Task/domain segmentation in applying feedback to command control

• US 6,954,755 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Richard Reisman
• Inventors: Reisman, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US10/410,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20030172075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-205, 714/513, 709/217, 704/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

An apparatus for responding to a current user command associated with one of a plurality of task/domains includes: a digital storage device that stores cumulative feedback data gathered from multiple users during previous operations of the apparatus and segregated in accordance with the plurality of task/domains; a first digital logic device that determines the current task/domain with which the current user command is associated; a second digital logic device that determines a current response to the current user command on the basis of that portion of the stored cumulative feedback data associated with the current task/domain; a first communication interface that communicates to the user the current response; and a second communication interface that receives from the user current feedback data regarding the current response. The current feedback data is added to the cumulative feedback data stored in the digital storage device and associated with the current task/domain.

Claims

1. A search server for finding an item in response to a search request by a user, the server having access to a plurality of specified sets of semantic information, at least one of which is associated with the item, the server comprising:

means for determining a current task/domain associated with the user search request for the item, the user search request including one of a search query for a discovery searching task/domain and a signifier for a signifier mapping task/domain; and

means for weighting possible responses to the user search request so as to favor possible responses for which the determined current task/domain corresponds to the at least one specified set of semantic information associated with the item,

wherein the specified sets of semantic information comprise at least one of an XML vocabulary, an XML schema, and an XML document type definition.

2. A search server according to claim 1, wherein the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part the current user task/domain implicitly by inference using matching, or semantic analysis, or other natural language understanding techniques to identify related terms and categories drawing on knowledge of at least one specified set of semantic information associated with items searched for by the search server.

3. A search server according to claim 1, wherein the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part the current user task/domain by asking the user.

4. A search server according to claim 1, wherein the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part the current user task/domain by asking the user to specify semantic metadata to be found in the item.

5. A search server according to claim 1, wherein the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part the current user task/domain by asking the user to specify at least one specified set of semantic information that corresponds to the task/domain.

6. A search server according to claim 1, wherein the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part the current user task/domain by inferring the current user task/domain from at least one of past and current user behavior.

7. A search server according to claim 1, wherein:

the search server is a server on a wide area network, and

the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part which of the task/domains is currently intended by asking the user.

8. A search server according to claim 1, wherein:

the search server is a server on a wide area network,

the search query is for one of a set of discovery searching task/domains and the signifier is for one of a set of signifier mapping task/domains, and

the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part which of the task/domains is currently intended by asking the user.

9. A search server according to claim 1, wherein:

the search server is a server on a wide area network, and

the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part which of the task/domains is currently intended by examining at least one of past and current user behavior.

16. A search server according to claim 1, wherein at least one specified set of semantic information with the item defines semantics of the item.

10. A search server for finding an item in response to a search request by a user, such that an item that is associated with one or more of a plurality of specified sets of semantic information is preferred, the server comprising:

means for determining a current task/domain associated with the user search request for the item, the user search request including one of a search query for a discovery searching task/domain and a signifier for a signifier mapping task/domain; and

means for weighting possible responses to the user search request so as to de-emphasize or exclude possible responses for which the determined current task/domain does not correspond to the specified sets of semantic information for the item,

wherein each item is indexed in association with its specified sets of semantic information and wherein the specified sets of semantic information comprise at least one of a vocabulary, a schema and a document type definition.

11. A search server according to claim 10, wherein the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part the current user task/domain by asking the user.

12. A search server according to claim 10, wherein the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part the current user task/domain by inferring the current user task/domain from at least one of past and current user behavior.

13. A search server according to claim 10, wherein:

the search server is a server on a wide area network, and

the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part which of the task/domains is currently intended by asking the user.

14. A search server according to claim 10, wherein:

the search server is a server on a wide area network,

the search query is for one of a set of discovery searching task/domains and the signifier is for one of a set of signifier mapping task/domains, and

the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part which of the task/domains is currently intended by asking the user.

15. A search server according to claim 10, wherein:

the search server is a server on a wide area network, and

the current task/domain determining means determines at least in part which of the task/domains is currently intended by examining past and current user behavior.

17. A search server according to claim 10, wherein at least one specified set of semantic information associated with the item defines semantics of the item.