Method of incorporating knowledge into a knowledge base system

• US 6,591,258 B1
• Filed: 08/24/1999
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stream International Incorporated (TD SYNNEX Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Stream International Incorporated (TD SYNNEX Corp.)
• Inventors: Haughton, Debra Ann, Stier, Sharon
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P.
• Application Number:
  US09/379,692
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 706/50, 706/55, 707/101, 707/4, 707/202, 707/204, 704/9, 711/154
• US Class Current: 706/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method of managing knowledge in a knowledge base involves representing instantiations of knowledge in knowledge objects, each of which has elements of information, managing knowledge objects to minimize the number of knowledge objects while ensuring that all known instantiations are represented in the knowledge base, generalizing instantiations to develop generalized instantiations, testing generalized instantiations against all known instantiations to identify redundancies among knowledge objects and to identify additional knowledge, and modifying the knowledge base to minimize redundancies and to add to the knowledge base only to facilitate retrieval of knowledge or to add additional knowledge. Managing knowledge objects comprises managing their elements to ensure that each knowledge object represents a unique instantiation of knowledge, with each knowledge object having at least one unique element used in only one knowledge object, or a unique combination of multiple use elements used in more than one knowledge object.

Claims

1. A method of managing knowledge in a knowledge base, said method comprising:

representing instantiations of said knowledge in a plurality of knowledge objects, said knowledge base having a number of said knowledge objects;

with each of said knowledge objects comprising a plurality of elements of information, and

with said elements used in more than one of said knowledge objects comprising multiple use elements and with said elements used in only one of said knowledge objects comprising unique elements; and

managing said knowledge objects to minimize said number of said knowledge objects while ensuring that said knowledge base comprises knowledge objects representing all known instantiations, said managing said knowledge objects comprising

managing said elements of each of said knowledge objects to ensure that each of said knowledge objects represents a unique instantiation of knowledge, wherein each of said knowledge objects has one of the following;

at least one of said unique elements, or

a unique combination of said multiple use elements;

generalizing said instantiations to develop generalized instantiations;

testing said generalized instantiations against said all known instantiations to identify redundancies among said knowledge objects and to identify additional knowledge, and

modifying said knowledge base to minimize said redundancies and to add to said knowledge base only to facilitate retrieval of said knowledge in said knowledge base or to add said additional knowledge.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein said knowledge base has knowledge object types and element types, each of said knowledge objects having one of said knowledge object types and each of said elements having one of said element types, and

wherein said managing said elements of each of said knowledge objects further comprises providing each of said knowledge objects of a first knowledge object type with a first element and a second element,

with said first element having a first element type to represent a first item of information in a first of said instantiations, and

with said second element having a second element type to represent a second item of information in said first of said instantiations, said second item of information developed from abstracting said first item of information, with said second element capable of being used in a second of said knowledge objects having said first knowledge object type but representing a second of said instantiations, with said second of said knowledge objects not having said first item of information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein minimizing said redundancy among said knowledge objects further comprises

developing a knowledge object candidate to store a first instantiation;

and

amending said knowledge base to store said first instantiation by doing one of the following;

amending an existing knowledge object in said knowledge base to store said first instantiation, or

adding an additional knowledge object to said knowledge base.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein adding said additional knowledge object to said knowledge base comprises adding said knowledge object candidate.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein amending said existing knowledge object further comprises incorporating said knowledge object candidate into said existing knowledge object.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein amending said existing knowledge object further comprises incorporating said existing knowledge object into said knowledge object candidate.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

combining said knowledge object candidate with said one of said existing knowledge objects to identify said additional knowledge; and

if said additional knowledge is identified, rejecting said knowledge object candidate and amending said knowledge base to store said additional knowledge.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein minimizing said redundancies among said knowledge objects further comprises minimizing redundancies among said elements in said knowledge objects.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said minimizing redundancies among said elements further comprises:

identifying a knowledge object candidate embodying knowledge to be incorporated into said knowledge base, said knowledge object candidate having at least one candidate element;

for each said candidate element, generalizing said candidate element to create a generalized candidate element;

determining identified existing elements, said identified existing elements comprising said existing elements that are candidates for change in said knowledge base due to said knowledge object candidate; and

conducting an interchangeability analysis of said generalized candidate element and said identified existing elements to identify said redundancies among said elements.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein conducting said interchangeability analysis of said generalized candidate element and said identified existing elements further comprises:

identifying whether any of said identified existing elements and said generalized candidate element comprise identical elements; and

developing any additional knowledge.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said knowledge base has knowledge object types and element types, each of said knowledge objects having one of said knowledge object types and each of said elements having one of said element types, further comprising determining said identified existing elements by

identifying a first element type for said candidate element, and

identifying said existing elements having said first element type, said existing elements having said first element type comprising identified existing elements.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said conducting said interchangeability analysis of said generalized candidate element and said identified existing elements further comprises

substituting said identified existing elements into said knowledge object candidate, and

substituting said generalized candidate element into any identified existing knowledge objects, said identified existing knowledge objects comprising knowledge objects existing in said knowledge base and having any of said of said identified existing elements.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising

identifying said identified existing elements for which said candidate element operates as a synonym, said identified existing elements for which said candidate element operates as said synonym comprising synonymic existing elements, and

identifying identified synonymic knowledge objects comprising existing knowledge objects associated with said synonymic existing elements;

wherein said conducting said interchangeability analysis of said generalized candidate element and said identified existing elements further comprises substituting said generalized candidate element into any identified synonymic knowledge objects.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising

identifying said identified existing elements that comprise an apparent subset redundancy with said candidate element, said identified existing elements that comprise said subset redundancy comprising existing apparent subset redundancy elements, and

identifying identified apparent subset redundancy knowledge objects comprising existing knowledge objects associated with said existing subset redundancy elements;

wherein said conducting said interchangeability analysis of said generalized candidate element and said identified existing elements further comprises substituting said generalized candidate element into any identified apparent subset redundancy knowledge objects.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said subset redundancy comprises a superset/subset redundancy.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said subset redundancy comprises a dual subset redundancy, in which said any said additional knowledge comprises a superset for said knowledge to be added into said knowledge base represented in said candidate element and said existing knowledge represented in said existing apparent subset redundancy elements.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said modifying said knowledge base further comprises updating said elements to include said additional knowledge, said updating said elements further comprising at least one of the following:

editing a first element to form an edited element;

deleting a second element, or

adding an additional element of information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said elements comprise records;

wherein editing said first element to form an edited element comprises editing a first record to form an edited record, wherein deleting said second element comprises deleting a second record, and wherein adding said additional element of information comprises adding an additional record.

19. The method of claim 17,

wherein said elements comprise records and links,with a first record and a second record having a first link comprising an association between said first record and said second record, and with a third record and a fourth record having a second link comprising an association between said third record and said fourth record, and

wherein editing said first element to form an edited element comprises editing said first link to form an edited link, wherein deleting said second element comprises deleting said second link, and wherein adding said additional element of information comprises adding an additional link between said first record and a fifth record in said knowledge base.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said additional knowledge is represented by said first record and said additional link;

wherein said fifth record is already stored in said knowledge base; and

wherein updating said elements to include said additional knowledge further comprises

adding said first record to said knowledge base, and

forming said additional link between said first record and said fifth record in said knowledge base.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said additional knowledge is represented by said first record, said fifth record, and said additional link;

and wherein updating said elements to include said additional knowledge further comprises

adding said first record and said fifth record to said knowledge base, and

forming said additional link between said first record and said fifth record in said knowledge base.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein said additional knowledge is represented by said additional link;

wherein said first record and said fifth record are already stored but have no association therebetween in said knowledge base; and

wherein updating said elements to include said additional knowledge further comprises forming said first link between said first record and said fifth record in said knowledge base.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein said amending said knowledge base further comprises storing a first synonym as a descriptor of said knowledge, said first synonym stored with said knowledge to facilitate said retrieval of said knowledge in searches of said knowledge base.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said first synonym comprises a most recognized synonym, further comprising storing said most recognized synonym as a main synonym descriptor of said knowledge;

and storing alternative synonyms as alternative synonym descriptors of said knowledge.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein said element further has a knowledge object name, further comprising repeating said knowledge object name in said first synonym.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein said first synonym has a first grammatical form, further comprising storing a second grammatical form of said first synonym as an alternative synonym descriptor of said knowledge.

27. The method of claim 9,

wherein said knowledge comprises knowledge about a first domain;

wherein said knowledge object candidate comprises knowledge about a second domain;

wherein said identified existing elements comprise said existing elements associated with said knowledge objects in said first domain and said second domain; and

wherein said additional knowledge is developed by combining said knowledge object candidate with said identified existing knowledge objects and comprises at least one of the following;

additional knowledge about said first domain, additional knowledge about said second domain, and cross-domain knowledge.

28. A system for managing knowledge in a knowledge base, said system comprising:

an architecture for representing instantiations of said knowledge in a plurality of knowledge objects, said architecture providing said knowledge base with a number of said knowledge objects;

with each of said knowledge objects comprising a plurality of elements of information, and

with said elements used in more than one of said knowledge objects comprising multiple use elements and with said elements used in only one of said knowledge objects comprising unique elements; and

a knowledge object manager for minimizing said number of said knowledge objects while ensuring that said knowledge base comprises knowledge objects representing all known instantiations, said knowledge object manager comprising

an element manager for ensuring that each of said knowledge objects represents a unique instantiation of knowledge, wherein each of said knowledge objects has one of the following;

at least one of said unique elements, or a unique combination of said multiple use elements;

an instantiation generalizing system for developing generalized instantiations;

a generalized instantiation tester for testing said generalized instantiations against said all known instantiations to identify redundancies among said knowledge objects and to identify additional knowledge, and

a knowledge base modifying system for modifying said knowledge base to minimize said redundancies and to add to said knowledge base only to facilitate retrieval of said knowledge in said knowledge base or to add said additional knowledge.