Generating programmatic interfaces from natural language expressions of authorizations for request of information

• US 20050246371A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Baisley, Donald Edward, Dirckze, Ravi Anthony Joseph, Ziebell, Jonathan Virgil, Cole, Russel Elliot
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention is a technique for processing an authorization rule. An object type is created for a return type of an operation in the rule authorizing a request for information. A current container is established. A propositional expression in the rule is processed to record the object type as a resulting context from the propositional expression in the current container.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating an object type for a return type of an operation in a rule authorizing a request for information;

establishing a current container; and

processing a propositional expression in the rule to record the object type to be a resulting context from the propositional expression in the current container.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein processing the propositional expression comprises:

setting the current container to be the object type;

establishing a context for the propositional expression; and

parsing the propositional expression.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein establishing the context for the propositional expression comprises:

finding a pronominal reference in the propositional expression having a referent term to be a term in a previously processed propositional expression and not to be a subject of a parametric operator; and

if the referent term is not subject of an interrogative operator,

setting the current container to be the object type of the context resulting from the propositional expression;

else setting the current container to be the object type generated for the referent term.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein parsing the propositional expression comprises:

reading in logical order a role expression in the propositional expression if a propositional interrogative is applied to the propositional expression, the role expression being not a pronominal reference and including no definite article or expression of a specifically referenced instance;

adding a Boolean attribute to the object type designated by the current container to indicate a truth value of the propositional expression; and

if the role expression has a parametric operator,

generating a second object type for a term in the role expression, and

adding a parameter having the second object type to the operation.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein parsing the propositional expression comprises:

reading in logical order a role expression in the propositional expression if the propositional expression includes an interrogative operator, the role expression being not a pronominal reference;

generating a second object type for a term in the role expression;

if the role expression has a parametric operator,

adding a parameter having the second object type to the operation;

else, if the role expression contains the interrogative operator,

adding an attribute to the object type designated by the current container having an attribute type to be a collection of objects of the second object type, and

setting the current container to the second object type.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein generating the second object type for the term comprises:

creating the second object type; and

if the term in an identification scheme of the term has a numerical or lexical type,

adding an attribute of the numerical or lexical type to the second object type;

else

generating a temporary object type for the term, and

adding an attribute having an attribute type to be same as the temporary object type to the second object type.

7. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising;

creating an object type for a return type of an operation in a rule authorizing a request for information;

establishing a current container; and

processing a propositional expression in the rule to record the object type to be a resulting context from the propositional expression in the current container.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7 wherein the data causing the machine to perform processing the propositional expression comprises data that, when accessed by the machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

setting the current container to be the object type;

establishing a context for the propositional expression; and

parsing the propositional expression.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the data causing the machine to perform establishing the context for the propositional expression comprises data that, when accessed by the machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

finding a pronominal reference in the propositional expression having a referent term to be a term in a previously processed propositional expression and not to be a subject of a parametric operator;

if the referent term is not subject of an interrogative operator,

setting the current container to be the object type of the context resulting from the propositional expression;

else setting the current container to be the object type generated for the referent term.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the data causing the machine to perform parsing the propositional expression comprises data that, when accessed by the machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

reading in logical order a role expression in the propositional expression if a propositional interrogative is applied to the propositional expression, the role expression being not a pronominal reference and including no definite article or expression of a specifically referenced instance;

adding a Boolean attribute to the object type designated by the current container to indicate a truth value of the propositional expression; and

if the role expression has a parametric operator,

generating a second object type for a term in the role expression, and

adding a parameter having the second object type to the operation.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the data causing the machine to perform parsing the propositional expression comprises data that, when accessed by the machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

reading in logical order a role expression in the propositional expression if the propositional expression includes an interrogative operator, the role expression being not a pronominal reference;

generating a second object type for a term in the role expression;

if the role expression has a parametric operator

adding a parameter having the second object type to the operation;

else, if the role expression contains the interrogative operator

adding a Boolean attribute to the object type designated by the current container having an attribute type to be a collection of objects of the second object type, and

setting the current container to the second object type.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the data causing the machine to perform generating the second object type for the term comprises data that, when accessed by the machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

creating the second object type; and

if the term in an identification scheme of the term has a numerical or lexical type

adding an attribute of the numerical or lexical type to the second object type;

else

generating a temporary object type for the term; and

adding an attribute having an attribute type to be same as the temporary object type to the second object type.

13. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

create an object type for a return type of an operation in a rule

authorizing a request for information,

establish a current container, and

process a propositional expression in the rule to record the object type to be a resulting context from the propositional expression in the current container.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the instructions causing the processor to process the propositional expression comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

set the current container to be the object type;

establish a context for the propositional expression; and

parse the propositional expression.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the instructions causing the processor to establish the context for the propositional expression comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

find a pronominal reference in the propositional expression having a referent term to be a term in a previously processed propositional expression and not to be a subject of a parametric operator;

if the referent term is not subject of an interrogative operator

set the current container to be the object type of the context resulting from the propositional expression;

else set the current container to be the object type generated for the referent term.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the instructions causing the processor to parse the propositional expression comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

read in logical order a role expression in the propositional expression if a propositional interrogative is applied to the propositional expression, the role expression being not a pronominal reference and including no definite article or expression of a specifically referenced instance;

add a Boolean attribute to the object type designated by the current container to indicate a truth value of the propositional expression; and

if the role expression has a parametric operator,

generate a second object type for a term in the role expression, and

add a parameter having the second object type to the operation.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the instructions causing the processor to parse the propositional expression comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

read in logical order a role expression in the propositional expression if the propositional expression includes an interrogative operator, the role expression being not a pronominal reference;

generate a second object type for a term in the role expression;

if the role expression has a parametric operator

add a parameter having the second object type to the operation;

else, if the role expression contains the interrogative operator,

add a Boolean attribute to the object type designated by the current container having an attribute type to be a collection of objects of the second object type, and

set the current container to the second object type.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the instructions causing the processor to generate the second object type for the term comprises instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

create the second object type; and

if the term in an identification scheme of the term has a numerical or lexical type,

add an attribute of the numerical or lexical type to the second object type;

else

generate a temporary object type for the term; and

add an attribute having an attribute type to be same as the temporary object type to the second object type.