Coreference Resolution In An Ambiguity-Sensitive Natural Language Processing System

• US 20090076799A1
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Powerset (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ahn, David, Salvetti, Franco, Thione, Giovanni Lorenzo, Crouch, Richard, Van den Berg, Martin Henk
• Granted Patent: US 8,712,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/279 Recognition of textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for coreference resolution in an ambiguity-sensitive natural language processing system. Techniques for integrating reference resolution functionality into a natural language processing system can processes documents to be indexed within an information search and retrieval system. Ambiguity awareness features, as well as ambiguity resolution functionality, can operate in coordination with coreference resolution. Annotation of coreference entities, as well as ambiguous interpretations, can be supported by in-line markup within text content or by external entity maps. Information expressed within documents can be formally organized in terms of facts, or relationships between entities in the text. Expansion can support applying multiple aliases, or ambiguities, to an entity being indexed so that all of the possibly references or interpretations for that entity are captured into the index. Alternative stored descriptions can support retrieval of a fact by either the original description or a coreferential description.

Claims

1. A method for integrating coreference resolution mechanisms, the method comprising:

retrieving a portion of text;

identifying a coreference within the portion of text;

extracting a fact from the portion of text; and

expanding the fact to comprise a coreferent meaning based upon the identified coreference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the coreference incorporates information from a syntactic parsing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the coreference incorporates information from a semantic mapping.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the coreference comprises identifying an ambiguous coreference.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying an ambiguity within the portion of text.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising expanding the fact to comprise an ambiguous meaning based upon the identified ambiguity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the expanded fact into an index operable to support information retrieval.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising retrieving the expanded fact from the index in response to a search query.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising annotating identified coreferences within the portion of text.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising caching information from the syntactic parsing.

11. A computer storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

retrieve a portion of text;

identify a coreference within the portion of text;

extract a fact from the portion of text; and

expand the fact to comprise a coreferent meaning based upon the identified coreference.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein identifying the coreference incorporates information from a syntactic parsing.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein identifying the coreference incorporates information from a semantic mapping.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein identifying the coreference comprises identifying an ambiguous coreference.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 11, further causing the computer to identify an ambiguity within the portion of text.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, further causing the computer to expand the fact to comprise an ambiguous meaning based upon the identified ambiguity.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 11, further causing the computer to store the expanded fact into an index operable to support information retrieval.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 17, further causing the computer to retrieve the expanded fact from the index in response to a search query.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 11, further causing the computer to annotate identified coreferences within the portion of text.

20. A method for integrating coreference resolution mechanisms, the method comprising:

retrieving a portion of text;

identifying a coreference within the portion of text;

identifying an ambiguity within the portion of text;

extracting a fact from the portion of text;

expanding the fact to comprise a coreferent meaning based upon the identified coreference;

storing the expanded fact into an index operable to support information retrieval; and

retrieving the expanded fact from the index in response to a search query.