Dynamic natural language understanding

• US 7,840,400 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2006
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intelligate, Ltd. (AskMeNow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligate, Ltd. (AskMeNow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Persky, Eldad, Lavi, Ofer, Auerbach, Gadiel
• Primary Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US11/562,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 704/9
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/284 Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis

Abstract

Methods and systems for dynamic natural language understanding. A hierarchical structure of semantic categories is exploited to assist in the natural language understanding. Optionally, the natural language to be understood includes a request.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for causing a computer to understand a natural language text, the method comprising causing the computer to execute steps of:

receiving a natural language text;

extracting at least one parameter value from said natural language text or a form thereof;

identifying at least one parameter type related to each extracted parameter value;

providing at least one restatement of said natural language text, each at least one restatement having, embedded within, at least one of said identified parameter types;

extracting at least one overall category value from said at least one restatement or a form thereof;

selecting a subcategory extractor corresponding to one of said extracted at least one overall category, and using said selected subcategory extractor to extract at least one subcategory value;

choosing one of said at least one extracted subcategory values; and

evaluating said at least one identified parameter type in relation to said chosen subcategory value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one n-gram from said natural language text, wherein said extracting at least one parameter value from said form comprises extracting from said at least one n-gram; and

providing a set of at least one n-gram for each at least one restatement,

wherein said extracting at least one overall category from said form comprises extracting from said sets of said at least one n-gram.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said n-grams are sparse n-grams.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one overall category value is a domain, and said at least one subcategory value is an operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said natural language text is understood if one value for said overall category, one value for said subcategory, and any corresponding required parameter values have been determined.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a subcategory extractor includes:

if at least two overall category values are extracted,

selecting one of said at least two overall category values based on associated grades thereof, and

using a subcategory extractor corresponding to said selected one overall category value to extract said at least one subcategory value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two overall category values are extracted, and wherein selecting a subcategory extractor includes:

asking a question to a submitter of said natural language text;

receiving a response to said question from said submitter;

extracting one overall category value from said response; and

using a subcategory extractor corresponding to said extracted one overall category to extract said at least one subcategory value.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if at least one parameter value is extracted which corresponds to a parameter type of which at least two values are defined for said chosen subcategory value, evaluating a relationship between said at least one extracted parameter value and said at least two values defined for said subcategory value.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein choosing one of said at least one extracted subcategory values includes:

evaluating said extracted at least one parameter value in relation to said extracted at least one subcategory value; and

if said extracted at least one parameter value does not correspond to one of said at least one extracted subcategory values, asking a question to a submitter of said natural language text;

receiving a response to said question from said submitter;

extracting at least one subcategory value from said response; and

evaluating said extracted at least one parameter value in relation to said at least one subcategory value extracted from said response in order to choose one subcategory value from among said extracted subcategory values.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein choosing one of said at least one extracted subcategory values include:

if at least two subcategory values are extracted, choosing one of said at least two subcategory values based on associated grades thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating said at least one identified parameter type in relation to said chosen subcategory value includes:

if said at least one identified parameter type does not correspond to all parameter types required by said chosen subcategory value without default parameter values, asking a question to a submitter of said natural language text;

receiving a response to said question from said submitter,

extracting at least one parameter value from said response,

evaluating parameter types related to said extracted at least one parameter value in order to achieve identification of said all required parameter types without default values.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

asking a question to a submitter of said natural language text, wherein content of said question is dependent on when during said method said question is asked.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said asking includes:

formulating said content on the fly.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said asking includes:

modifying a predefined question to generate said content.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising concluding, based on a result of the evaluating at least one identified parameter type, if said natural language text is understood.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein concluding comprises concluding that said natural language text is understood if the at least one identified parameter type corresponds to all required parameter types for said chosen subcategory value.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein concluding comprises concluding that said natural language text is understood if the at least one identified parameter type corresponds to all required parameter types with non-default parameter values for said chosen subcategory value.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an action based on an understanding of the natural language text.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising taking an action based on a result of the evaluating at least one identified parameter type, wherein the action is determined by an understanding of the natural language text.

20. A computer-readable medium having encoded thereon instructions for causing a computer to understand a natural language text, said instructions, when executed by the computer:

cause the computer to receive a natural language text;

cause the computer to extract at least one parameter value from said natural language text or a form thereof;

cause the computer to identify at least one parameter type related to each extracted parameter value;

cause the computer to provide at least one restatement of said natural language text, each at least one restatement having embedded within, at least one of said identified parameter types;

cause the computer to extract at least one overall category value from said at least one restatement or a form thereof;

cause the computer to select a subcategory extractor corresponding to one of said extracted at least one overall category, and use said selected subcategory extractor to extract at least one subcategory value;

cause the computer to choose one of said at least one extracted subcategory values; and

cause the computer to evaluate said at least one identified parameter type in relation to said chosen subcategory value.