INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROVIDING METHOD, NON-TRANSITORY RECORDING MEDIUM, AND DATA STRUCTURE

• US 20160147873A1
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Published: 05/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Entertainment Corporation
• Inventors: HENMI, Takuo, IINUMA, Shigefumi
• Granted Patent: US 10,339,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90332 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis

Abstract

Provided is an information providing system capable of changing a response to an input from a user based on a predetermined response condition and further making a user terminal to perform a specified behavior (action) in outputting the response. An information providing server selects a reference text semantically closest to the input sentence from a user from knowledge data to determine a response text associated with the reference text. If a plurality of response texts are associated with the reference text, the information providing server determines the response in accordance with the response condition. Furthermore, the information providing server controls the user terminal to perform the behavior registered with the reference text.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

an input reception module for receiving an input text input from a user terminal operated by a user;

a response determination module for determining a response to the input text based on knowledge data; and

a response data generation module for generating response data including the response determined by the response determination module and sending the generated response data to the user terminal,

wherein the knowledge data is composed of units each including a reference text to be compared with the input text and a response text associated with the reference text,

wherein the reference text is associated with auxiliary information, and

wherein the response determination module is configured to determine data to be included in the response data based on auxiliary information associated with a reference text determined to be semantically closest to the input text with a semantic closeness level higher than or equal to a predetermined level as a result of comparison of the input text with the reference texts.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1,

wherein the auxiliary information includes a response condition,

wherein each of the units of the knowledge data includes a plurality of response texts as necessary and at least one of the plurality of response texts is associated with the response condition, and

wherein the response determination module is configured to determine a response text to be the response from the plurality of response texts based on the response condition in a case where the reference text determined to be semantically closest to the input text with a semantic closeness level higher than or equal to a predetermined level as a result of comparison of the input text with the reference texts is associated with a plurality of response texts.

3. The information providing system according to claim 2, wherein the response condition includes a condition on information input from the user terminal but information other than the input text.

4. The information providing system according to claim 2,

wherein the response condition is registered by a system administrator in advance, and

wherein, in registering the response condition into a unit already including one or more response conditions, a priority in evaluating the response condition is determined.

5. The information providing system according to claim 1,

wherein the auxiliary information includes response behavior setting information,

wherein each of the units of the knowledge data includes response behavior setting information associated with a reference text as necessary, and

wherein the response determination module includes data for the user terminal to behave in accordance with the response behavior setting information in the response data in a case where the reference text determined to be semantically closest to the input text with a semantic closeness level higher than or equal to a predetermined level as a result of comparison of the input text with the reference texts is associated with the response behavior setting information.

6. The information providing system according to claim 5,

wherein the response behavior setting information is registered by a system administrator in advance, and

wherein, in registering the response behavior setting information, a behavior of displaying specified information in a second display area of the user terminal different from a first display area for displaying the response is defined as the response behavior setting information.

7. The information providing system according to claim 6,

wherein the specified information is displayed in the second display area to be selectable by the user, and

wherein, in response to selection of the specified information by the user, information related to the specified information is sent from the user terminal as an input text and the input reception module receives the information as the input text.

8. The information providing system according to claim 7, wherein the specified information is a text related to an input text entered previously.

9. The information providing system according to claim 5,

wherein the response behavior setting information is registered by a system administrator in advance, and

wherein, in registering the response behavior setting information, a behavior of starting a specified program is defined as the response behavior setting information.

10. An information providing method performed by an information providing system, the information providing method comprising:

an input reception step for receiving an input text input from a user terminal operated by a user;

a response determination step for determining a response to the input text based on knowledge data; and

a response data generation step for generating response data including the response determined in the response determination step and sending the generated response data to the user terminal,

wherein the knowledge data is composed of units each including a reference text to be compared with the input text and a response text associated with the reference text,

wherein the reference text is associated with auxiliary information, and

wherein the response determination step determines data to be included in the response data based on auxiliary information associated with a reference text determined to be semantically closest to the input text with a semantic closeness level higher than or equal to a predetermined level as a result of comparison of the input text with the reference texts.

11. The information providing method according to claim 10,

wherein the auxiliary information includes a response condition,

wherein each of the units of the knowledge data includes a plurality of response texts as necessary and at least one of the plurality of response texts is associated with the response condition, and

wherein the response determination step determines a response text to be the response from the plurality of response texts based on the response condition in a case where the reference text determined to be semantically closest to the input text with a semantic closeness level higher than or equal to a predetermined level as a result of comparison of the input text with the reference texts is associated with a plurality of response texts.

12. The information providing method according to claim 10,

wherein the auxiliary information includes response behavior setting information,

wherein each of the units of the knowledge data includes response behavior setting information associated with a reference text as necessary, and

wherein the response determination step includes data for the user terminal to behave in accordance with the response behavior setting information in the response data in a case where the reference text determined to be semantically closest to the input text with a semantic closeness level higher than or equal to a predetermined level as a result of comparison of the input text with the reference texts is associated with the response behavior setting information.

13. A non-transitory recording medium for storing a program for making a computer function as:

an input reception module for receiving an input text input from a user terminal operated by a user;

a response determination module for determining a response to the input text based on knowledge data; and

a response data generation module for generating response data including the response determined by the response determination module and sending the generated response data to the user terminal,

wherein the knowledge data is composed of units each including a reference text to be compared with the input text and a response text associated with the reference text,

wherein the reference text is associated with auxiliary information, and

wherein the response determination module is configured to determine data to be included in the response data based on auxiliary information associated with a reference text determined to be semantically closest to the input text with a semantic closeness level higher than or equal to a predetermined level as a result of comparison of the input text with the reference texts.

14. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 13,

wherein the auxiliary information includes a response condition,

wherein each of the units of the knowledge data includes a plurality of response texts as necessary and at least one of the plurality of response texts is associated with the response condition, and

wherein the response determination module is configured to determine a response text to be the response from the plurality of response texts based on the response condition in a case where the reference text determined to be semantically closest to the input text with a semantic closeness level higher than or equal to a predetermined level as a result of comparison of the input text with the reference texts is associated with a plurality of response texts.

15. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 13,

wherein the auxiliary information includes response behavior setting information,

wherein each of the units of the knowledge data includes response behavior setting information associated with a reference text as necessary, and

wherein the response determination module includes data for the user terminal to behave in accordance with the response behavior setting information in the response data in a case where the reference text determined to be semantically closest to the input text with a semantic closeness level higher than or equal to a predetermined level as a result of comparison of the input text with the reference texts is associated with the response behavior setting information.

16. A data structure composed of units, each of the units comprising:

a reference text to be compared with an input text input from a user terminal operated by a user;

a response text associated with the reference text; and

auxiliary information associated with the reference text,

wherein data to be included in response data to be sent to the user terminal is determined in accordance with results of comparison of the input text with the reference texts and matching with the auxiliary information.

17. The data structure according to claim 16,

wherein the auxiliary information includes at least one of a response condition and response behavior setting information,

wherein each of the units includes another reference text synonymous with the reference text as necessary,

wherein each of the units includes a plurality of response texts as necessary and at least one of the plurality of response texts is associated with the response condition,

wherein each of the units includes response behavior setting information associated with each of the reference texts as necessary,

wherein the response condition is a condition for selecting a response text to be sent to the user terminal from the plurality of response texts, and

wherein the response behavior setting information is information for defining a behavior of the user terminal when the selected response text is received by the user terminal.