US 10,540,513 B2Granted

Natural language processor extension transmission data protection

AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC

InventorsHubert Van Hoof, David J. Brennan, Vidyaraman Sankaranarayanan, Ruchita Bhargava, Roberto Sonnino

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Abstract

A natural language query can be received at a main natural language processor inside a data protection compliance boundary in a computer system. The natural language query can be processed via the main natural language processor. The data from the query can be transmitted to a data protection computer component. It can be determined via the data protection component whether the data from the query includes protected data whose transmission to a computerized extension would violate a computer-readable data protection rule. The extension is outside the compliance boundary in the computer system and is configured to participate in responding to natural language queries received by the main natural language processor. In response to determining that the data from the query includes the protected data, transmission of the protected data from the main natural language processor to the extension as part of responding to the query can be inhibited.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A computer system comprising:

at least one processor;
and
memory comprising instructions stored thereon that when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to perform acts comprising:
receiving a natural language query at a natural language processor inside a data protection compliance boundary in the computer system;
processing the natural language query via the natural language processor;
transmitting data from the natural language query to a data protection computer component;
determining, via the data protection computer component, that the data from the natural language query comprises protected data whose transmission to a computerized extension would violate a data protection rule, wherein the computerized extension is outside the data protection compliance boundary in the computer system, wherein the computerized extension is configured to participate in responding to natural language queries received by the natural language processor, and wherein the determining that the data protection rule would be violated comprises determining that the data from the natural language query comprises the protected data whose transmission from the natural language processor to the computerized extension would violate the data protection rule;
and
in response to the determining that the data protection rule would be violated, inhibiting a transmission of the protected data from the natural language processor to the computerized extension as part of responding to the natural language query, wherein the inhibiting comprises:
masking the protected data to produce transmission data that hides the protected data;
and
sending the transmission data to the computerized extension as part of responding to the natural language query.

9 more elements

A computer-implemented method, comprising the following acts:

receiving a natural language query from a client device at a natural language processor inside a data protection compliance boundary in a computer system;
processing the natural language query via the natural language processor;
transmitting data from the natural language query, with the transmitting of the data from the natural language query being from the natural language processor to a data protection computer component;
determining, via the data protection computer component, that the data from the natural language query comprises protected data whose transmission to a computerized extension would violate a data protection rule, wherein the computerized extension is outside the data protection compliance boundary in the computer system, wherein the computerized extension is configured to participate in responding to natural language queries received by the natural language processor, and wherein the determining that the data protection rule would be violated comprises comparing the data from the natural language query to a data structure comprising key words indicating protected data;
and
in response to the determining that the data protection rule would be violated, inhibiting a transmission of the protected data from the natural language processor to the computerized extension, wherein the inhibiting comprises:
masking the protected data to produce transmission data that hides the protected data;
and
sending the transmission data to the computerized extension as part of responding to the natural language query.

6 more elements

One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause at least one processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving a natural language query from a client device at a first natural language processor inside a data protection compliance boundary in a computer system;
processing the natural language query via the first natural language processor;
transmitting data from the natural language query, with the transmitting of the data from the natural language query being from the first natural language processor to a data protection computer component;
determining, via the data protection computer component, that the data from the natural language query comprises protected data whose transmission to a computerized extension would violate a data protection rule, wherein the computerized extension is outside the data protection compliance boundary in the computer system, wherein the computerized extension is configured to participate in responding to natural language queries received by the first natural language processor, and wherein the determining that the data protection rule would be violated comprises determining that the data from the natural language query comprises the protected data whose transmission from the natural language processor to the computerized extension would violate the data protection rule;
and
in response to the determining that the data protection rule would be violated, inhibiting a transmission of the protected data from the first natural language processor to the computerized extension that would have occurred the determining that the data protection rule would be violated, wherein the inhibited transmission is a transmission to a second natural language processor, which is a natural language processor of the computerized extension that is programmed to produce intents for natural language queries, and wherein the inhibiting comprises:
masking the protected data to produce transmission data that hides the protected data;
and
sending the transmission data to the computerized extension as part of responding to the natural language query.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.