Providing answers to questions including assembling answers from multiple document segments
First Claim
1. A method of generating a score for a candidate answer to an input query, the method comprising:
- receiving an input query;
conducting a search in a data source to identify a candidate answer to the input query;
determining a set of documents using theorem proving for scoring the candidate answer, including;
identifying a plurality of logical proofs of the candidate answer, each of the logical proofs including a conclusion and a sequence of premises that logically prove the conclusion, includingusing the candidate answer as the conclusion of each of the logical proofs, andwherein the sequence of the premises of each of the logical proofs forms a logical proof of the candidate answer;
for each of the logical proofs, identifying one or more documents that establish all the premises of the each of the logical proofs, includingfor each of the premises of said each of the logical proofs, searching through a group of documents to identify one or more of the documents of the group of documents that include said each of the premises, andselecting a plurality of the identified documents of the group of documents to form a set of documents for said each of the logical proofs, wherein the set of documents for said each of the logical proofs includes all the premises of said each of the logical proofs; and
selecting, based on specified criteria, one of the sets of documents for the logical proofs as the set of documents for scoring the candidate answer; and
using the set of documents selected for scoring the candidate answer to generate a score for the candidate answer.
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Abstract
A method, system and computer program product for generating answers to questions. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving an input query, identifying a plurality of candidate answers to the query; and for at least one of these candidate answers, identifying at least one proof of the answer. This proof includes a series of premises, and a multitude of documents are identified that include references to the premises. A set of these documents is selected that include references to all of the premises. This set of documents is used to generate one or more scores for the one of the candidate answers. A defined procedure is applied to the candidate answers to determine a ranking for the answers, and this includes using the one or more scores for the at least one of the candidate answers in the defined procedure to determine the ranking for this one candidate answer.
84 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of generating a score for a candidate answer to an input query, the method comprising:
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receiving an input query; conducting a search in a data source to identify a candidate answer to the input query; determining a set of documents using theorem proving for scoring the candidate answer, including; identifying a plurality of logical proofs of the candidate answer, each of the logical proofs including a conclusion and a sequence of premises that logically prove the conclusion, including using the candidate answer as the conclusion of each of the logical proofs, and wherein the sequence of the premises of each of the logical proofs forms a logical proof of the candidate answer; for each of the logical proofs, identifying one or more documents that establish all the premises of the each of the logical proofs, including for each of the premises of said each of the logical proofs, searching through a group of documents to identify one or more of the documents of the group of documents that include said each of the premises, and selecting a plurality of the identified documents of the group of documents to form a set of documents for said each of the logical proofs, wherein the set of documents for said each of the logical proofs includes all the premises of said each of the logical proofs; and selecting, based on specified criteria, one of the sets of documents for the logical proofs as the set of documents for scoring the candidate answer; and using the set of documents selected for scoring the candidate answer to generate a score for the candidate answer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for generating a score for a candidate answer to an input query, the system comprising:
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a computer device comprising at least one distinct software module, each distinct software module being embodied on a tangible computer-readable medium;
a memory; and
at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative for;receiving an input query; conducting a search in a data source to identify a candidate answer to the input query; determining a set of documents using theorem proving for scoring the candidate answer, including identifying a plurality of logical proofs of the candidate answer, each of the logical proofs including a conclusion and a sequence of premises that logically prove the conclusion, including using the candidate answer as the conclusion of each of the logical proofs, and wherein the sequence of the premises of each of the logical proofs forms a logical proof of the candidate answer; for each of the logical proofs, identifying a one or more of documents that establish all the premises of the each of the logical proofs, including for each of the premises of said each of the logical proofs, searching through a group of documents to identify one or more of the documents of the group of documents that include said each of the premises, and selecting a plurality of the identified documents of the group of documents to form a set of documents for said each of the logical proofs, wherein the set of documents for said each of the logical proofs includes all the premises of said each of the logical proofs; and selecting, based on specified criteria, one of the sets of documents for the logical proofs as the set of documents for scoring the candidate answer; and using the set of documents selected for scoring the candidate answer to generate a score for the candidate answer. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An article of manufacture comprising:
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at least one tangible non-transitory computer readable device having computer readable program code logic tangibly embodied therein to generate a score for a candidate answer to an input query, the computer readable program code logic, when executing, performing the following; receiving an input query; conducting a search in a data source to identify a candidate answer to the input query; determining a set of documents using theorem proving for scoring the candidate answer, including identifying a plurality of logical proofs of the candidate answer, each of the logical proofs including a conclusion and a sequence of premises that logically prove the conclusion, including using the candidate answer as the conclusion of each of the logical proofs, and wherein the sequence of the premises of each of the logical proofs forms a logical proof of the candidate answer; for each of the logical proofs, identifying one or more of documents that establish all the premises of the each of the logical proofs, including for each of the premises of said each of the logical proofs, searching through a group of documents to identify one or more of the documents of the group of documents that include said each of the premises, and selecting a plurality of the identified documents of the group of documents to form a set of documents for said each of the logical proofs, wherein the set of documents for said each of the logical proofs includes all the premises of said each of the logical proofs; and selecting, based on the specified criteria, one of the sets of documents for the logical proofs as the set of documents for scoring the candidate answer; and using the set of documents selected for scoring the candidate answer to generate a score for the candidate answer. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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Specification