Dynamic example generation for queries

• US 8,601,015 B1
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wolfram, Stephen, Macura, Wiktor
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen, Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Waldron, Scott A
• Application Number:
  US12/780,670
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 707/767, 707/772, 707/774, 707/759, 707/765, 707/779
• US Class Current: 707/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence

Abstract

In a method for generating example queries, an actual query is received, and the actual query is portioned into one or more tokens. One or more fragments of the actual query are generated based on reassembly of the one or more tokens. A plurality of example queries are generated based on different interpretations of one or more fragments, and at least one example query is outputted.

Claims

1. A method of generating example natural language queries, comprising:

receiving an actual natural language query from a user;

partitioning the actual natural language query into one or more tokens;

generating one or more expressions in a precise syntax using the one or more tokens;

processing the one or more expressions in an attempt to generate an answer to the natural language query;

generating one or more fragments of the actual natural language query based on reassembly of the one or more tokens, wherein at least one of the one or more fragments has multiple portions comprising the one or more tokens;

generating a plurality of example natural language queries based on (i) different interpretations of the one or more fragments, and (ii) a plurality of query templates for comparing to the one or more fragments, wherein at least some of the plurality of query templates comprise pairs of (i) known categories and (ii) known properties respectively associated with the categories, and wherein generating the plurality of example natural language queries includes;

determining, for each fragment having multiple portions, whether a first portion of the fragment matches a first category corresponding to a first one of the plurality of query templates and a second portion of the fragment matches a first property corresponding to the first one of the plurality of query templates, the first property associated with the first category, and

when it is determined that the first portion of the fragment matches the first category corresponding to the first one of the plurality of query templates and the second portion of the fragment matches the first property corresponding to the first one of the plurality of query templates, generating one of the plurality of example natural language queries based on the first one of the plurality of query templates; and

transmitting to the user, via a network, the at least one of the plurality of example natural language queries.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

computing scores for the plurality of example natural language queries; and

determining which one or more example natural language queries in the plurality of example natural language queries are to be transmitted based on the scores for the plurality of example natural language queries.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

computing scores for the different interpretations of the one or more fragments;

wherein computing scores for the plurality of example natural language queries is based on the scores for the different interpretations of the one or more fragments.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein computing scores for the plurality of example natural language queries is based on respective percentages of the one or more tokens utilized in generating respective example natural language queries.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein generating the plurality of example natural language queries is further based on a database of example query templates.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting at least one of the plurality of example natural language queries comprises transmitting a web page via the network, wherein the web page includes an indication or indications of the at least one of the plurality of example natural language queries.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein transmitting at least one of the plurality of example natural language queries comprises providing at least one user interface mechanism to permit the user to select one example natural language query of the at least one of the plurality of example natural language queries.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one user interface mechanism provides the indication or indications of the at least one of the plurality of example natural language queries.

9. A system for generating example natural language queries, the system comprising a plurality of modules embodied as blocks in a hardware processor, the modules comprising:

a parser module to generate one or more tokens from an actual natural language query received from a user;

a plurality of fragment generator modules to generate at least one fragment of the actual natural language query based on reassembly of the one or more tokens, wherein at least one of the one or more fragments has multiple portions comprising the one or more tokens; and

a plurality of example natural language query generator modules to generate a plurality of example natural language queries based on (i) different interpretations of the at least one fragment, and (ii) a plurality of query templates for comparing to the at least one fragment, the query templates retrieved from a database, wherein at least some of the plurality of query templates comprise pairs of (i) known categories and (ii) known properties respectively associated with the categories, and wherein the plurality of example natural language query generator modules generate the plurality of example natural language queries by;

determining, for each fragment having multiple portions, whether a first portion of the fragment matches a first category corresponding to a first one of the example query templates and a second portion of the fragment matches a first property corresponding to the first one of the example query templates, the first property associated with the first category, and

when it is determined that the first portion of the fragment matches the first category corresponding to the first one of the plurality of query templates and the second portion of the fragment matches the first property corresponding to the first one of the plurality of query templates, generating one of the plurality of example natural language queries based on the first one of the plurality of query templates.

10. A system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a first score generator module to generate scores for the plurality of example natural language queries; and

an output generator module to selectively output one or more example natural language queries in the plurality of example natural language queries based on the scores for the plurality of example natural language queries.

11. A system according to claim 10, further comprising:

a second score generator module to generate scores for the different interpretations of the at least one fragment;

wherein the first score generator module generates scores for the plurality of example natural language queries based on the scores for the different interpretations of the at least one fragment.

12. A system according to claim 10, wherein the first score generator module generates scores for the plurality of example natural language queries based on respective percentages of the one or more tokens utilized in generating respective example natural language queries.

13. A system according to claim 9, further comprising a web page generator module to generate a web page that includes an indication or indications of the one of the plurality of example natural language queries.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the web page includes at least one user interface mechanism to permit the user to select one example query of the plurality of example natural language queries.

15. A system according to claim 14, wherein the at least one user interface mechanism provides the indication or indications of the plurality of example natural language queries.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving from a user a query in an imprecise syntax;

transmitting, the query in the imprecise syntax;

receiving at least one user interface mechanism to permit selection of one of at least one example natural language query, the at least one example natural language query having been dynamically generated in response to the query in the imprecise syntax, based on (i) different interpretations of one or more fragments generated by reassembling tokens into which the query in the imprecise syntax has been partitioned and (ii) a plurality of query templates compared to the one or more fragments, wherein at least one of the one or more fragments has multiple portions comprising the tokens, wherein (a) at least some of the plurality of query templates comprise pairs of (i) known categories and (ii) known properties respectively associated with the categories and (b) the at least one example natural language query was generated in response to a determination that a first portion of a fragment matched a category of a first one of the plurality of query templates and a second portion of the fragment matched a property corresponding to the first one of the plurality of query templates;

receiving a user input that corresponds to a selection of one of the at least one example natural language query;

transmitting an indication of the selected example natural language query; and

receiving query results in response to the selected example natural language query.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising receiving query results corresponding to the query in the imprecise syntax;

and

displaying the query results corresponding to the query in the imprecise syntax and an indication or indications of the at least one example natural language query in a window on a display device.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the at least one user interface mechanism provides the indication or indications of the at least one example natural language query.