Apparatus and method for processing natural language
First Claim
1. A method of generating a machine executable instruction, the method comprising the steps of:
- inputting data representing a phrase, sentence, or passage of a natural language;
analysing said input data to generate meaning data structured in computer usable form as lexical meaning representations and links therebetween having regard to the grammar of the natural language, said links indicating which of said lexical meaning representations modify others of said lexical meaning representations;
comparing the meaning data for the input data with meaning data for reference data by determining equivalent lexical meaning representations in said meaning data for the input data and the reference data linked by equivalent links starting from a head lexical meaning representation which does not modify any others of said lexical meaning representations in said meaning data for the input data in accordance with a set of relationships defining equivalence between at least one of lexical meaning representations, linked lexical meaning representations, and links; and
generating a machine executable instruction in dependence upon the result of the comparing step.
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Abstract
A user interface is described which allows a user to enter input data representing a phrase, sentence, or passage of a natural language in order to cause the initiation of an action by a computer. The input data is parsed in order to generate meaning data in the form of lexical meaning representations and link data which defines the modification relationship between the lexical meaning representations. The meaning data of the input data is compared with similar meaning data for reference data by identifying a head lexical meaning representation which does not modify any other lexical meaning representations. An equivalent lexical meaning representation is identified in the reference data and then equivalent chain linked pairs of lexical meaning representations are identified in the input meaning data and the reference meaning data. The computer responds in dependence upon the degree of equivalence determined.
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Citations
92 Claims
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1. A method of generating a machine executable instruction, the method comprising the steps of:
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inputting data representing a phrase, sentence, or passage of a natural language;
analysing said input data to generate meaning data structured in computer usable form as lexical meaning representations and links therebetween having regard to the grammar of the natural language, said links indicating which of said lexical meaning representations modify others of said lexical meaning representations;
comparing the meaning data for the input data with meaning data for reference data by determining equivalent lexical meaning representations in said meaning data for the input data and the reference data linked by equivalent links starting from a head lexical meaning representation which does not modify any others of said lexical meaning representations in said meaning data for the input data in accordance with a set of relationships defining equivalence between at least one of lexical meaning representations, linked lexical meaning representations, and links; and
generating a machine executable instruction in dependence upon the result of the comparing step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 91, 92)
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19. A method of recognising data in computer usable form, the method comprising the steps of:
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inputting data representing a phrase, sentence or passage of a natural language;
analysing said input data to generate meaning data structured in computer usable form as lexical meaning representations and links therebetween having regard to the grammar of the natural language, said links indicating which of said lexical meaning representation modify others of said lexical meaning representations;
comparing the meaning data for the input data with meaning data for reference data by repeatedly determining equivalent chain linked pairs of lexical meaning representations in said meaning data for the input data and the reference data starting at a head lexical meaning representation in the meaning data for the input data and in accordance with a set of relationships defining equivalence between at least one of lexical meaning representations, linked lexical meaning representations, and links; and
recognising the meaning data for the input data in accordance with the result of the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. Apparatus for generating a machine executable instruction, the apparatus comprising:
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input means for inputting data representing a phrase, sentence or passage of a natural language. analysing means for analysing said input data to generate meaning data structured in computer usable form as lexical meaning representations and links therebetween having regard to the grammar of the natural language, said links indicating which of said lexical meaning representations modify others of said lexical meaning representations;
comparing means for comparing the meaning data for the input data with meaning data for reference data by determining equivalent lexical meaning representations in said meaning data for the input data and the reference data linked by equivalent links starting from a head lexical meaning representation which does not modify any others of said lexical meaning representations in said meaning data for the input data in accordance with a set of relationships defining equivalence between at least one of lexical meaning representations, linked lexical meaning representations, and links; and
generating means for generating a machine executable instruction in dependence upon the result of the comparing step. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 88, 89)
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53. Recognition apparatus comprising
input means for inputting data representing a phrase, sentence, or passage of a natural language; -
analysing means for analysing said input data to generate meaning data structured in computer usable form as lexical meaning representations and links therebetween having regard to the grammar of the natural language, said links indicating which of said lexical meaning representations modify others of said lexical meaning representations;
comparing means for comparing the meaning data for the input data with meaning data for reference data by repeatedly determining equivalent chain linked pairs of lexical meaning representations in said meaning data for the input data and the reference data starting at a head lexical meaning representation in the meaning data for the input data and in accordance with a set of relationships defining equivalence between at least one of lexical meaning representations, linked lexical meaning representations, and links; and
recognition means for recognising the meaning data for the input data in accordance with the result of the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. Apparatus for matching input data representing a phrase, sentence or passage of a natural language with one or more sets of reference data representing a phrase sentence or passage of the natural language, the apparatus comprising
input means for inputting the input data and the reference data; -
analysing means for analysing the input data and the reference data to generate input meaning data and reference meaning data respectively structured as lexical meaning representations and links therebetween having regard to the grammar of the natural language, said links indicating which of said lexical meaning representations modify others of said lexical meaning representations;
comparing means for comparing the input meaning data and the reference meaning data by identifying a head lexical meaning representation in the input meaning data which does not modify any other lexical meaning representations and an equivalent lexical meaning representation in the reference meaning data and determining equivalent lexical meaning representations in the input meaning data and the reference meaning data chain linked to the head lexical meaning representation or its equivalent respectively, the equivalence being determined using a set of relationships defining equivalence between at least one of lexical meaning representations, linked pairs of lexical meaning representations, and links; and
matching means for determining the match between the input data and the or each set of reference data based on the output of the comparing means. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78)
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79. A method of matching input data representing a phrase, sentence, or passage of a natural language with one or more sets of reference data representing a phrase, sentence, or passage of the natural language, the method comprising the steps of:
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analysing the input data and the reference data to generate input meaning data and reference meaning data respectively structured as lexical meaning representations and links therebetween having regard to the grammar of the natural language, said links indicating which of said lexical meaning representations modify others of said lexical meaning representations;
comparing the input meaning data with the reference meaning data by identifying a head lexical meaning representation in the input meaning data which does not modify any other lexical meaning representations identifying an equivalent lexical meaning representation in the reference meaning data, and determining equivalent lexical meaning representations in the input meaning data and the reference meaning data chain linked to the head lexical meaning representation or its equivalent respectively, the equivalence being determined using a set of relationships defining equivalence between at least one of lexical meaning representations, linked pairs of lexical meaning representations, and links; and
determining the match between the input data and the or each set of reference data based on the result of the comparison step. - View Dependent Claims (80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87)
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90. A computer usable medium having computer readable instructions stored therein for causing a processor to process input and reference data representing a phrase, sentence, or passage of a natural language to determine if there is a match in the meaning, the instructions comprising:
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a) causing the processor to analyse the input and reference data to generate input meaning data and reference meaning data respectively comprising lexical meaning representations and links therebetween having regard to the grammar of the natural language, said links indicating which of said lexical meaning representations modify others of said lexical meaning representations;
b) causing the processor to compare the input meaning data with the reference meaning data by repeatedly determining equivalent chain linked pairs of lexical meaning representations in said input meaning data and said reference meaning data starting at a head lexical meaning representation in said input meaning data and in accordance with a set of relationships defining equivalence between at least one of the lexical meaning representations, linked lexical meaning representations, and links; and
c) causing the processor to register a match between the input data and the reference data in dependence upon the result of the comparison.
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Specification