Data input and retrieval apparatus

• US 6,446,081 B1
• Filed: 02/08/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Preston, Keith Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rayyan, Susan
• Application Number:
  US09/242,064
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 704/3, 704/7, 704/9, 704/10, 345/967, 345/968, 345/835, 345/839, 345/776, 345/775, 345/104.1, 707/520, 707/529, 707/3, 706/45-46, 706/55
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/35 Discourse or dialogue representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Input apparatus for a data processing system includes a processor, storage and graphical display in which a free-form source document is input and processed to parse a source document to locate semantically meaningful entities and to store corresponding content data. The graphical display is arranged to generate a visual representation of the source document in which the semantically meaningful entities are represented by pictorial elements.

Claims

1. Apparatus for use in identifying semantic ambiguities, comprising

(i) input means, including a text input means;

(ii) storage means;

(iii) processing means arranged to parse input text to

a. identify semantically meaningful elements in the input text;

b. derive relationships between the identified semantically meaningful elements; and

c. store a group of the identified semantically meaningful elements, and data defining the derived relationships, in the storage means;

(iv) graphical display means, which, in response to said parsing of the input text, is arranged to generate a visual representation of said input text in which the identified semantically meaningful elements are represented by pictorial elements and the derived relationships therebetween are represented by linking elements interconnecting the pictorial elements.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein:

said input means further comprises a graphical input means arranged to interact with said visual representation to allow editing of said semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text, and

said graphical display means is arranged correspondingly to update said visual representation.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said storage means comprises a lexical store storing an entry for each possible said semantically meaningful element.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein each said entry includes meaning data relating to the meaning of the corresponding element.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4 wherein said processing means is arranged to analyse at least one said group in accordance with the meaning data stored for the corresponding entries in the lexical store.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5 wherein said processing means is arranged to locate inconsistencies between different elements in said at least one group.

7. Apparatus for generation of a computer program from a natural language source document specification of the function thereto, said apparatus comprising:

input means as in claim 6, arranged to input part or all of said source document specification, and to test said input for semantic ambiguity, and

a code generator means for generating code when no further ambiguity is detected, for analyzing said source document specification for inconsistency, and for generating code when no further inconsistency is detected.

8. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said lexical store is arranged to store an indication of the level of familiarity of the corresponding semantically meaningful element to users.

9. Apparatus as in claim 3, arranged to receive source documents in a plurality of languages, in which said possible semantically meaningful element is a word and wherein corresponding words share a common entry in said lexical store.

10. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said storage means is arranged to store, for said semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text, timestamp data indicating the time of origin of said semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text.

11. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said storage means is arranged to store, for semantically meaningful elements within said text, access level information.

12. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said storage means is arranged to store data representing a source document of said text, in addition to said semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text relating to said text.

13. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein:

said text includes, or refers to, document components in media other than that of said document, and

said storage means is arranged to store said document components or references thereto, with said semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text.

14. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said input means comprises a speech recogniser.

15. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said input means comprises a keyboard.

16. Apparatus for data retrieval of semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text which has been input by apparatus as in claim 1, said apparatus for data retrieval, comprising:

additional storage means storing said semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text;

query input means for inputting search parameters;

processing means for retrieving one or more of said at least one group.

17. Apparatus as in claim 16, further comprising generating means for generating an output document from said one or more group.

18. Apparatus as in claim 17, further comprising output means for outputting said output document.

19. Apparatus as in claim 17 wherein said generating means is arranged to generate said output document in at least one language different to the language in which the text was input.

20. Apparatus as in claim 18 wherein said output means comprises a text display terminal.

21. Apparatus as in claim 18 wherein said output means comprises a speech synthesiser.

22. Apparatus as in claim 18 wherein said output means comprises an animated display generator.

23. Apparatus as in claim 22 wherein said animated display generator generates a sign language display.

24. Apparatus as in claim 22 wherein said animated display generator generates a representation of a speaking human face.

25. Apparatus as in claim 16 for retrieving semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text stored by an apparatus for use in identifying semantic ambiguities, comprising

(i) input means, including a text input means;

(ii) storage means;

(iii) processing means arranged to parse input text to

a. identify semantically meaningful elements in the input text;

b. derive relationships between the identified semantically meaningful elements; and

c. storage a group of the identified semantically meaningful elements, and data defining the derived relationships, in the storage means; and

(iv) graphical display means, which, in response to said parsing of the input text, is arranged to generate a visual representation of said input text in which the identified semantically meaningful elements are represented by pictorial elements and the derived relationships therebetween are represented by linking elements interconnecting the pictorial elements;

wherein said processing means is arranged to receive search parameters defining plural search criteria, and to analyse said relationships in dependence upon said criteria, and to output groups which meet said criteria in dependence upon said analysis.

26. Apparatus as in claim 16 for retrieving semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text stored by apparatus wherein:

said storage means comprises a lexical store storing an entry for each possible said semantically meaningful element;

each said entry includes meaning data relating to the meaning of said element, and

said processing means is arranged to analyse said at least one group in accordance with the meaning data stored for the corresponding entries in the lexical store, and to select at least one group for output in dependence thereupon.

27. Apparatus as in claim 16, for retrieving semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text stored by apparatus wherein:

said storage means comprises a lexical store storing an entry for each possible said semantically meaningful element;

said lexical store being arranged to store an indication of the level of familiarity of the corresponding semantically meaningful element to users; and

said processing means being arranged to select at least one group for output in dependence upon said familiarity data.

28. Apparatus as in claim 16, for retrieving semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text stored by apparatus wherein:

said storage means is arranged to store, for semantically meaningful elements within said input text, access level information; and

said processing means being arranged to select semantically meaningful elements for output in accordance with said access level information.

29. Apparatus as in claim 28 further comprising generator means for generating an output document from said at least one group wherein:

said processing means is arranged selectively to suppress output of selected said select semantically meaningful elements within said at least one group in accordance with said access level information, and

said generator means is arranged to generate a document from the remainder of the content of said at least one group.

30. Apparatus for generation of a computer program from a natural language source document specification of the function thereof, said apparatus comprising:

input means as in claim 1, arranged to input part or all of said source document specification, and to test said input for semantic ambiguity, and

a code generator means for generating code when no further ambiguity is detected.

31. Apparatus as in claim 1, in which said storage means is arranged to store data representing the author of said text.

32. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the processing means is operable to store one or more further groups of data representing alternative relationships between the identified semantically meaningful elements.

33. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the input means further includes query input means for inputting search parameters, which query input means is in operative association with the processing means, and is arranged to pass the search parameters to the processing means for parsing thereof, whereupon the processing means identifies semantically meaningful elements, and relationships therebetween, from the search parameters, the apparatus further comprising retrieving means for retrieving data from the said storage means in accordance with the parsed search parameters.

34. Apparatus for use in identifying semantic ambiguities, said apparatus comprising:

(i) input means including a text input means;

(ii) storage means;

(iii) processing means arranged to parse input text to

a. identify semantically meaningful elements in the input text;

b. derive relationships between the identified semantically meaningful elements;

c. store a group of the identified semantically meaningful elements, and data defining the derived relationships, in the storage means;

d. store access level information associated with the semantically meaningful elements in the group; and

graphical display means, which, in response to said parsing of the input text, is arranged to generate a visual representation of said input text in which the identified semantically meaningful elements are represented by pictorial elements and

the derived relationships therebetween are represented by linking elements interconnecting the pictorial elements.

35. Apparatus as in claim 34 wherein said storage comprises a lexical store storing an entry for each possible said semantically meaningful entry.

36. Apparatus as in claim 35 wherein each said entry includes meaning data relating to the meaning of said entity.

37. Apparatus as in claim 36 wherein said processor is arranged to analyze said semantically meaningful elements in accordance with the meaning data stored for the corresponding entries in the lexical store.

38. Apparatus as in claim 37 wherein said processor is arranged to locate inconsistencies between different said semantically meaningful elements.

39. Apparatus as in claim 35 wherein said lexical store is arranged to store an indication of the level of familiarity of the corresponding semantically meaningful element to users.

40. Apparatus as in claim 35, arranged to receive source documents in a plurality of languages, in which corresponding words share a common entry in said lexical store.

41. Apparatus as in claim 34 wherein said storage is arranged to store, for said content data, timestamp data indicating the time of origin of said semantically meaningful elements identified from the input text.