SYSTEM FOR RESOLVING ENTITIES IN TEXT INTO REAL WORLD OBJECTS USING CONTEXT

• US 20100094826A1
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Rouhani-Kalleh, Omid
• Application Number:
  US12/251,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20100094826A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested

Abstract

A method and apparatus for establishing a degree of confidence that a real world object correctly represents a string is provided. The method includes receiving a string in a context. The string can then be related to a real world object with a degree of confidence based on a click log, link graph, redirect list, or object list. The object can be initially associated with a category or mapped to a category. Then, the degree of confidence can be raised if the category matches the context. If the category does not match the context, the degree of confidence can be lowered. An online service provider using the method can then determine what type of content to send a user based on the confidence level.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a string that is related to a first category;

determining an object that represents the string to a degree of confidence;

mapping the object to a second category;

associating the first category and the second category; and

based on said associating, modifying and storing the degree of confidence on a volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving comprises selecting the string from a text.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said selecting comprises selecting the string that matches a word list entry.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said relatedness between the first category and the string is based on the word list entry.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said relatedness between the first category and the string is based on a word list entry that matches a second string in the text.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said word list entry comprises a word with an associated synset.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a second degree of confidence for said relatedness between the first category and the string, and wherein said modifying the degree of confidence comprises using the second degree of confidence to determine how much to modify the degree of confidence.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said representing the string comprises identifying an informational page associated with a meaning of the string.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises determining the object from search engine click logs based on the string.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises determining the object from a link graph based on the string.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises determining the object from an editorially managed redirect list based on the string.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises determining the object from a disambiguation list based on the string.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said determining comprises determining the object that matches a name for the page.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises determining the object by weighing sources selected from the group consisting of:

search engine click logs based on the string;

a link graph using the string;

an editorially managed redirect list based on the string;

a disambiguation list based on the string; and

a unique identifier matching the string.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether the degree of confidence is higher than a threshold level, and sending content related to the second category when the degree of confidence is higher than the threshold level.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the content is an advertisement related to the object.

17. A volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

receiving a string that is related to a first category;

determining an object that represents the string to a degree of confidence;

mapping the object to a second category;

associating the first category and the second category; and

based on said associating, modifying the degree of confidence.

18. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein said receiving comprises selecting the string from a text.

19. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said selecting comprises selecting the string that matches a word list entry.

20. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 wherein said relatedness between the first category and the string is based on the word list entry.

21. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein said relatedness between the first category and the string is based on a word list entry that matches a second string in the text.

22. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein said word list entry comprises a word with an associated synset.

23. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the steps further comprise determining a second degree of confidence for said relatedness between the first category and the string, and wherein said modifying the degree of confidence comprises using the second degree of confidence to determine how much to modify the degree of confidence.

24. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein representing the string comprises identifying an informational page associated with a meaning of the string.

25. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein said determining comprises determining the object from search engine click logs based on the string.

26. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein said determining comprises determining the object from a link graph based on the string.

27. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein said determining comprises determining the object from an editorially managed redirect list based on the string.

28. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein said determining comprises determining the object from a disambiguation list based on the string.

29. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 24 wherein said determining comprises determining the object that matches a name for the page.

30. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein said determining comprises determining the object by weighing sources selected from the group consisting of:

search engine click logs based on the string;

a link graph using the string;

an editorially managed redirect list based on the string;

a disambiguation list based on the string; and

a unique identifier matching the string.

31. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 the steps further comprising determining whether the degree of confidence is higher than a threshold level, and sending content related to the second category when the degree of confidence is higher than the threshold level.

32. The volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage medium of claim 31 wherein the content is an advertisement related to the object.