Method and system for determining an answer to a query

• US 8,966,439 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2013
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wolfram, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Qing
• Application Number:
  US14/082,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20140075410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 717/100, 717104-113, 717/125, 717/136, 717/137, 707706-712, 707/723, 707769-780, 715/255, 715/256, 715/267
• US Class Current: 717/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/111 Mathematical or scientific formatting; Subscripts; Superscripts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 20/70 Machine learning, data mining or chemometrics

Abstract

In a method to help a user determine a formula, (e.g., a fact, rule, or principle expressed in scientific, mathematical, technical, etc. symbols), a user may input an indication of the formula in an imprecise syntax. The inputted indication may be in ASCII text, for example, and may include technical shorthand, technical abbreviations, pseudocode, etc. In response, one or more formulas corresponding to the user'"'"'s input are determined. Optionally, other outputs related to the determined formula (s) may be generated. In one implementation, software programming code corresponding to the formula is generated. Then, the formula (s) and the output(s) are presented to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of determining an answer to a query, the computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at one or more computer processors, via a network, a user input in an imprecise syntax, wherein the user input in the imprecise syntax includes at least (i) a query requesting information determinable by a formula having a plurality of mathematical or scientific parameters, and (ii) one or more parameter values corresponding to the formula, and wherein the user input in the imprecise syntax is expressed using natural language and/or informal terminology provided by a user;

analyzing, at one or more computer processors, the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula;

calculating, at one or more computer processors, an answer to the query using the determined formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula; and

causing, at one or more computer processors, an indication of the answer, represented as electronic display information, to be transmitted via the network.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula comprises:

determining a plurality of possible formulas that correspond to the user input in the imprecise syntax; and

at least one of (i) ranking the plurality of possible formulas, and (ii) eliminating one or more possible formulas of the plurality of possible formulas.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising generating, at one or more processors, an output that is (i) mathematically related to the formula and (ii) separate from the answer.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein generating the output comprises generating at least one of the group consisting of:

a derivative of the formula;

an integral of the formula;

one or more roots of the formula;

a plot of the formula; and

a plot of an evaluation of the formula.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising analyzing, at one or more computer processors, the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine a correspondence between (i) the one or more parameter values in the user input in the imprecise syntax and (ii) one or more parameters of the formula.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input in the imprecise syntax comprises receiving a digital representation of a query spoken by the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user input in the imprecise syntax comprises receiving an automated interpretation of a query spoken by the user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula comprises:

analyzing the user input in the imprecise syntax to identify a first parameter corresponding to a first parameter value in the one or more parameter values; and

determining the formula based, at least in part, on the identified first parameter.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, at one or more processors, that one or more additional parameter values are required to calculate the answer; and

causing, at one or more processors, a request, represented as electronic information, for the one or more additional parameter values to be transmitted via the network.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein causing the indication of the answer to be transmitted via the network comprises causing the transmission of electronic display information via the network for displaying the answer on a user computer.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein transmitting the electronic display information comprises transmitting a user control for facilitating adjustment of one or more parameters of the formula.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically generating, at one or more computer processors, software programming language code, in a precise syntax, for evaluating the formula; and

causing, at one or more computer processors, the software programming language code for evaluating the formula to be transmitted via the network.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, at one or more computer processors, the formula from the user input in the imprecise syntax at least by parsing the user input in the imprecise syntax into a plurality of tokens, re-arranging the plurality of tokens into a plurality of expressions in a precise syntax, and analyzing the plurality of expressions in the precise syntax.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula comprises:

partitioning the user input in the imprecise syntax into a plurality of tokens, wherein each token of the plurality of tokens comprises a keyword, a phrase, or a numerical expression; and

generating one or more expressions in a precise syntax using the plurality of tokens, wherein each expression of the one or more expressions is associated with a corresponding category.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein analyzing the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula further comprises:

providing the one or more expressions to one or more scanner modules to determine the formula according to the one or more expressions and the corresponding category.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein each of the one or more scanner modules is associated with one of a plurality of categories.

17. A system comprising:

a computing system having one or more processors communicatively coupled to a network, wherein the computing system is configured to receive, via the network, a user input in an imprecise syntax, wherein the user input in the imprecise syntax includes at least (i) a query requesting information determinable by a formula having a plurality of mathematical or scientific parameters, and (ii) one or more parameter values corresponding to the formula, and wherein the user input in the imprecise syntax is expressed using natural language and/or informal terminology provided by a user;

a first module executing on the computing system and configured to (i) generate, from the user input in the imprecise syntax, a plurality of tokens, and (ii) assemble the plurality of tokens into one or more expressions in a precise syntax;

one or more second modules executing on the computing system and configured to;

analyze the one or more expressions in the precise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula, and

calculate an answer to the query using the determined formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula; and

a third module executing on the computing system and configured to transmit, via the network, an indication of the answer, represented as electronic display information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more second modules are configured to analyze the one or more expressions in the precise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula by:

determining a plurality of possible formulas that correspond to the user input in the imprecise syntax; and

at least one of (i) ranking the plurality of possible formulas, and (ii) eliminating one or more possible formulas of the plurality of possible formulas.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more second modules are further configured to generate an output that is (i) mathematically related to the formula and (ii) separate from the answer.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more second modules are further configured to generate the output as at least one of the group consisting of:

a derivative of the formula;

an integral of the formula;

one or more roots of the formula;

a plot of the formula; and

a plot of an evaluation of the formula.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more second modules are further configured to analyze the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine a correspondence between (i) the one or more parameter values in the user input in the imprecise syntax and (ii) one or more parameters of the formula.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing system of the one or more processors communicatively coupled to the network is configured to receive a digital representation of the query spoken by the user.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing system of the one or more processors communicatively coupled to the network is configured to receive an automated interpretation of the query spoken by the user.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more second modules are configured to analyze the one or more expressions in the precise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula by:

analyzing the user input in the imprecise syntax to identify a first parameter corresponding to a first parameter value in the one or more parameter values; and

determining the formula based, at least in part, on the identified first parameter.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the third module is further configured to transmit information for displaying the answer on a user computer.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the third module is further configured to transmit information for displaying a user control for facilitating adjustment of one or more parameters of the formula.

27. The system of claim 17, further comprising a fourth module executing on the computing system and configured to:

dynamically generate software programming language code, in a precise syntax, for evaluating the formula; and

cause the software programming language code for evaluating the formula to be transmitted via the network.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more second modules are further configured to determine the formula from the plurality of tokens according to one or more categories associated with each token of the plurality of tokens.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon and executable by one or more processors, the instructions comprising:

instructions to configure the one or more processors to receive, via a network, a user input in an imprecise syntax, wherein the user input in the imprecise syntax includes at least (i) a query requesting information determinable by a formula having a plurality of mathematical or scientific parameters, and (ii) one or more parameter values corresponding to the formula, and wherein the user input in the imprecise syntax is expressed using natural language and/or informal terminology provided by a user;

instructions to configure the one or more processors to analyze the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula;

instructions to configure the one or more processors to calculate an answer to the query using the determined formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula; and

instructions to configure the one or more processors to cause an indication of the answer, represented as electronic display information, to be transmitted via the network.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions to configure the one or more processors to analyze the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine the formula comprise:

instructions to configure the one or more processors to determine a plurality of possible formulas that correspond to the user input in the imprecise syntax; and

instructions to configure the one or more processors to at least one of (i) rank the plurality of possible formulas, and (ii) eliminate one or more possible formulas of the plurality of possible formulas.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, further comprising instructions to configure the one or more processors to generate an output that is (i) mathematically related to the formula and (ii) separate from the answer.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 31, further comprising instructions to configure the one or more processors to analyze the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine a correspondence between (i) the one or more parameter values in the user input in the imprecise syntax and (ii) one or more parameters of the formula.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions to configure the one or more processors to analyze the user input in the imprecise syntax to determine the formula with the one or more parameter values integrated into the formula comprise:

instructions to configure the one or more processors to analyze the user input in the imprecise syntax to identify a first parameter corresponding to a first parameter value in the one or more parameter values; and

instructions to configure the one or more processors to determine the formula based, at least in part, on the identified first parameter.