Natural language web site interface

• US 20050131892A1
• Filed: 12/10/2003
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pasquale, Theodore B., Bushey, Robert R., Knott, Benjamin A.
• Application Number:
  US10/732,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131892A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

A method and system for providing a natural language web site interface. A visitor to the web site (typically a customer to a commercial web site) is prompted to enter a natural language query. The query is interpreted and associated with content for that web site, which is then downloaded to the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing web site content to a user of a web browser, comprising the steps of:

storing a set of action-object pairs;

storing a set of web site content selections;

storing a set of business rules;

displaying, on the user'"'"'s web browser, a prompt for a textual natural language query;

receiving the query at a web server;

interpreting the query as one of the action-object pairs, wherein the interpretation is based on a probability that the query is represented by an action-object pair, such that if the probability does not exceed a threshold the interpretation is invalid or ambiguous;

if the interpretation is invalid, providing the user with menu navigation options;

if the interpretation is ambiguous, prompting the user for additional natural language input;

if the interpretation exceeds the threshold, associating the results of the interpreting step to web site content;

retrieving the associated web site content;

and downloading the associated web site content to the web browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is interpreted as an action, and further comprising the step of presenting the user with a list of object options.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is interpreted as an object, and further comprising the step of presenting the user with a list of action options.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is interpreted as an action-object pair.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing a set of business rules, and further comprising the step of associating the results of the interpreting step with one or more business rules.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the interpretation is performed by determining a probability that the query is represented by an action-object pair.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of determining whether the probability exceeds a threshold.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the probability is less than a threshold, and further comprising the step of presenting the user with a list of further options.

2. A method of providing web site content to a user of a web browser, comprising the steps of:

storing a set of actions and objects;

storing a set of web site content selections;

displaying, on the user'"'"'s web browser, a prompt for a textual natural language query;

receiving the query at a web server;

interpreting the query as at least one of the following;

an action or an object;

associating the results of the interpreting step with web site content;

retrieving the associated web site content; and

downloading the associated web site content to the web browser.

10. A system for providing web site content to a user of a web browser, comprising:

a database for storing a set of actions and objects;

a database for storing a set of web site content selections;

a server for displaying, on the user'"'"'s web browser, a prompt for a textual natural language query, and for receiving the query at a web server; and

a natural language engine for interpreting the query as at least one of the following;

an action or an object;

for associating the results of the interpreting step to web site content; and

a routing engine for retrieving the associated web site content and delivering the associated web site content to the server;

wherein the server is further operable to download the associated web site content to the web browser.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the query is interpreted as an action, and wherein the server further presents the user with a list of object options.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the query is interpreted as an object, and wherein the server further presents the user with a list of action options.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the query is interpreted as an action-object pair.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising a database for storing a set of business rules, and wherein the engine further matches the results of the interpreting step to one or more business rules.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the engine performs the interpretation by determining a probability that the query is represented by an action-object pair.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the engine further determines whether the probability exceeds a threshold.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the probability is less than a threshold, and wherein the server further f presents the user with a list of further options.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the natural language engine may further interpret the query as an invalid query.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the server presents the user with a back-off navigation interface in response to an invalid query.