# US 12,118,306 B2 · Multi-modal network-based assertion verification > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,118,306 B2 - Document ID: US12118306B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/513,169 - Filed: 2021-10-28 - Published: 2023-05-04 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2021-10-28 - Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. - Inventors: Ginger Chien; Zhi Cui; Eric Zavesky; Robert T. Moton, Jr.; Adrianne Binh Luu; Robert Koch - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12118306B2 ## CPC - G06F 40/279: Recognition of textual entities - G06F 40/30: Semantic analysis - G06F 40/216: using statistical methods - G06F 40/237: Lexical tools - G06F 40/284: Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A processing system may obtain first content including human language via a computing network. The processing system may next identify an assertion in the first content and identify one or more content sources containing second content relating to the assertion. The processing system may then determine whether the second content relating to the assertion corroborates or contradicts the assertion, and may present the first content with an indication of whether the second content corroborates or contradicts the assertion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: obtaining, by a processing system including at least one processor, a first content comprising human language via at least one computing network; identifying, by the processing system, at least one assertion in the first content, wherein the identifying comprises applying an open information extraction process to create a representation of the at least one assertion as a first formal relation comprising a first binary relation; identifying, by the processing system, one or more content sources containing at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion; determining, by the processing system, whether the at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion corroborates or contradicts the at least one assertion, wherein the determining whether the at least one second content corroborates or contradicts the at least one assertion comprises: identifying at least a second assertion in the at least one second content; creating a representation of the at least the second assertion as a second formal relation; and determining whether the second formal relation comprises an affirmation of the first formal relation or a negation of the first formal relation; and presenting, by the processing system, the first content with an indication of whether the at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion corroborates or contradicts the at least one assertion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the one or more content sources containing at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion comprises: obtaining the at least one second content; calculating a term frequency-inverse document frequency metric between the at least one second content and the first content; and determining that the at least one second content relates to the at least one assertion in response to the term frequency-inverse document frequency metric exceeding a threshold term frequency-inverse document frequency metric. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining an input requesting a verification of the at least one assertion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more content sources comprise: an online news source; a review website; an online journal; an online article repository; or an online encyclopedia. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first content comprises text. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the text comprises: an article; a short message service message; a social-media posting; a posting to an online forum; a search result; or a comment added to a comment section for an online media content. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first content comprises speech. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying the at least one assertion in the first content comprises: converting the speech to text via a speech recognition process. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the one or more content sources containing the at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion comprises: identifying the one or more content sources from among content sources having trust ratings above a threshold trust rating. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein for each content source of the one or more content sources, a trust rating is based upon at least one of: a user rating by a user to whom the first content is presented; or a number of times or a percentage of agreement regarding assertions of fact with other content sources having trust ratings above the threshold trust rating. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more content sources comprise at least one sensor device, and wherein the at least one second content comprises sensor data collected from the at least one sensor device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor device comprises: a microphone; or a camera. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the identifying the one or more content sources includes identifying features from the sensor data, wherein the determining comprises determining whether the features from the sensor data corroborate or contradict the at least one assertion. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one sensor device is deployed at a location that is geographically relevant to the at least one assertion. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one assertion relates to the location. ### Claim 16 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processing system including at least one processor, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations comprising: obtaining a first content comprising human language via at least one computing network; identifying at least one assertion in the first content, wherein the identifying comprises applying an open information extraction process to create a representation of the at least one assertion as a first formal relation comprising a first binary relation; identifying one or more content sources containing at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion; determining whether the at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion corroborates or contradicts the at least one assertion, wherein the determining whether the at least one second content corroborates or contradicts the at least one assertion comprises: identifying at least a second assertion in the at least one second content; creating a representation of the at least the second assertion as a second formal relation; and determining whether the second formal relation comprises an affirmation of the first formal relation or a negation of the first formal relation; and presenting the first content with an indication of whether the at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion corroborates or contradicts the at least one assertion. ### Claim 17 An apparatus comprising: a processing system including at least one processor; and a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations comprising: obtaining a first content comprising human language via at least one computing network; identifying at least one assertion in the first content, wherein the identifying comprises applying an open information extraction process to create a representation of the at least one assertion as a first formal relation comprising a first binary relation; identifying one or more content sources containing at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion; determining whether the at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion corroborates or contradicts the at least one assertion, wherein the determining whether the at least one second content corroborates or contradicts the at least one assertion comprises: identifying at least a second assertion in the at least one second content; creating a representation of the at least the second assertion as a second formal relation; and determining whether the second formal relation comprises an affirmation of the first formal relation or a negation of the first formal relation; and presenting the first content with an indication of whether the at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion corroborates or contradicts the at least one assertion. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the identifying the one or more content sources containing at least one second content relating to the at least one assertion comprises: obtaining the at least one second content; calculating a term frequency-inverse document frequency metric between the at least one second content and the first content; and determining that the at least one second content relates to the at least one assertion in response to the term frequency-inverse document frequency metric exceeding a threshold term frequency-inverse document frequency metric. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first content comprises text. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the text comprises: an article; a short message service message; a social-media posting; a posting to an online forum; a search result; or a comment added to a comment section for an online media content.