US 5,309,359 A · Method and apparatus for generating and utlizing annotations to facilitate computer text retrieval

Abstract

A method and apparatus for computer text retrieval which involves annotating at least selected text subdivisions, preferably with natural language questions, assertions or noun phrases. However, the annotations may also initially be generated in a structured form. Annotations are, if required, converted to a structured form and are stored in that form. Searching for relevant text subdivisions involves entering a query in natural language or structured form, converting natural language queries to structured form, matching the structured form query against stored annotations and retrieving text subdivisions connected to matched annotations. The annotation process may be aided by utilizing various techniques for automatically or semiautomatically generating the annotations.

Claims48

Dependent claims

A method for facilitating computer text retrieval comprising the steps of:

selecting subdivisions for the text;
generating for each of said subdivisions which is to be recovered at least one annotation containing words having a selected annotator determined relationship and being in a language selected from the group of a natural language and an artificial language;
storing the annotations in a predetermined structured form which retains said selected relationship, the stored annotations being readable by a computer to search for desired annotations;
and
adding to the stored annotations a connection to corresponding text.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for generating and utlizing annotations to facilitate computer text retrieval

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for generating and utlizing annotations to facilitate computer text retrieval

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims48