GENERATING A PERSONAL DATABASE ENTRY FOR A USER BASED ON NATURAL LANGUAGE USER INTERFACE INPUT OF THE USER AND GENERATING OUTPUT BASED ON THE ENTRY IN RESPONSE TO FURTHER NATURAL LANGUAGE USER INTERFACE INPUT OF THE USER

• US 20170337265A1
• Filed: 05/17/2016
• Published: 11/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Garrett, Maryam, Quah, Wan Fen Nicole, Horling, Bryan, He, Ruijie
• Granted Patent: US 10,783,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Some implementations are directed to generating a personal database entry for a user based on free-form natural language input formulated by the user via one or more user interface input devices of a computing device of the user. The generated personal database entry may include one or more terms of the natural language input and descriptive metadata determined based on one or more terms of the natural language input and/or based on contextual features associated with receiving the natural language input. Some implementations are directed to generating, based on one or more personal database entries of a user, output that is responsive to further free-form natural language input of the user. For example, one or more entries that are responsive to further natural language input of the user can be identified based on matching content of those entries to one or more search parameters determined based on the further input.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processors, comprising:

receiving first natural language input, the first natural language input being free-form input formulated by a user via a user interface input device of a computing device of the user;

generating an entry for the first natural language input in a personal database of the user stored in one or more computer readable media, the generating comprising;

storing, in the entry, one or more given terms of the terms of the first natural language input or an identifier of the given terms,

generating descriptive metadata based on at least one of;

one or more of the terms of the first natural language input, and

one or more contextual features associated with receiving the first natural language input, and

storing the descriptive metadata in the entry;

receiving second natural language input subsequent to receiving the first natural language input, the second natural language input being free-form input formulated by the user via the user interface input device or an additional user interface input device of an additional computing device of the user;

determining, based on the second natural language input, at least one search parameter;

searching the personal database based on the search parameter;

determining, based on the searching, that the entry is responsive to the second natural language input, the determining based at least in part on matching the search parameter to at least some of the descriptive metadata;

generating natural language output that includes one or more natural language output terms that are based on the entry; and

providing, in response to the second natural language input, the natural language output for presentation to the user via a user interface output device of the computing device or of the additional computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the descriptive metadata is based on both the given terms of the first natural language input and the one or more contextual features associated with receiving the first natural language input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the descriptive metadata is based on one or more contextual features associated with receiving the first natural language input and wherein generating the descriptive metadata based on the one or more contextual features comprises:

generating temporal metadata of the descriptive metadata, the temporal metadata indicating a date or a time that the first natural language input was received.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one search parameter is a temporal search parameter and wherein determining that the entry is responsive to the second natural language input comprises matching the temporal search parameter to the temporal metadata.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining that an additional entry is responsive to the second natural language input; and

selecting the entry in lieu of the additional entry, wherein selecting the entry is based on conformance of a current date or time to the temporal metadata of the entry;

wherein providing the natural language output that includes at least some of the given terms of the entry is in response to selecting the entry, and wherein the additional entry is not utilized in generating the natural language output and wherein no output that is based on the additional entry is provided in response to the second natural language input.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the natural language output comprises generating one or more temporal terms of the natural language output based on the temporal metadata of the entry.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the descriptive metadata is based on one or more contextual features associated with receiving the first natural language input and wherein generating the descriptive metadata comprises:

generating locational metadata of the descriptive metadata, the locational metadata indicating a location of the user when the first natural language input was received.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one search parameter is a locational search parameter and wherein determining that the entry is responsive to the second natural language input comprises matching the locational search parameter to the locational metadata.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining that an additional entry is responsive to the second natural language input;

selecting the entry in lieu of the additional entry, wherein selecting the entry is based on conformance of a current location of the user to the locational metadata of the entry;

wherein providing the natural language output that includes at least some of the given terms of the entry is in response to selecting the entry, and wherein the additional entry is not utilized in generating the natural language output and wherein no output that is based on the additional entry is provided in response to the second natural language input.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the natural language output comprises generating one or more locational terms of the natural language output based on the locational metadata of the entry.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first natural language input is provided during communication between the user and at least one additional user and wherein generating the descriptive metadata is based on one or more contextual features associated with receiving the first natural language input and wherein generating the descriptive metadata comprises:

generating additional user metadata of the descriptive metadata, the additional user metadata identifying the additional user in communication with the user when the first natural language input was received.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication between the user and the additional user is via a first message exchange client of the computing device of the user and a second message exchange client of an additional user computing device of the additional user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the descriptive metadata is based on one or of the terms of the first natural language input and wherein generating the descriptive metadata based on one or more of the terms of the first natural language input comprises:

generating a semantic label of the descriptive metadata based on one or more of the terms, the semantic label indicating a classification to which the one or more terms belong and to which additional terms not included in the first natural language output also belong.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one search parameter is a semantic search parameter and wherein determining that the entry is responsive to the second natural language input comprises matching the semantic search parameter to the semantic label.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the search parameter is based on a prefix of the second natural language input.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining that an additional entry is responsive to the second natural language input;

selecting the entry in lieu of the additional entry, wherein selecting the entry is based on conformance of the second natural language input of the user to the semantic label of the entry;

wherein providing the natural language output that includes at least some of the given terms of the entry is in response to selecting the entry, and wherein the additional entry is not utilized in generating the natural language output and wherein no output that is based on the additional entry is provided in response to the second natural language input.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on at least one of the terms of the second natural language input, a measure indicative of a likelihood that the second natural language input is a request for information from the personal database;

wherein at least one of the searching and the providing are dependent on a magnitude of the measure.

18. A method performed by one or more processors, comprising:

receiving first natural language input, the first natural language input being free-form input formulated by a user via a user interface input device of a computing device of the user;

generating an entry for the first natural language input in a personal database of the user stored in one or more computer readable media, the generating comprising;

storing, in the entry, one or more given terms of the terms of the first natural language input or an identifier of the given terms,

generating descriptive metadata based on at least one of;

one or more of the terms of the first natural language input, and

one or more contextual features associated with receiving the first natural language input, and

storing the descriptive metadata in the entry;

receiving second natural language input subsequent to receiving the first natural language input, the second natural language input being free-form input formulated by the user via the user interface input device or an additional user interface input device of an additional computing device of the user;

determining, based on the second natural language input, at least one search parameter;

searching the personal database based on the search parameter;

determining, based on the searching, that the entry is responsive to the second natural language input, the determining based at least in part on matching the search parameter to at least one of the given terms in the entry;

determining, based on the searching, that an additional entry is also responsive to the second natural language input;

ranking the entry relative to the additional entry based on at least some of the descriptive metadata;

generating natural language output that includes one or more natural language output terms that are based on the entry; and

providing, in response to the second natural language input, the natural language output for presentation to the user via a user interface output device of the computing device or of the additional computing device, wherein providing the natural language output is based on the ranking of the entry relative to the additional entry.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the natural language output based on the ranking of the entry relative to the additional entry comprises providing the natural language output without providing any output that is based on the additional entry in response to the second natural language input.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the natural language output based on the ranking of the entry relative to the additional entry comprises providing the natural language output and providing additional output based on the additional entry, and providing the natural language output and the additional output for presentation in an order that is based on the ranking.

21. A device, comprising:

memory and one or more processors, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive first natural language input, the first natural language input being free-form input formulated by a user via a user interface input device;

generate an entry for the first natural language input in a personal database of the user stored in one or more computer readable media, wherein in generating the entry the one or more processors are to;

store, in the entry, one or more given terms of the terms of the first natural language input or an identifier of the given terms,

generate descriptive metadata based on at least one of;

one or more of the terms of the first natural language input, and

one or more contextual features associated with receiving the first natural language input, and

store the descriptive metadata in the entry;

receive second natural language input subsequent to receiving the first natural language input, the second natural language input being free-form input formulated by the user via the user interface input device or an additional user interface input device;

determine, based on the second natural language input, at least one search parameter;

search the personal database based on the search parameter;

determine, based on the searching and based at least in part on matching the search parameter to at least some of the descriptive metadata, that the entry is responsive to the second natural language input;

generate natural language output that includes one or more natural language output terms that are based on the entry; and

provide, in response to the second natural language input, the natural language output for presentation to the user via a user interface output device.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the device further comprises the user interface input device and the user interface output device.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the device further comprises the personal database.