Method and system for responding to user-input based on semantic evaluations of user-provided resources

• US 7,805,444 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Information Research and Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Schabes, Yves, Roche, Emmanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital; Pierre M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIAO, JASON G
• Application Number:
  US11/622,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20070219781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/56 Natural language generation

Abstract

A method for processing user input includes the step of receiving, during a first session between a user and an interaction environment, via one of a plurality of media gateways, from the user, a resource including a plurality of predefined markers and at least one expression. An expression type is identified, responsive to an evaluation of the semantic structure and to one of the predefined markers. A determination is made as to whether to store at least one of: an identification of the user and the at least one expression. The resource is displayed in a viewable display format, responsive to a second predefined marker. A second expression is received. An expression type is identified, responsive to an evaluation of a semantic structure of the second expression. Based on the expression type and on the resource received during the first session, a response to the second expression is generated.

Claims

1. A method for processing, in a computer server under control of a processor, user input to an interactive information repository comprising:

(a) receiving a resource in the form of a structured document wherein the structured document includes at least one expression having a semantic structure and a plurality of predefined markers expressed in a programming language, the plurality of predefined markers identifying a display format and an expression type, wherein the expression type includes;

(i) a query seeking information from the information repository, (ii) a statement seeking to add new information to the information repository, and (iii) a command to perform an action;

(b) determining the expression type of the at least one expression based on one of the predefined markers associated with the at least one expression;

(c) adding expressions that have an expression type of statement to the information repository;

(d) converting the resource to a viewable display format based on the predefined markers that identify the display format;

(e) displaying the resource in the viewable display format;

(f) receiving user input in the form of a natural language expression, the natural language expression having a semantic structure that can be characterized by an expression type, wherein the expression type is representative of at least two types of input that can be supplied to the information repository including a query and a statement;

(g) determining an expression type for the received natural language expression by evaluating the semantic structure of the expression to determine whether the received expression is a statement comprised of new information;

(h) responding to input expressions having an expression type determined to be a statement by adding the new information in the statement to the information repository;

(i) determining an expression type for the received natural language expression by evaluating the semantic structure of the expression to determine whether the received expression is a query seeking an answer to the query from the information repository;

(j) responding to input expressions having an expression type determined to be a query by (i) searching the information repository for an answer to the query, and (ii) returning the answer to the query if a matching answer is determined.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of predefined markers are expressed in an Extensible Markup Language (XML).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (a) and (f) further comprise receiving input via one of a plurality of media gateways.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein an expression comprises one of a character string having a semantic structure and a plurality of words having a semantic structure.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein step (b) further comprises evaluating a linguistic pattern of an expression.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein step (b) further comprises evaluating a word order of an expression.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein steps (c) and (g) further comprise identifying the semantic structure of an expression as one of an implicit question, explicit question, a statement, a command, a command to execute a computer program, a command to store data, a command to modify stored data.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of querying a database to identify the expression type of the expression.

9. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of querying a database using a modified version of the expression.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the resource.

11. A system for processing user input comprising:

a hardware server for hosting;

an information retrieval component in communication with a search index and a collection of information;

a user interface module hosted by the server and in communication with the information retrieval component, the user interface module comprising a transceiver for receiving, (i) during a first session with a user, a resource in the form of a structured document wherein the structured document includes at least one expression having a semantic structure and a plurality of predefined markers expressed in a programming language, the plurality of predefined markers identifying at least one of a display format and an expression type and, (ii) during a second session with a user, user input in the form of a natural language expression, the natural language expression having a semantic structure that can be characterized by an expression type, wherein the expression type is representative of at least two types of input that can be supplied to the collection of information including a query and a statement;

a semantic evaluator for;

(i) determining the expression type of the at least one expression based on one of the predefined markers associated with the at least one expression, and (ii) determining the expression type of the user input expression by evaluating the semantic structure of the natural language expression to determine whether (a) the expression type is a statement comprised of new information;

or (b) the expression type is a query seeking an answer to the query from the collection of information;

a display component for;

(i) converting the resource to a viewable display format based on the predefined markers that identify a display format, and (ii) displaying the resource in the viewable display format; and

a response generating component for responding to the natural language input expression based on the determined expression type wherein a response to a query expression type is (i) search the collection of information for an answer to the query, and (ii) return the answer to the query if a matching answer is determined, and a response to a statement expression type is to add the new information to the collection of information.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of predefined markers are expressed in an Extensible Markup Language (XML).

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the transceiver receives input via one of a plurality of media gateways.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the transceiver receives input via one of a plurality of media gateways.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein an expression comprises one of a character string having a semantic structure and a plurality of words having a semantic structure.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the semantic evaluator evaluates a linguistic pattern of an expression.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the semantic evaluator evaluates a word order of the expression.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the semantic evaluator identifies the semantic structure of the expression as one of an implicit question, explicit question, a statement, a command, a command to execute a computer program, a command to store data, a command to modify stored data.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the semantic evaluator queries a database to identify the expression type of the expression.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the semantic evaluator queries a database using a modified version of the expression.

21. The system of claim 11 wherein the display component further comprises a means for transforming the resource from Extensible Markup Language (XML) into Hypertext Markup Language.