Query tree navigation

• US 9,286,345 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bandholz, Justin P., Pagan, William G., Piazza, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin, Jean B
• Application Number:
  US12/483,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,468 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90344 by using string matching techniques

Abstract

System, computer implemented method and computer program product for preparing and navigating a query tree including a plurality of query nodes and informational nodes. Each query node is associated with a prompt, branching criteria and keywords. A current query node provides a prompt to a user and a user response is received and analyzed to identify branching criteria and keywords from the user response. The method navigates to another node in the query tree in consideration of the branching criteria received in the user response and a comparison between the keywords received in the user response and the keywords associated with the query nodes. The comparison may validate navigation to a destination node corresponding to the branching criteria or the comparison may indicate incorrect navigation of the query tree. Corrective navigation can be implemented in various ways based upon the keywords received in the user response.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

preparing a query tree having a plurality of query nodes, each query node including a query, branching criteria and predetermined keywords;

prompting a user to respond to the query from a first one of the query nodes;

receiving a user response to the query;

analyzing the user response to identify a branching criteria and one or more user keywords; and

comparing the one or more user keywords with the predetermined keywords from one or more of the query nodes.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein comparing the one or more user keywords with the predetermined keywords from one or more of the query nodes includes comparing the one or more user keywords with the predetermined keywords from a query node that is identified by the branching criteria.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

navigating from the first one of the query nodes to the query node identified by the branching criteria in response to the one or more user keywords matching the predetermined keywords from the query node identified by the branching criteria.

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

navigating from the first one of the query nodes to a different query node in the query tree in response to the one or more user keywords matching the predetermined keywords from at least one of the query nodes in the query tree and the one or more user keywords not matching the predetermined keywords from the query identified by the branching criteria.

5. A computer program product including computer usable program code embodied on a non-transitory computer usable storage medium, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for establishing a query tree, wherein the query tree includes a plurality of query nodes, a plurality of branches, and a plurality of informational nodes, each branch corresponding to branching criteria associated with a specific query node and directing navigation from the associated query node to another of the query nodes or one of the informational nodes, wherein each query node provides a prompt and each informational node provides information available to the user; and

computer usable program code for associating each query node with one or more keywords.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, further comprising:

computer usable program code for communicating a prompt to a user,

computer usable program code for receiving a user response to the prompt;

computer usable program code for analyzing the user response to identify a branching criteria that corresponds to one of the plurality of branches leading from the current query node to a different one of the query nodes or one of the informational nodes; and

computer usable program code for analyzing the user response to identify one or more keyword received in the user response.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising:

computer usable program code for navigating to another node in the query tree in consideration of the branching criteria from the user response and a comparison between the one or more keywords received in the user response and the one or more keywords associated with the query node.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

computer usable program code for navigating to a destination node associated with the branching criteria in response to determining that the one or more keywords from the user response are relevant to the keywords associated with the destination node.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

computer usable program code for accepting navigation to the destination node in response to determining that the one or more keywords from the user response are not relevant to keywords associated with query nodes proximal to the destination node.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

computer usable program code for storing each user response received in relation to each question during a user session; and

computer usable program code for returning to a previously navigated query node in response to determining that the user response to a current prompt includes keywords that are more relevant to the previously navigated query node than the current query node.

11. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising:

computer usable program code for repeating the prompt from the current query node in response to receiving a user response including a keyword that is not relevant to any of the keywords associated with any of the query nodes.

12. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein each prompt and each response is communicated over a telephone system, a computer network, or a combination thereof.

13. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein at least one of the query nodes includes branching criteria for three or more branches.

14. The computer program product of claim 5, further comprising:

computer usable program code for navigating to a query node associated with keywords that are determined to be more relevant to the one or more keywords in the user response than the keywords associated with the current query node.