# US 12,001,465 B2 · Response selecting apparatus, response selecting method, and response selecting program

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- Number: US 12,001,465 B2
- Document ID: US12001465B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/050,330
- Filed: 2019-04-10
- Published: 2021-04-22
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-04-27
- Assignees: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
- Applicants: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
- Inventors: Ryuichiro Higashinaka; Masahiro Mizukami; Junji Tomita
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12001465B2

## CPC

- G06F 16/3344: {using natural language analysis}
- G06F 16/3329: Natural language query formulation
- G06F 16/3334: {Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries}
- G06F 16/3346: {using probabilistic model}
- G06F 16/93: Document management systems
- G06F 40/30: Semantic analysis
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A response selecting apparatus includes a recording part, a document searching part, an information acquiring part, a score calculating part, and a ranking part. The document searching part searches for a question-answer pair from the question-answer pairs recorded in the recording part using the input question as input. The information acquiring part acquires information for quantifying appropriateness of the search-result-question-answer pair with respect to the input question using the input question and the search-result-question-answer pair as input. The score calculating part calculates a score with respect to the input question for each of the search-result-question-answer pairs from a numerical value indicating appropriateness based on a search scheme and a numerical value based on the quantification information. The ranking part selects the search-result-question-answer pairs in descending order of appropriateness indicated by the scores and outputs the answers of the selected question-answer pairs as responses.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A response selecting apparatus, which outputs one or a plurality of responses to an input question which is inputted a question, the response selecting apparatus comprising:
a recording medium in which a plurality of question-answer pairs which are pairs of questions and answers are recorded; and
processing circuitry configured to:
execute a document searching processing which searches for a question-answer pair from the question-answer pairs recorded in the recording medium using the input question as input using a predetermined search scheme, and outputs the question-answer pair as a search-result-question-answer pair;
execute an information acquiring processing which acquires information for quantifying appropriateness of the search-result-question-answer pair with respect to the input question using the input question and the search-result-question-answer pair as input, and outputs the information as quantification information;
execute a score calculating processing which calculates a score with respect to the input question for each of the search-result-question-answer pairs from a numerical value indicating appropriateness based on the search scheme and a numerical value based on the quantification information; and
execute a ranking processing which selects the search-result-question-answer pairs of a predetermined number in descending order of appropriateness indicated by the scores, and outputs answers of the selected search-result-question-answer pairs as responses,
wherein the information acquiring processing, as the quantification information,
estimates information for specifying a question type of the input question and a question type of the search-result-question-answer pair,
extracts word strings which become topics as focus words for the input question and the question of the search-result-question-answer pair,
outputs a numerical value based on a probability of the answer being obtained from the input question as a translation likelihood and a numerical value based on a probability of the input question being obtained from the answer as a reverse translation likelihood using the input question and the answer of the search-result-question-answer pair as input, and
obtains utterance vectors indicating a semantic content for the input question and the question of the search-result-question-answer pair; and
the score calculating processing calculates a score(Q, (Q′, A′))
as score(Q,(Q′,A′))=w1·search_score+w2·qtypes_match_score+w3·center-word_score+w4·translation_score+w5·rev_translation_score+w6·semantic_similarity_score
where Q is the input question, Q′ is the question of the search-result-question-answer pair, A′ is the answers,
search_score is a numerical value indicating appropriateness based on the search scheme,
qtypes_match_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the question type of the input question better matches the question type of the search-result-question-answer pair based on the information for specifying the question type of the input question and the question type of the search-result-question-answer pair,
center-word_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the focus word of the input question better matches the focus word of the question of the search-result-question-answer pair,
translation_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the translation likelihood is higher,
rev_translation_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the reverse translation likelihood is higher,
semantic_similarity_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the utterance vector of the input question is more similar to the utterance vector of the question of the search-result-question-answer pair, and
w1, . . . , w6 are weight for determining a numerical value on which emphasis is to be placed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The response selecting apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the question type of the input question includes a general question type and a detailed question type.

### Claim 3

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which the response selecting program for causing a computer to operate as a response selecting apparatus is recorded, the response selecting apparatus comprising:
a recording medium in which a plurality of question-answer pairs which are pairs of questions and answers are recorded; and
processing circuitry configured to:
execute a document searching processing which searches for a question-answer pair from the question-answer pairs recorded in the recording medium using the input question as input using a predetermined search scheme, and outputs the question-answer pair as a search-result-question-answer pair;
execute an information acquiring processing which acquires information for quantifying appropriateness of the search-result-question-answer pair with respect to the input question using the input question and the search-result-question-answer pair as input, and outputs the information as quantification information;
execute a score calculating processing which calculates a score with respect to the input question for each of the search-result-question-answer pairs from a numerical value indicating appropriateness based on the search scheme and a numerical value based on the quantification information; and
execute a ranking processing which selects the search-result-question-answer pairs of a predetermined number in descending order of appropriateness indicated by the scores, and outputs answers of the selected search-result-question-answer pairs as responses,
wherein the information acquiring processing, as the quantification information,
estimates information for specifying a question type of the input question and a question type of the search-result-question-answer pair,
extracts word strings which become topics as focus words for the input question and the question of the search-result-question-answer pair,
outputs a numerical value based on a probability of the answer being obtained from the input question as a translation likelihood and a numerical value based on a probability of the input question being obtained from the answer as a reverse translation likelihood using the input question and the answer of the search-result-question-answer pair as input, and
obtains utterance vectors indicating a semantic content for the input question and the question of the search-result-question-answer pair; and
the score calculating processing calculates a score(Q, (Q′, A′)) as
score(Q,(Q′,A′))=w1·search_score+w2·qtypes_match_score+w3·center-word_score+w4·translation_score+w5·rev_translation_score+w6·semantic_similarity_score
where Q is the input question, Q′ is the question of the search-result-question-answer pair, A′ is the answers,
search_score is a numerical value indicating appropriateness based on the search scheme,
qtypes_match_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the question type of the input question better matches the question type of the search-result-question-answer pair based on the information for specifying the question type of the input question and the question type of the search-result-question-answer pair,
center-word_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the focus word of the input question better matches the focus word of the question of the search-result-question-answer pair,
translation_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the translation likelihood is higher,
rev_translation_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the reverse translation likelihood is higher,
semantic_similarity_score is a numerical value indicating higher appropriateness as the utterance vector of the input question is more similar to the utterance vector of the question of the search-result-question-answer pair, and
w1, . . . , w6 are weight for determining a numerical value on which emphasis is to be placed.