System and methods for document retrieval using natural language-based queries

• US 6,687,689 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2000
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NuSuara Technologies Sdn. Bhd.
• Original Assignee: NuSuara Technologies Sdn. Bhd.
• Inventors: Guan, Yi, Yang, Yongsheng, Cheung, Chi Shun, Fung, Pascale
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/613,849
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/1, 707/2, 707/4, 707/5, 707/6, 707/7, 707/10, 707/100, 707/104, 345/703
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A system and associated methods identify documents relevant to an inputted natural-language user query. One associate method includes: selecting a set of keywords from the user query; determining at least one word, not necessarily found in the user query, that is semantically similar to a keyword of the set of keywords; using the set of keywords and the at least one word to determining a subset of word sets from a database of pre-stored word sets, wherein the pre-stored word sets are each pre-associated with at least one document; determining a plurality of word sets, from the subset of word sets, that is most semantically similar to the user query; and identifying documents that have been pre-associated with the plurality of word sets as being relevant to the natural-language user query.

Claims

1. In an information processing system, a method for identifying documents relevant to a natural-language user query, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a set of keywords from the user query;

determining at least one word, not necessarily found in the user query, that is semantically similar to a keyword of the set of keywords;

using the set of keywords and the at least one word to determining a subset of word sets from a database of pre-stored word sets, wherein the pre-stored word sets are each pre-associated with at least one document;

determining a plurality of word sets, from the subset of word sets, that is most semantically similar to the user query; and

identifying documents that have been pre-associated with the plurality of word sets as being relevant to the natural-language user query.

2. A system for identifying documents relevant to a natural-language user query, the system comprising:

means for selecting a set of keywords from the user query;

means for determining at least one word, not necessarily found in the user query, that is semantically similar to a keyword of the set of keywords;

means for using the set of keywords and the at least one word to determining a subset of word sets from a database of pre-stored word sets, wherein the pre-stored word sets are each pre-associated with at least one document;

means for determining a plurality of word sets, from the subset of word sets, that is most semantically similar to the user query; and

means for identifying documents that have been pre-associated with the plurality of word sets as being relevant to the natural-language user query.