then infrastructure complexity is reduced, but processing accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinfrastructure complexityVSAvoiddocument processing accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a universal locale determination mechanism that handles multiple locales through a single automated process. The locale determination module can identify and adapt to various languages, date formats, and numerical conventions using the same underlying technology, providing multi-functional capability without requiring separate processing infrastructure for each locale

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the approach from static manual configuration to dynamic automated parameter determination. By analyzing multiple document parameters (language patterns, date formats, numerical conventions) and determining locale based on these characteristics, the system replaces complex manual setup with automated parameter-based identification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10346538B2Automatic locale determination for electronic documents

Publication Date: 2019.07.09 COUPA SOFTWARE INC

AI summary

Automatic locale determination for documents is described. In an embodiment, a computer server receives an electronic document comprising a plurality of unknown-language data elements each associated with one or more types. Based on a document schema of the document, the computer system selects one or more unknown-language data elements from the plurality of unknown-language data elements and assigning to each of the one or more unknown-language data elements a corresponding weight value based on a respective type of the unknown-language data element. The computer system compares the one or more unknown-language data elements with a plurality of known-language data elements that are associated with the document schema and based on the comparing, determines a number of unknown-language data elements in the one or more unknown-language data elements that matched any in a subset of the plurality of known-language data elements, wherein the subset of known-language data elements corresponds to a particular language. Based on the number of data elements that matched to the subset of known-language data elements and based on the corresponding weight assigned to each unknown-language data element in the number of unknown-language data elements, the computer system determines a language confidence level value specifying a level of machine confidence that the document is expressed in the particular language and based on the language confidence value for the particular language exceeding a language threshold value, automatically processes the document using the particular language.