Query tree navigation

• US 10,031,983 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bandholz, Justin P., Pagan, William G., Piazza, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin, Jean B
• Application Number:
  US15/052,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20170024489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 707759, 707765, 707766, 707769, 707770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90344 by using string matching techniques

Abstract

System, computer implemented method and computer program product for preparing and navigating a query tree including a plurality of query nodes and informational nodes. Each query node is associated with a prompt, branching criteria and keywords. A current query node provides a prompt to a user and a user response is received and analyzed to identify branching criteria and keywords from the user response. The method navigates to another node in the query tree in consideration of the branching criteria received in the user response and a comparison between the keywords received in the user response and the keywords associated with the query nodes. The comparison may validate navigation to a destination node corresponding to the branching criteria or the comparison may indicate incorrect navigation of the query tree. Corrective navigation can be implemented in various ways based upon the keywords received in the user response.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

communicating a prompt to a user, wherein the prompt is provided by a current query node in a query tree, wherein the query tree includes a plurality of query nodes, a plurality of branches, and a plurality of informational nodes, each branch corresponding to branching criteria associated with a specific query node and directing navigation from the associated query node to another of the query nodes or one of the informational nodes, wherein each query node provides a prompt and each informational node provides information available to the user, wherein each query node is associated with one or more keywords;

receiving a user response to the prompt;

analyzing the user response to identify a branching criteria that corresponds to one of the plurality of branches leading from the current query node to a different one of the query nodes or one of the informational nodes;

analyzing the user response to identify one or more keywords from the user response;

navigating to another node in the query tree in consideration of the branching criteria from the user response and a comparison between the one or more keywords from the user response and keywords associated with the informational nodes;

navigating the query tree from the current query node to a destination node in response to determining that the user response includes branching criteria corresponding to a branch leading from the query node; and

accepting navigation to the destination node in response to determining that the one or more keywords from the user response are relevant to the keywords associated the destination node.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

accepting navigation to the destination node in response to determining that the one or more keywords from the user response are not relevant to the keywords associated with query nodes proximal to the destination node.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing each user response received in relation to each prompt during a session; and

returning to a previously navigated query node in response to determining that the user response to a current prompt includes keywords that are more relevant to the previously navigated query node than the current query node.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating the prompt from the current query node in response to receiving a user response including one or more keywords that are not relevant to any of the keywords associated with the destination node.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

navigating to a query node associated with keywords that are determined to be more relevant to the one or more keywords in the user response than the keywords associated with the current query node.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the prompts and user responses are communicated over a telephone system or a computer network.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein each query node includes branching criteria for three or more branches.

8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

communicating a prompt to a user, wherein the prompt is provided by a current query node in a query tree, wherein the query tree includes a plurality of query nodes, a plurality of branches, and a plurality of informational nodes, each branch corresponding to branching criteria associated with a specific query node and directing navigation from the associated query node to another of the query nodes or one of the informational nodes, wherein each query node provides a prompt and each informational node provides information available to the user, wherein each query node is associated with one or more keywords;

receiving a user response to the prompt;

analyzing the user response to identify a branching criteria that corresponds to one of the plurality of branches leading from the current query node to a different one of the query nodes or one of the informational nodes;

analyzing the user response to identify one or more keywords from the user response;

navigating to another node in the query tree in consideration of the branching criteria from the user response and a comparison between the one or more keywords from the user response and keywords associated with the informational nodes;

navigating the query tree from the current query node to a destination node in response to determining that the user response includes branching criteria corresponding to a branch leading from the query node; and

accepting navigation to the destination node in response to determining that the one or more keywords from the user response are relevant to the keywords associated the destination node.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, the method further comprising:

storing each user response received in relation to each prompt during a session; and

returning to a previously navigated query node in response to determining that the user response to a current prompt includes keywords that are more relevant to the previously navigated query node than the current query node.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, the method further comprising:

repeating the prompt from the current query node in response to receiving a user response including one or more keywords that are not relevant to any of the keywords associated with the destination node.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, the method further comprising:

navigating to a query node associated with keywords that are determined to be more relevant to the one or more keywords in the user response than the keywords associated with the current query node.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the prompts and user responses are communicated over a telephone system or a computer network.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein each query node includes branching criteria for three or more branches.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

communicating a prompt to a user, wherein the prompt is provided by a current query node in a query tree, wherein the query tree includes a plurality of query nodes, a plurality of branches, and a plurality of informational nodes, each branch corresponding to branching criteria associated with a specific query node and directing navigation from the associated query node to another of the query nodes or one of the informational nodes, wherein each query node provides a prompt and each informational node provides information available to the user, wherein each query node is associated with one or more keywords;

receiving a user response to the prompt;

analyzing the user response to identify a branching criteria that corresponds to one of the plurality of branches leading from the current query node to a different one of the query nodes or one of the informational nodes;

analyzing the user response to identify one or more keywords from the user response;

navigating to another node in the query tree in consideration of the branching criteria from the user response and a comparison between the one or more keywords from the user response and keywords associated with the informational nodes;

navigating the query tree from the current query node to a destination node in response to determining that the user response includes branching criteria corresponding to a branch leading from the query node; and

accepting navigation to the destination node in response to determining that the one or more keywords from the user response are not relevant to the keywords associated with query nodes proximal to the destination node.