Data store organizing data using semantic classification

• US 9,081,847 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Casella dos Santos, Mariana, Montyne, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruiz, Angelica
• Application Number:
  US13/649,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification

Abstract

Data stores that store content units and annotations regarding the content units derived through a semantic interpretation of the content units. When annotations are stored in a database, different parts of an annotation may be stored in different tables of the database. For example, one or more tables of the database may store all semantic classifications for the annotations, while one or more other tables may store content of all of the annotations. A user may be permitted to provide natural language queries for searching the database. A natural language query may be semantically interpreted to determine one or more annotations from the query. The semantic interpretation of the query may be performed using the same annotation model used to determine annotations stored in the database. Semantic classifications and format of the annotations for a query may be the same as one or more annotations stored in the database.

Claims

1. A method for searching a database of information, the database of information comprising information related to at least one content unit, the information related to the at least one content unit comprising a plurality of stored annotations related to the at least one content unit, wherein a first stored annotation of the plurality of stored annotations comprises a semantic label and content of the first stored annotation, wherein the database stores the semantic label for the first stored annotation in a first table and stores the content of the first stored annotation in at least one second table different from the first table, the method comprising:

receiving a query for searching the database;

determining at least one query annotation related to the query, the at least one query annotation comprising a first query annotation, wherein determining the first query annotation comprises determining a semantic label for the first query annotation and determining content of the first query annotation;

searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation, the searching comprising searching the first table of the database using the semantic label for the first query annotation and searching the at least one second table of the database using the content of the first query annotation; and

receiving, in response to the search, information regarding at least one matching content unit to which at least one stored annotation relates, the at least one stored annotation comprising an annotation having a semantic label and content matching the semantic label and content of the first query annotation related to the query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the query comprises receiving a query in an unstructured form.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the query comprises receiving a natural language query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises determining whether there is an entry in the first table having a semantic label matching the semantic label of the first query annotation and an entry in the at least one second table having content matching the content of the first query annotation, where the entry in the first table and the entry in the at least one second table both relate to a same stored annotation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises searching the database, based at least in part on the at least one query annotation, for at least one content unit to which at least one stored annotation relates, where the at least one stored annotation matches each of the at least one query annotation related to the query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the receiving the query comprises receiving a query including at least one logic operator;

the determining at least one query annotation related to the query comprises determining a plurality of query annotations; and

the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises searching the database based at least in part on the plurality of query annotations and the at least one logic operator, wherein the searching comprises searching for at least one content unit related to one or more stored annotations that match an arrangement of the plurality of query annotations indicated by the at least one logic operator.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the plurality of query annotations comprises a first plurality of query annotations;

the at least one logical operator comprises a first logical operator that indicates that a matching content unit would be related to at least one stored annotation matching at least one of the first plurality of query annotations; and

the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises searching the database for at least one stored annotation matching at least one of the first plurality of query annotations.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining at least one query annotation comprises determining a second query annotation, wherein determining the second query annotation comprises determining a semantic label for the second query annotation and determining content of the second query annotation, the second query annotation further identifying that content of the second query annotation is related to content of the first query annotation;

the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation and the second query annotation, the searching comprising;

searching the at least one second table of the database for a first stored annotation and a second stored annotation, the first stored annotation having a semantic label and content matching the semantic label and content of the first query annotation related to the query, the second stored annotation having a semantic label and content matching the semantic label and content of the second query annotation related to the query; and

searching a third table of the database to determine whether the third table indicates whether content of the first stored annotation and second stored annotation are related in the manner in which the second query annotation identifies that the content of second query annotation relates to content of the first query annotation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining the at least one query annotation related to the query comprises determining a plurality of query annotations related to the query, the plurality of query annotations comprising the first query annotation and a second query annotation, the first query annotation and the second query annotation relating to a portion of the query having multiple interpretations, the first query annotation relating to a first interpretation of the portion of the query and the second query annotation relating to a second interpretation of the portion of the query;

the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises;

evaluating the first query annotation and the second query annotation based at least in part on a ranking of interpretation types for portions of queries having multiple interpretations; and

searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation in response to determining that an interpretation type of the first query annotation is ranked higher in the ranking that an interpretation type of the second query annotation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises:

evaluating a result of searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation; and

in response to determining that the result satisfies at least one condition, searching the database based at least in part on the second query annotation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the at least one query annotation comprises determining at least one fact having a medical significance that is related to the query.

12. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to carry out a method for searching a database of information, the database of information comprising information related to at least one content unit, the information related to the at least one content unit comprising a plurality of stored annotations related to the at least one content unit, wherein a first stored annotation of the plurality of stored annotations comprises a semantic label and content of the first stored annotation, wherein the database stores the semantic label for the first stored annotation in a first table and stores the content of the first stored annotation in at least one second table different from the first table, the method comprising:

receiving a query for searching the database;

determining at least one query annotation related to the query, the at least one query annotation comprising a first query annotation, wherein determining the first query annotation comprises determining a semantic label for the first query annotation and determining content of the first query annotation;

searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation, the searching comprising searching the first table of the database using the semantic label for the first query annotation and searching the at least one second table of the database using the content of the first query annotation; and

receiving, in response to the search, information regarding at least one matching content unit to which at least one stored annotation relates, the at least one stored annotation comprising an annotation having a semantic label and content matching the semantic label and content of the first query annotation related to the query.

13. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises determining whether there is an entry in the first table having a semantic label matching the semantic label of the first query annotation and an entry in the at least one second table having content matching the content of the first query annotation, where the entry in the first table and the entry in the at least one second table both relate to a same stored annotation.

14. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

the receiving the query comprises receiving a query including at least one logic operator;

the determining at least one query annotation related to the query comprises determining a plurality of query annotations; and

the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises searching the database based at least in part on the plurality of query annotations and the at least one logic operator, wherein the searching comprises searching for at least one content unit related to one or more stored annotations that match an arrangement of the plurality of query annotations indicated by the at least one logic operator.

15. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein:

the determining the at least one query annotation related to the query comprises determining a plurality of query annotations related to the query, the plurality of query annotations comprising the first query annotation and a second query annotation, the first query annotation and the second query annotation relating to a portion of the query having multiple interpretations, the first query annotation relating to a first interpretation of the portion of the query and the second query annotation relating to a second interpretation of the portion of the query;

the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises;

evaluating the first query annotation and the second query annotation based at least in part on a ranking of interpretation types for portions of queries having multiple interpretations; and

searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation in response to determining that an interpretation type of the first query annotation is ranked higher in the ranking that an interpretation type of the second query annotation.

16. The at least one computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises:

evaluating a result of searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation; and

in response to determining that the result satisfies at least one condition, searching the database based at least in part on the second query annotation.

17. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage medium having encoded thereon executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method for searching a database of information, the database of information comprising data related to at least one content unit, the information related to the at least one content unit comprising a plurality of stored annotations related to the at least one content unit, wherein a first stored annotation of the plurality of stored annotations comprises a semantic label and content of the first stored annotation, wherein the database stores the semantic label for the first stored annotation in a first table and stores the content of the first stored annotation in at least one second table different from the first table, the method comprising;

receiving a query for searching the database;

determining at least one query annotation related to the query, the at least one query annotation comprising a first query annotation, wherein determining the first query annotation comprises determining a semantic label for the first query annotation and determining content of the first query annotation;

searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation, the searching comprising searching the first table of the database using the semantic label for the first query annotation and searching the at least one second table of the database using the content of the first query annotation; and

receiving, in response to the search, information regarding at least one matching content unit to which at least one stored annotation relates, the at least one stored annotation comprising an annotation having a semantic label and content matching the semantic label and content of the first query annotation related to the query.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises determining whether there is an entry in the first table having a semantic label matching the semantic label of the first query annotation and an entry in the at least one second table having content matching the content of the first query annotation, where the entry in the first table and the entry in the at least one second table both relate to a same stored annotation.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the receiving the query comprises receiving a query including at least one logic operator;

the determining at least one query annotation related to the query comprises determining a plurality of query annotations; and

the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises searching the database based at least in part on the plurality of query annotations and the at least one logic operator, wherein the searching comprises searching for at least one content unit related to one or more stored annotations that match an arrangement of the plurality of query annotations indicated by the at least one logic operator.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the determining the at least one query annotation related to the query comprises determining a plurality of query annotations related to the query, the plurality of query annotations comprising the first query annotation and a second query annotation, the first query annotation and the second query annotation relating to a portion of the query having multiple interpretations, the first query annotation relating to a first interpretation of the portion of the query and the second query annotation relating to a second interpretation of the portion of the query;

the searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation comprises;

evaluating the first query annotation and the second query annotation based at least in part on a ranking of interpretation types for portions of queries having multiple interpretations; and

searching the database based at least in part on the first query annotation in response to determining that an interpretation type of the first query annotation is ranked higher in the ranking that an interpretation type of the second query annotation.