Method and system for using natural language to generate widgets

• US 9,069,814 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Wolfram Alpha LLC (Wolfram Research Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wolfram, Stephen, Gray, Theodore W.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US13/560,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20130031082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 704 1- 3, 704 9- 10, 707694-695, 707705-709, 707728-731, 707758-760, 707765-766, 707804-805
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2433 Query languages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3331 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90332 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems

Abstract

A user interface application is created to prompt a user for information and to generate a query to be submitted to a natural language (NL) query answering system. A first user is prompted to submit an NL query, and the NL query is received. The user interface application is generated using the NL query and so that the user interface application is configured to prompt the first user or a second user to provide information, receive the information, generate a computer-generated query based on the NL query and the received information, provide the computer-generated query to the NL query answering system, receive answer information from the NL query answering system in response to the computer-generated query, and cause at least some of the answer information to be displayed on a display device.

Claims

1. A method for creating a user interface application, the method comprising:

prompting in an NL query interface, using one or more computing devices, a first user to submit an NL query;

receiving the NL query via the NL query interface, the NL query having first query parameters;

generating, using one or more computing devices, the user interface application according to the NL query, wherein the user interface application is operable separately from the NL query interface and is configured to;

prompt the first user or a second user to provide second query parameters via the user interface application, the second query parameters specifying a second query related to the NL query, and the second query parameters different than the first query parameters,

receive the second query parameters via the user interface application,

generate a computer-generated query based on the NL query and the received second query parameters,

provide the computer-generated query to the NL query answering system,

receive answer information from the NL query answering system in response to the computer-generated query, and

cause a display device to display a portion of the answer information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting, using one or more computing devices, the first user to select one or more terms in the NL query as one or more variables;

wherein the user interface application is generated so that the user interface application is configured to

determine respective one or more values of the one or more variables using the received second query parameters, and

generate the computer-generated query to include the respective one or more values of the one or more variables.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising prompting, using one or more computing devices, the first user to select respective one or more categories for the one or more variables;

wherein the user interface application is generated so that the user interface application is configured to generate the computer-generated query to include respective one or more keywords associated with the respective one or more values of the one or more variables; and

wherein the respective one or more keywords are recognizable by the NL query answering system as indicating how the NL query answering system should interpret the one or more values of the one or more variables.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting, using one or more computing devices, the first user to select one or more types of answer information to be displayed by the user interface application;

wherein the user interface application is generated so that the user interface application is configured to

determine the portion of the answer information to be displayed, from the answer information received in response to the computer-generated query, according to the one or more types of answer information selected by the first user, and

cause the selected types of the answer information received in response to the computer-generated query to be displayed on the display device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the answer information received in response to the computer-generated query is second answer information, the method further comprising:

providing the NL query to the NL query answering system;

receiving first answer information in response to the NL query; and

using the first answer information received in response to the NL query to prompt the first user to select one or more types of answer information for display by the user interface application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the NL query to the NL query answering system;

receiving answer information in response to the NL query; and

causing the answer information received in response to the NL query to be displayed to the first user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, using one or more computing devices, a sample display layout for the user interface application;

prompting, using one or more computing devices, the first user to modify the sample display layout;

wherein the user interface application is generated so that the user interface application is configured to have a display layout that corresponds to the sample display layout modified according to modifications from the first user, if any.

8. A system comprising one or more computing devices configured to:

prompt, via an NL query interface, a first user to submit a natural language (NL) query;

receive the NL query via the NL query interface, the NL query having first query parameters;

generate a user interface application according to the NL query, wherein the user interface application is operable separately from the NL query interface and is configured to

prompt the first user or a second user to provide second query parameters via the generated user interface application, the second query parameters specifying a second query related to the NL query, and the second query parameters different than the first query parameters,

receive the second query parameters via the generated user interface application,

generate a computer-generated query based on the NL query and the received second query parameters,

provide the computer-generated query to an NL query answering system,

receive answer information from the NL query answering system in response to the computer-generated query, and

cause a display device to display a portion of the answer information.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to prompt the first user to select one or more terms in the NL query as one or more variables;

wherein the user interface application is generated so that the user interface application is configured to

determine respective one or more values of the one or more variables using the received second query parameters, and

generate the computer-generated query to include the respective one or more values of the one or more variables.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to prompt the first user to select respective one or more categories for the one or more variables;

wherein the user interface application is generated so that the user interface application is configured to generate the computer-generated query to include respective one or more keywords associated with the respective one or more values of the one or more variables; and

wherein the respective one or more keywords are recognizable by the NL query answering system as indicating how the NL query answering system should interpret the one or more values of the one or more variables.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to prompt the first user to select one or more types of answer information to be displayed by the user interface application;

wherein the user interface application is generated so that the user interface application is configured to

determine the portion of the answer information that will be displayed on the display device, from the answer information received in response to the computer-generated query, according to the one or more types of answer information selected by the first use, and

cause the display device to display the selected types of the answer information received in response to the computer-generated query.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to:

provide the NL query to the NL query answering system;

receive answer information in response to the NL query; and

use the answer information received in response to the NL query to prompt the first user to select one or more types of answer information to be displayed by the user interface application.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to:

provide the NL query to the NL query answering system;

receive answer information in response to the NL query; and

cause the answer information received in response to the NL query to be displayed to the first user.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to:

generate a sample display layout for the user interface application;

prompt the first user to modify the sample display layout;

wherein the user interface application is generated so that the user interface application is configured to have a display layout that corresponds to the sample display layout modified according to modifications from the first user, if any.

15. A method for retrieving answer information from a natural language (NL) query answering system, the method comprising:

prompting, in a user interface application generated according to an NL query having first query parameters, using one or more computing devices, a user to provide second query parameters regarding a second query, the second query related to the NL query, and the second query parameters different than the first query parameters;

determining one or more respective values of one or more variables using the received second query parameters; and

generating a computer-generated query that is based on the NL query, wherein the computer-generated query is generated to include the one or more respective values of the one or more variables;

providing the computer-generated query to the NL query answering system;

receiving, from the NL query answering system, answer information responsive to the computer-generated query; and

causing a display device to display the answer information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the computer-generated query is generated to include respective one or more keywords associated with the respective one or more values of the one or more variables;

and

wherein the respective one or more keywords are recognizable by the NL query answering system as indicating how the NL query answering system should interpret the one or more values of the one or more variables.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining types of the answer information that will be displayed in response to receiving the answer information from the NL query answering system, and

causing the display device to display the determined types of the answer information received.

18. A system for retrieving answer information from a natural language (NL) query answering system, the system comprising one or more computing devices configured to:

prompt a user to provide, via a user interface application generated according to an NL query having first query parameters, second query parameters regarding a second query, the second query related to the NL query, and the second query parameters different than the first query parameters;

determine one or more respective values of one or more variables using the received second query parameters;

generate a computer-generated query that is based on the NL query, wherein the computer-generated query is generated to include the one or more respective values of the one or more variables;

provide the computer-generated query to the NL query answering system;

receive, from the NL query answering system, answer information responsive to the computer-generated query; and

cause the answer information to be displayed on a display device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer-generated query is generated to include respective one or more keywords associated with the respective one or more values of the one or more variables;

and

wherein the respective one or more keywords are recognizable by the NL query answering system as indicating how the NL query answering system should interpret the one or more values of the one or more variables.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to:

determine which types of answer information received in response to the computer-generated query should be displayed; and

cause the selected types of the answer information received in response to the computer-generated query to be displayed on the display device.

21. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:

prompt, in an NL query interface, using one or more computing devices, a first user to submit a natural language (NL) query;

receive the NL query via the NL query interface, the NL query having first query parameters;

generate, using one or more computing devices, a user interface application according to the NL query, wherein the user interface application is operable separately from the NL query interface and is configured to;

prompt the first user or a second user to provide second query parameters via the generated user interface application, the second query parameters specifying a second query related to the NL query, and the second query parameters different than the first query parameters,

receive the second query parameters via the generated user interface application,

generate a computer-generated query based on the NL query and the received second query parameters,

provide the computer-generated query to an NL query answering system,

receive answer information from the NL query answering system in response to the computer-generated query, and

cause a display device to display a portion of the answer information.

22. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:

prompt, in a user interface application generated according to an NL query having first query parameters, using one or more computing devices, a user to provide second query parameters regarding a second query, the second query related to the NL query, and the second query parameters different than the first query parameters;

determine one or more respective values of one or more variables using the received second query parameters; and

generate a computer-generated query that is based on the NL query, wherein the computer-generated query is generated to include the one or more respective values of the one or more variables;

provide the computer-generated query to a NL query answering system;

receive, from the NL query answering system, answer information responsive to the computer-generated query; and

cause a display device to display the answer information.