ONTOLOGY FOR USE WITH A SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM FOR RETRIEVING INFORMATION AND RESPONSE TO A QUERY

• US 20140074826A1
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle OTC Subsidiary LLC (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle OTC Subsidiary LLC (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: COOPER, EDWIN RILEY, BIERNER, GANN, YURET, DENIZ, WILLIAMS, JAMES CHARLES, BEGHELLI, FILIPPO
• Granted Patent: US 9,747,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/367 Ontology
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis

Abstract

A system, method, and computer readable medium for applying one or more information retrieval technologies is disclosed for resolving a query. In one embodiment, an exemplary system generates a response using a language analysis module configured to parse a query into elements. This system can also include a rules engine configured to compare a condition of a rule against the elements, where the rule is configured to perform an action to retrieve information. Further, a response generator coupled to said rules engine receives the rule and retrieves the information for presentation to a querier in a portion of a display that adjusts proportionately to the degree of importance of said information.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving information in response to a query, the method comprising:

maintaining, by a computer system, an ontology representing a plurality of concepts and a set of relationships between two or more of the concepts;

generating, by the computer system, an index representing the stored content based at least in part on the ontology;

receiving, by the computer system, a query comprising a natural language expression or question; and

generating, by the computer system, a response to the query using the stored content based on the index and one or more rules applied to the query and the index, each rule comprising at least one condition for matching content represented in the index to the query and at least one corresponding action for retrieving stored content upon satisfaction of the condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ontology comprises a hierarchical representation of the concepts and relationships wherein each concept is defined as an expression and is identified as being in either a conceptual form for or a canonical form.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein indexing comprises:

parsing the stored content into one or more tokens;

annotating each token with one or more associated annotations; and

storing the one or more tokens and associated annotations in the index.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein annotating each token with one or more associated annotations comprises defining each token as being conceptual, canonical, or both conceptual and canonical based on the ontology.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the response comprises:

parsing the received query into one or more tokens;

annotating each token of the parsed query with one or more associated annotations defining the token as being conceptual, canonical, or both conceptual and canonical based on the ontology;

comparing the annotated tokens from the parsed query to the conditions of the one or more rules;

performing one or more actions of at least one of the rules based on the annotated tokens from the parsed query satisfying at least one condition of the at least one of the rules, wherein the one or more actions retrieve stored content based on the one or more tokens and associated annotations stored in the index.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the rules include at least one rule with a condition comprising a business condition, wherein the business condition defines a context of a business application in which the actions of the rule are performed.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the response further comprises:

identifying a set of results from the stored content satisfying the query based on performing the one or more actions of the at least one of the rules;

ordering the identified set of results; and

presenting the ordered, identified set of results.

8. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with and readable by the processor and storing a set of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to retrieve information in response to a query by;

maintaining, by a computer system, an ontology representing a plurality of concepts and a set of relationships between two or more of the concepts;

generating, by the computer system, an index representing the stored content based at least in part on the ontology;

receiving, by the computer system, a query comprising a natural language expression or question; and

generating, by the computer system, a response to the query using the stored content based on the index and one or more rules applied to the query and the index, each rule comprising at least one condition for matching content represented in the index to the query and at least one corresponding action for retrieving stored content upon satisfaction of the condition.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the ontology comprises a hierarchical representation of the concepts and relationships wherein each concept is defined as an expression and is identified as being in either a conceptual form for or a canonical form.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein indexing comprises:

parsing the stored content into one or more tokens;

annotating each token with one or more associated annotations; and

storing the one or more tokens and associated annotations in the index.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein annotating each token with one or more associated annotations comprises defining each token as being conceptual, canonical, or both conceptual and canonical based on the ontology.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein generating the response comprises;

parsing the received query into one or more tokens;

annotating each token of the parsed query with one or more associated annotations defining the token as being conceptual, canonical, or both conceptual and canonical based on the ontology;

comparing the annotated tokens from the parsed query to the conditions of the one or more rules;

performing one or more actions of at least one of the rules based on the annotated tokens from the parsed query satisfying at least one condition of the at least one of the rules, wherein the one or more actions retrieve stored content based on the one or more tokens and associated annotations stored in the index.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the rules include at least one rule with a condition comprising a business condition, wherein the business condition defines a context of a business application in which the actions of the rule are performed.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein generating the response further comprises:

identifying a set of results from the stored content satisfying the query based on performing the one or more actions of the at least one of the rules;

ordering the identified set of results; and

presenting the ordered, identified set of results.

15. A computer-readable memory comprising a set of instructions stored therein which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to retrieve information in response to a query by:

maintaining, by a computer system, an ontology representing a plurality of concepts and a set of relationships between two or more of the concepts;

generating, by the computer system, an index representing the stored content based at least in part on the ontology;

receiving, by the computer system, a query comprising a natural language expression or question; and

generating, by the computer system, a response to the query using the stored content based on the index and one or more rules applied to the query and the index, each rule comprising at least one condition for matching content represented in the index to the query and at least one corresponding action for retrieving stored content upon satisfaction of the condition.

16. The computer-readable memory of claim 15, wherein the ontology comprises a hierarchical representation of the concepts and relationships wherein each concept is defined as an expression and is identified as being in either a conceptual form for or a canonical form.

17. The computer-readable memory of claim 16, wherein indexing comprises:

parsing the stored content into one or more tokens;

annotating each token with one or more associated annotations; and

storing the one or more tokens and associated annotations in the index.

18. The computer-readable memory of claim 17, wherein annotating each token with one or more associated annotations comprises defining each token as being conceptual, canonical, or both conceptual and canonical based on the ontology.

19. The computer-readable memory of claim 18, wherein generating the response comprises:

parsing the received query into one or more tokens;

annotating each token of the parsed query with one or more associated annotations defining the token as being conceptual, canonical, or both conceptual and canonical based on the ontology;

comparing the annotated tokens from the parsed query to the conditions of the one or more rules;

performing one or more actions of at least one of the rules based on the annotated tokens from the parsed query satisfying at least one condition of the at least one of the rules, wherein the one or more actions retrieve stored content based on the one or more tokens and associated annotations stored in the index.

20. The computer-readable memory of claim 19, wherein the rules include at least one rule with a condition comprising a business condition, wherein the business condition defines a context of a business application in which the actions of the rule are performed.