US 10,540,347 B2 · Contextual search disambiguation

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for providing search disambiguation using contextual information and domain ontologies are presented. In some embodiments, a computing device may receive a natural language input from a user. The computing device may identify a plurality of hypotheses for the natural language input. The computing device may map the plurality of hypotheses to one or more concepts of a plurality of concepts of an ontology by annotating the one or more concepts. The ontology may include the plurality of concepts respectively connected by a plurality of relations. The computing device may determine that there is an imperfect match between the annotated one or more concepts and annotations of answers. In response, the computing device may disambiguate the annotated one or more concepts using the ontology. The computing device may present output to the user based on the disambiguation.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a natural language input from a user;
identifying a plurality of hypotheses from the natural language input;
mapping the plurality of hypotheses to one or more concepts of a plurality of concepts of an ontology by annotating the one or more concepts, wherein the ontology comprises the plurality of concepts respectively connected by a plurality of relations, wherein mapping includes determining, using the ontology, an alternate concept to the one of the one or more concepts annotated that is missing from a domain-specific ontology, and mapping the alternate concept to the one of the one or more concepts annotated of the domain-specific ontology based upon, at least in part, the plurality of relations;
in response to determining that a similarity metric measuring the similarity between the one or more concepts annotated and annotations of answers is below a predetermined threshold, disambiguating the one or more concepts annotated using the ontology;
and
presenting output to the user based on the disambiguation.

3 more elements

An apparatus comprising:

a processor;
and
a memory for storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:
receive a natural language input from a user;
identify a plurality of hypotheses from the natural language input;
map the plurality of hypotheses to one or more concepts of a plurality of concepts of an ontology by annotating the one or more concepts of the plurality of concepts associated with one or more of the plurality of hypotheses based on the ontology comprising the plurality of concepts respectively connected by a plurality of relations, wherein mapping includes determining, using the ontology, an alternate concept to the one of the one or more concepts annotated that is missing from a domain-specific ontology, and mapping the alternate concept to the one of the one or more concepts annotated of the domain-specific ontology based upon, at least in part, the plurality of relations;
in response to a determination that a similarity metric measuring the similarity between the one or more concepts annotated and annotations of answers does not exceed a predetermined threshold, disambiguate the one or more concepts annotated using the ontology;
and
present output to the user based on the disambiguation.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Contextual search disambiguation

Life of this patent

Contextual search disambiguation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20