Business vocabulary data retrieval using alternative forms

• US 7,103,607 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kirkwood, Michael, Yazdani, Sima
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Baoquoc N.
• Application Number:
  US09/908,947
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/102, 707/3, 707/10, 707/100, 704/10, 715/532, 715/536
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Techniques for responding to a request for data about an enterprise include storing a set of names for a single entity associated with the enterprise as a first set of corresponding concepts in a database. The database stores descriptions of entities associated with the enterprise as concepts and relationships among concepts. A first concept of the set of corresponding concepts is indicated. When a request including data indicating a particular name of the set of names is received, a response is sent that includes information associated in the database with the first concept. This invention yields alternative concepts related to a first, official or “normative” concept for each entity associated with the enterprise in all forms, e.g., languages. Entities include descriptions of products, services and activities of the enterprise. Relating alternative concepts to normative concepts allows a customer to issue a “wrong” query using any of the alternative terms and yet still retrieve the correct information associated with the normative term.

Claims

1. A method of responding to a request for data about an enterprise, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of names for a single entity associated with the enterprise as a first plurality of corresponding concepts in a database of concepts and relationships among concepts, which database describes a plurality of entities associated with the enterprise, wherein each name of the plurality of names is associated with a particular concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts;

designating a first concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts as a normative concept, wherein the normative concept is used to relate the single entity to other entities of the enterprise;

storing in the database a first relationship of a first relationship type, the first relationship defined for the first concept and an alternative concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts, wherein the first relationship includes an attribute indicating the alternative concept is one of a synonym for the first concept, an acronym for the first concept and a translation into a different language than a language of the first name corresponding to the first concept;

storing in the database a second relationship of a second relationship type between the first concept and a second concept not among the first plurality of corresponding concepts, wherein the second concept is different than the first concept;

receiving a request including data indicating a particular name of the plurality of names, wherein the request does not include data indicating a first name corresponding to the first concept, wherein;

the particular name corresponds to a particular alternative concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts, and

the database does not include a relationship defined for the second concept and the particular alternative concept; and

in response to receiving the request, sending a response including content of a file that is associated in the database with the second concept.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of names include at least one of the synonym for the first name corresponding to the first concept, the acronym for the first name, and the translation of the first name into the different language than the language of the first name.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of names includes the synonym for the first name;

and wherein the synonym for the first name includes a misspelling of the first name.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of names includes the synonym for the first name;

and wherein the synonym for the first name comprises an acronym of the first concept or a translation into a different language than a language of the first name corresponding to the first concept.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of adding a name to the plurality of names based on the data included in the request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the entities include at least one of a set of products of the enterprise, a set of services of the enterprise and a set of activities of the enterprise.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the entities include the set of activities of the enterprise;

and wherein the set of activities of the enterprise include at least one of administration, research, marketing, joint ventures and documentation.

8. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for responding to a request for data about an enterprise, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

storing a plurality of names for a single entity associated with the enterprise as a first plurality of corresponding concepts in a database of concepts and relationships among concepts, which database describes a plurality of entities associated with the enterprise, wherein each name of the plurality of names is associated with a particular concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts;

indicating a first concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts as a normative concept, wherein the normative concept is used to relate the single entity to other entities of the enterprise;

storing in the database a first relationship of a first relationship type, the first relationship defined for the first concept and an alternative concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts, wherein the first relationship includes an attribute indicating the alternative concept is one of a synonym for the first concept, an acronym for the first concept and a translation into a different language than a language of the first name corresponding to the first concept;

storing in the database a second relationship of a second relationship type between the first concept and a second concept not among the first plurality of corresponding concepts, wherein the second concept is different than the first concept;

receiving a request including data indicating a particular name of the plurality of names, wherein the request does not include data indicating a first name corresponding to the first concept, wherein;

the particular name corresponds to a particular alternative concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts, and

the database does not include a relationship defined for the second concept and the particular alternative concept; and

in response to receiving the request, sending a response including content of a file that is associated in the database with the second concept.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the plurality of names include at least one of the synonym for the first name corresponding to the first concept, the acronym for the first name, and the translation of the first name into the different language than the language of the first name.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the plurality of names includes the synonym for the first name;

and wherein the synonym for the first name includes a misspelling of the first name.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to carry out the step of adding a name to the plurality of names based on the data included in the request.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the entities include at least one of a set of products of the enterprise, a set of services of the enterprise and a set of activities of the enterprise.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the entities include the set of activities of the enterprise;

and wherein the set of activities of the enterprise include at least one of administration, research, marketing, joint ventures and documentation.

14. A system for responding to a request for data about an enterprise, the system comprising:

a means for storing a plurality of names for a single entity associated with the enterprise;

a means for indicating a first name of the plurality of names as a normative name, wherein the normative name is used to relate the single entity to other entities of the enterprise;

a means for storing a first relationship of a first relationship type, the first relationship defined for the first name and an alternative name of the plurality of names, wherein the first relationship includes an attribute indicating the alternative name is one of a synonym for the first name, an acronym for the first name, and a translation into a different language than a language of the first name;

a means for storing a second relationship of a second relationship type between the first name and particular information not among the plurality of names, wherein the particular information is different than the first name;

a means for receiving a request including data indicating a particular name of the plurality of names, wherein the request does not include data indicating the first name and the database does not include a relationship defined for the particular information and the particular name; and

a means for sending a response including content of a file that is associated in a database with the particular information in response to receiving the request, which database describes a plurality of entities associated with the enterprise.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of names include at least one of the synonym for the first name, the acronym for the first name, and the translation of the first name into the different language than the language of the first name.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of names includes the synonym for the first name;

and wherein the synonym for the first name includes a misspelling of the first name.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a means for adding a name to the plurality of names based on the data included in the request.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the entities include at least one of a set of products of the enterprise, a set of services of the enterprise and a set of activities of the enterprise.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the entities include the set of activities of the enterprise;

and wherein the set of activities of the enterprise include at least one of administration, research, marketing, joint ventures and documentation.

20. A system for responding to a request for data about an enterprise, the system comprising:

a database of concepts and relationships among concepts describing a plurality of entities associated with the enterprise; and

a processor configured to perform the steps of;

storing a plurality of names for a single entity associated with the enterprise as a first plurality of corresponding concepts in the database, wherein each name of the plurality of names is associated with a particular concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts;

indicating a first concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts as a normative concept, wherein the normative concept is used to relate the single entity to other entities of the enterprise;

storing in the database a first relationship of a first relationship type, the first relationship defined for the first concept and an alternative concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts, wherein the first relationship includes an attribute indicating the alternative concept is one of a synonym for the first concept, an acronym for the first concepts and a translation into a different language than a language of the first name corresponding to the first concept;

storing in the database a second relationship of a second relationship type between the first concept and a second concept not among the first plurality of corresponding concepts, wherein the second concept is different than the first concept;

receiving a request including data indicating a particular name of the plurality of names, wherein the request does not include data indicating a first name corresponding to the first concept, wherein;

the particular name corresponds to a particular alternative concept of the first plurality of corresponding concepts, and

the database does not include a relationship defined for the second concept and the particular alternative concept; and

in response to receiving the request, sending a response including content of a file that is associated in the database with the second concept.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of names include at least one of the synonym for the first name corresponding to the first concept, the acronym for the first name, and the translation of the first name into the different language than the language of the first name.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the plurality of names includes the synonym for the first name;

and wherein the synonym for the first name includes a misspelling of the first name.

23. The system of claim 20, the processor further configured to perform the step of adding a name to the plurality of names based on the data included in the request.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the entities include at least one of a set of products of the enterprise, a set of services of the enterprise and a set of activities of the enterprise.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the entities include the set of activities of the enterprise;

and wherein the set of activities of the enterprise include at least one of administration, research, marketing, joint ventures and documentation.