Semantic answering system and method

• US 20020116176A1
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allium US Holding LLC
• Original Assignee: Invention Machine Corporation (S&P Global Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsourikov, Valery, Sovpel, Igor, Korzun, Alexander, Batchilo, Leonid
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24522 Translation of natural language queries to structured queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis

Abstract

Answering System enables a user to input a query and responds with answers. Server stores an indexed database of a plurality of S-A-O'"'"'s (subject-action-object). User generates the query that includes query elements (A-O), (S-A), or (S-X-O), or element (S). The server identifies the database element S, O, or A, or elements (A-O) associated with a respective knowledge base S-A-O that includes the query element(s) in response to the server receiving the query and generates a natural language answer S-A-O that includes the identified and the query elements(s) and transmits the answer to the user apparatus that provides an audio or visual response. The server can conduct WWW searches for documents with S-A-O elements that match query element(s) and adds them to the database, thus treating the WWW as an available knowledge base.

Claims

1. A system enabling a user to ask a question (query) and for providing the user with one or more answers or solutions to such question, the system comprising

user apparatus for generating first signals representative of a natural language user query that includes at least a query elements(A-O), (S-A), or (S-X-O), or element(S),

a server for storing a knowledge base of a plurality of S-A-O'"'"'s and for identifying at least one knowledge base element S, O, or A, or elements (A-O) associated with a respective knowledge base S-A-O that includes the query elements or element in response to the server receiving the first signals, and generating second signals representative of the natural language answer S-A-O that includes the identified element or elements and the query elements or element,

the user apparatus generating a natural language audio response or visual display to the user of the natural language answers S-A-O in response to receiving the second signals,

and means for transmitting the first signals from the user apparatus to the server and for transmitting the second signals from the server to the user apparatus.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said server conducts a search of the World Wide Web, identifies documents that includes document S-A-O'"'"'s each comprising element or elements that match the query element or elements, stores links to such documents, and adds such document S-A-O'"'"'s to the knowledge base, and wherein

the server includes as part of the second signals representation of each identified document answer S-A-O.

3. A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said server conducts said search automatically in response to server determining that no knowledge base element or elements matches the query element or elements or in response to user search command.

4. A system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said server is programmed to query the user to determine if user wants to initiate a user search command.

5. A system as set forth in claim 2, wherein user apparatus converts human voice signals into said first signals.

6. A system as set forth in claim 2, wherein user apparatus converts second signals into audio signals.

7. A system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said user apparatus includes voice-to-text and text-to-voice recognition capability and client software module for generating said first signals and for receiving said second signals.

8. A system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said user apparatus includes a user digital computer for generating said first signals and receiving said second signals.

9. A system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said user apparatus further includes at least one user input device that includes a human voice to signal converter or a keyboard.

10. A system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said user apparatus further includes at least one user input device that includes a signal to audio converter or a visual display monitor.

11. A system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said second signals represent each answer S-A-O in sentence format.

13. A method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising searching the World Wide Web, identifying documents that includes document S-A-O'"'"'s each comprising element or elements that match the query element or elements, storing links to such documents, and adding such document S-A-O'"'"'s to the knowledge base, and wherein at least a part of the second signals represent each identified document S-A-O.

14. A method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said searching initiates automatically in response to identifying no knowledge base element or elements that matches the query element or elements or in response to user search command.

15. A method as set forth in claim 14, further including prompting the user to determine if user wants to initiate a user search command.

16. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein user apparatus converts human voice signals into said first signals.

17. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein user apparatus converts second signals into audio signals or visual display.

18. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein generating the first signals includes converting voice-to-text.

19. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein generating the audio message or visual display includes converting text-to-audio or text-to-visual.

12. In a digital computing system, the method enabling a user to input a question (query) and providing the user with one or more answers or solutions to such query, the method comprising

generating first signals representative of a natural language user query that includes at least query elements(A-O), (S-A), or (S-X-O), or element (S),

storing a knowledge base of a plurality of S-A-O'"'"'s

identifying in response to the first signals at least one knowledge base element S, O, or A, or elements (A-O) associated with a respective knowledge base S-A-O that includes the query elements or element, and

generating, in response to said identifying, second signals representative of the natural language answer S-A-O that includes the identified element or elements and the query elements or element,

generating in response to the second signals a natural language audio message or visual display to the user of the natural language answers S-A-O.