Method and apparatus for interactive document preparation using a natural language

• US 5,627,940 A
• Filed: 01/17/1995
• Issued: 05/06/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Hiroshi, Rohra, Aruna
• Primary Examiner(s): Kulik, Paul V.
• Application Number:
  US08/373,538
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 395/12, 395/600, 395/149, 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 364/419.08
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation

Abstract

In an information processing system for executing processing according to information input using a natural language, models of a dialogue between the user and the system according to the processing fields are stored, the processing field of the input information is specified, and questions for obtaining responses (inputs of necessary data) using simple expressions from the user are provided according to the model. Language expressions which the user can use for inputting commands are thereby limited, and processing is executed according to the obtained responses.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a document in a text preparation apparatus comprising the steps of:

storing information relating to words to be received from a user in a database, the information relating to the word including attribution thereof and being stored prior to receiving the word from the user;

storing questions to be provided to the user in order to obtain words as answers from the user in a question memory, wherein each of the questions corresponds to respective attributions of the words needed to be input as the answer and requests a brief answer in the form of a word or a phrase, the questions being stored prior to receiving the word from the user;

providing the user with a question stored in the question memory, the question corresponding to an attribution of the word needed to be input as an answer;

receiving an answer from the user in response to the provided question;

determining whether or not the word received from the user as the answer is stored in the database;

retrieving the information stored in the database relating to the word received from the user when the word is determined to be stored in the database;

providing the user with another question to obtain information relating to the word and storing the word with information to be obtained in response to the other question in the database when the word is determined to be stored in the database; and

preparing a document and incorporating the word received from the user as the answer and the information retrieved from the database relating to the received word into the document.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the answer input in said receiving step is in a natural language.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the question provided to the user is in a natural language.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said document preparing step includes preparing a letter according to the input information.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said document preparing step includes preparing the document based on the previous answer and the further information relating to the previous answer.

6. A document preparation apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting a word from a user;

database means for storing, relating to words to be input by said input means, information including attribution of the word;

storage means for storing questions to be provided to the user in order to obtain words as answers from the user, wherein each of the questions corresponds to respective attributions of the words needed to be input as the answer and requests a brief answer in the form of a word or a phrase;

output means for providing the user with a question stored in said storage means, the question corresponding to an attribution of the word needed to be input as an answer;

retrieving means for retrieving the information relating to the word input by said input means as the answer to the question provided by said output means, from said database means;

document preparation means for preparing a document by incorporating the word input as the answer by said input means and the information retrieved by said retrieving means relating to the answer into the document;

determining means for determining whether the word input from the user as the answer in response to the question from said output means, is stored in said database means; and

control means for controlling said output means to provide another question to obtain information relating to the word and controlling said database means to store the word with information to be obtained in response to the other question when said determining means determines that the word is not stored in said database means.

7. A document preparation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the information input by said input means are in a natural language.

8. A document preparation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the question provided by said output means is in a natural language.

9. A document preparation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said document preparation means prepares a letter according to the word input by said input means.

10. A document preparation apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising second control means for controlling said output means to output a request in order to obtain information relating to the answer from the user, for controlling said database means to store information received in response to the request, and for controlling said document preparation means to prepare the text based on the answer and the information received in response to the request.