SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MODEL-BASED PROCESSING OF LINGUISTIC USER INPUTS

• US 20120166178A1
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Latzina, Markus, Beringer, Joerg
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/237 Lexical tools

Abstract

The present invention includes model-based processing of linguistic user inputs. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a computer-implemented method comprising receiving linguistic inputs, parsing the linguistic inputs, mapping the linguistic inputs to a formal representation used by a model, applying the formal representation against the model, where the model comprises said formal representation, and where the model specifies relationships between the elements of the formal representation and defines process information, and accessing software resources based on the formal representation of the user input and the relationships and process information in said model.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, on a computer system, an input from a user, the input comprising one or more linguistic inputs;

parsing the one or more linguistic inputs on the computer system;

mapping, on the computer system, the one or more linguistic inputs to a formal representation used by a model;

storing information in a datastore on the computer system, the information corresponding to a plurality of software resources, wherein the plurality of software resources have associated annotations, the annotations comprising first elements of the formal representation used by the model;

applying, on the computer system, the formal representation of the linguistic inputs against the model, wherein the model specifies relationships between elements of the formal representation and defines process information; and

accessing software resources on the computer system based on the formal representation of the linguistic inputs, the relationships and process information in said model, and the annotations.

2. The method of claim 1, the formal representation comprising actors, activities, and objects, wherein the one or more linguistic inputs are mapped to a first actor, a first activity, and a first object.

3. The method of claim 2, the model comprising a plurality of actors including the first actor, a plurality of activities including the first activity, and a plurality of objects including the first object, wherein the model specifies relationships between the actors, activities, and objects and defines process information for executing the first activity.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining that the one or more linguistic inputs do not include at least one of the first actor, the first activity, or the first object, the method further comprising invoking a resolution dialog to obtain first actor, first activity, or first object not included in said one or more linguistic inputs.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein mapping comprises accessing an electronic dictionary, wherein the dictionary maps one of said linguistic inputs to said first actor, said first activity, or said first object.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the annotations comprise an actor, an activity, and an object.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the model is implemented in declarative programming language statements.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodying a computer program for performing a method, said method comprising:

receiving, on a computer system, an input from a user, the input comprising one or more linguistic inputs;

parsing the one or more linguistic inputs on the computer system;

mapping, on the computer system, the one or more linguistic inputs to a formal representation used by a model;

applying, on the computer system, the formal representation against the model, the model comprising said formal representation, wherein the model specifies relationships between the elements of the formal representation and defines process information; and

accessing software resources on the computer system based on the formal representation of the user input and the relationships and process information in said model.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, the formal representation comprising actors, activities, and objects, wherein the one or more linguistic inputs are mapped to a first actor, a first activity, and a first object.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, the model comprising a plurality of actors including the first actor, a plurality of activities including the first activity, and a plurality of objects including the first object, wherein the model specifies relationships between the actors, activities, and objects and defines process information for executing the first activity.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 further comprising determining that the one or more linguistic inputs do not include at least one of the first actor, the first activity, or the first object, the method further comprising invoking a resolution dialog to obtain first actor, first activity, or first object not included in said one or more linguistic inputs.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein mapping comprises accessing an electronic dictionary, wherein the dictionary maps one of said linguistic inputs to said first actor, said first activity, or said first object.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the annotations comprise an actor, an activity, and an object.

14. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more executable software components, executable by said processors to;

receive an input from a user, the input comprising one or more linguistic inputs;

parse the one or more linguistic inputs;

map the one or more linguistic inputs to a formal representation used by a model;

apply the formal representation against the model, the model comprising said formal representation, wherein the model specifies relationships between the elements of the formal representation and defines process information; and

access software resources based on the formal representation of the user input and the relationships and process information in said model.

15. The system of claim 14, the formal representation comprising actors, activities, and objects, wherein the one or more linguistic inputs are mapped to a first actor, a first activity, and a first object.

16. The system of claim 15, the model comprising a plurality of actors including the first actor, a plurality of activities including the first activity, and a plurality of objects including the first object, wherein the model specifies relationships between the actors, activities, and objects and defines process information for executing the first activity.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising determining that the one or more linguistic inputs do not include at least one of the first actor, the first activity, or the first object, the method further comprising invoking a resolution dialog to obtain first actor, first activity, or first object not included in said one or more linguistic inputs.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein mapping comprises accessing an electronic dictionary, wherein the dictionary maps one of said linguistic inputs to said first actor, said first activity, or said first object.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the annotations comprise an actor, an activity, and an object.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the model is implemented in declarative programming language statements.