Request-based knowledge acquisition

• US 7,720,862 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wu, Yuh-Cherng
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Miranda
• Application Number:
  US10/873,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20050283495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-102, 707/104.1, 707/200, 707/780, 707/999.006, 706/45, 706/46, 706/50, 706/52, 715/501.1, 715/526, 715/234, 709201-203, 709217-231, 705/1
• US Class Current: 707/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

One implementation provides a method for acquiring knowledge from multiple knowledge bases in a knowledge repository. The method includes identifying first and second knowledge bases within the knowledge repository by analyzing a search request received from a client system. The first knowledge base contains knowledge of a first type and the second knowledge base contains knowledge of a second type. The method further includes generating instructions that, when executed, cause first and second requests to be sent to the knowledge repository in sequential fashion to acquire knowledge from the first and second knowledge bases, such that the second request is sent after the first request, and such that the second request includes knowledge of the first type from the first knowledge base acquired in response to the first request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a knowledge acquisition engine, search information by analyzing a search request received from a client system;

parsing the search request comprising textual characters to identify keywords, wherein the identified keywords are used to construct corresponding values for predefined fields;

identifying, by the knowledge acquisition engine, a first knowledge base by matching the search information with contents of the first knowledge base, wherein matching the search information with contents of the first knowledge base includes accessing an index that has been compiled from the first knowledge base;

identifying, by the knowledge acquisition engine, a second knowledge base by matching the search information with contents of the second knowledge base;

acquiring knowledge of a first type by sending, by the knowledge acquisition engine, a first request to the first knowledge base; and

acquiring knowledge of a second type by sending, by the knowledge acquisition engine, a second request to the second knowledge base, the first request and the second request sent sequentially, the second request generated to include a first search term including a portion of the search request originally received from the client system, the second request further comprising a second search term obtained from knowledge acquired in response to the first request to the first knowledge base, the first and second search terms comprising text, wherein the knowledge acquisition engine is implemented on at least one processor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the acquired knowledge of the first and second types does not satisfy the search request;

upon such determination, identifying a third knowledge base based upon a previously identified relationship between the third knowledge base and either the first or the second knowledge base; and

acquiring knowledge of a third type by sending a third request to the third knowledge base.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein if the previously identified relationship is between the third knowledge base and the first knowledge base, the method comprises acquiring knowledge of the first type by sending an additional request to the first knowledge base, the additional request being sent independently of the third request.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein if the previously identified relationship is between the third knowledge base and the second knowledge base, the method comprises acquiring knowledge of the second type by sending an additional request to the second knowledge base, the additional request being sent independently of the third request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request contains textual characters provided by a user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein matching the search information with contents of the second knowledge base includes accessing an index that has been compiled from the second knowledge base.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request contains values provided by a user for predefined fields.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the search request from the client system; and

sending the acquired knowledge of the first and second types to the client system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first knowledge base comprises a first separate data store, and wherein the second knowledge base comprises a second separate data store.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the client system includes a mobile device.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the processor and the memory configured to provide a method comprising;

obtaining, by a knowledge acquisition engine, search information by analyzing a search request received from a client system;

parsing the search request comprising textual characters to identify keywords, wherein the identified keywords are used to construct corresponding values for predefined fields;

identifying a first knowledge base by matching the search information with contents of the first knowledge base, wherein matching the search information with contents of the first knowledge base includes accessing an index that has been compiled from the first knowledge base;

identifying a second knowledge base by matching the search information with contents of the second knowledge base;

acquiring knowledge of a first type by sending, by the knowledge acquisition engine, a first request to the first knowledge base; and

acquiring knowledge of a second type by sending, by the knowledge acquisition engine, a second request to the second knowledge base, the first request and the second request sent sequentially, the second request generated to include a first search term including a portion of the search request originally received from the client system, the second request further comprising a second search term obtained from knowledge acquired in response to the first request to the first knowledge base, the first and second search terms comprising text.

12. A computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed, perform a method comprising:

obtaining, by a knowledge acquisition engine, search information by analyzing a search request received from a client system;

parsing the search request comprising textual characters to identify keywords, wherein the identified keywords are used to construct corresponding values for predefined fields;

identifying a first knowledge base by matching the search information with contents of the first knowledge base, wherein matching the search information with contents of the first knowledge base includes accessing an index that has been compiled from the first knowledge base;

identifying a second knowledge base by matching the search information with contents of the second knowledge base;

acquiring knowledge of a first type by sending, by the knowledge acquisition engine, a first request to the first knowledge base; and

acquiring knowledge of a second type by sending, by the knowledge acquisition engine, a second request to the second knowledge base, the first request and the second request sent sequentially, the second request generated to include a first search term including a portion of the search request originally received from the client system, the second request further comprising a second search term obtained from knowledge acquired in response to the first request to the first knowledge base, the first and second search terms comprising text.