# US 7,707,160 B2 · Knowledge storage and retrieval system and method

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- Number: US 7,707,160 B2
- Document ID: US7707160B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/318,316
- Filed: 2005-12-23
- Published: 2007-02-22
- Granted: 2010-04-27
- Earliest claimed: 2000-11-28
- Assignees: True Knowledge Ltd.
- Inventors: William Tunstall-Pedoe
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7707160B2

## CPC

- G06F 40/237: Lexical tools
- G06F 16/24534: {Query rewriting; Transformation}
- G06F 16/3329: Natural language query formulation
- Y10S 707/955: Object-oriented
- Y10S 707/99933: Query processing, i.e. searching
- Y10S 707/99935: Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
- Y10S 707/99943: Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
- Y10S 707/99944: Object-oriented database structure
- Y10S 707/99945: Object-oriented database structure processing
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A system and method for representing, storing and retrieving real-world knowledge on a computer or network of computers is disclosed. Knowledge is broken down into permanent atomic “facts” which can be stored in a standard relational database and processed very efficiently. It also provides for the efficient querying of a knowledge base, efficient inference of new knowledge and translation into and out of natural language. Queries can also be processed with full natural language explanations of where the answers came from. The method can also be used in a distributed fashion enabling the system to be a large network of computers and the technology can be integrated into a web browser adding to the browser's functionality.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer system comprising:
a plurality of computers linked by a network;
a knowledge base stored in at least one of the computers in which representations of factual knowledge are characterized by named relationships between named objects;
a knowledge inference module on at least one of the computers operable to infer new knowledge from the factual knowledge;
a query answering module on at least one of the computers operable to receive a query in a pre-determined format and respond to the query using at least the representations of the factual knowledge; and
a natural language translation module operable to translate a natural language question entered by a human operator into the predetermined format of the query by comparing the natural language question to pre-determined templates comprising sequences of known and unknown strings, the natural language translation module being further operable to use template queries to generate the query by substituting portions of the factual knowledge provided by the query answering module into at least one of the template queries, the natural language translation module being further operable to reject the query as invalid with reference to relationships between objects associated with the query where no classes of which the objects are members match any permitted classes associated with the relationships.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computer system of claim 1 wherein the query answering module is operable to facilitate transmission of the factual knowledge in response to a request transmitted from a first one of the computers to a second one of the computers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The computer system of claim 2 wherein the query answering module is operable to transmit more of the factual knowledge than requested thereby transmitting commercially valuable information in the network.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The computer system of claim 2 wherein the knowledge base includes server knowledge identifying which of the computers include specific portions of the factual knowledge thereby facilitating selection of the second computer by the first computer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The computer system of claim 4 wherein the second computer is operable to employ the server knowledge to identify at least one alternate computer in response to the request from the first computer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The computer system of claim 2 wherein the network is the internet.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The computer system of claim 6 further comprising at least one web browser operable to display the factual knowledge and the new knowledge.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The computer system of claim 7 wherein the web browser is operable to display a summary information screen providing general information on a named object using a portion of the factual knowledge retrieved from the knowledge base.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The computer system of claim 8 wherein the summary information screen includes a link corresponding to each named object which generate further summary information screens when the link is activated.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The computer system of claim 6 wherein online documents correspond to unique names and wherein the factual knowledge associates URLs for downloading the online documents with the unique names in the knowledge base.

### Claim 11

A computer system comprising:
a plurality of computers linked by a network;
a knowledge base stored in at least one of the computers in which representations of factual knowledge are characterized by named relationships between named objects, wherein the factual knowledge includes temporal knowledge regarding when the relationships between named objects are true;
a knowledge inference module on at least one of the computers operable to infer new knowledge from the factual knowledge;
a query answering module on at least one of the computers operable to receive a query in a pre-determined format and respond to the query using at least the representations of the factual knowledge, wherein the query answering module is further operable to respond to the query when the query corresponds to a question requiring a human being to answer either yes or no, a no answer indicating that a reverse relationship co-existed for an overlapping period of time with a specific relationship represented in the query.

### Claim 12

A computer system comprising:
a plurality of computers linked by a network;
a knowledge base stored in at least one of the computers in which representations of factual knowledge are characterized by named relationships between named objects;
knowledge inference module on at least one of the computers operable to infer new knowledge from the factual knowledge;
a query answering module on at least one of the computers operable to receive a query in a pre-determined format and respond to the query using at least the representations of the factual knowledge, wherein the query requests a list of a subset of the objects, and the factual knowledge includes count knowledge representing a number of the objects that have a given relationship to a particular object, and wherein the query answering module is operable to use the count knowledge to indicate whether a response to the query is complete.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The computer system of claim 11 wherein the query requests a list of a subset of the objects, and the factual knowledge includes count knowledge representing a number of the objects that have a given relationship to a particular object, and wherein the query answering module is operable to use the count knowledge to indicate whether a response to the query is complete.

### Claim 14

A computer system comprising:
a plurality of computers linked by a network;
a knowledge base stored in at least one of the computers in which representations of factual knowledge are characterized by named relationships between named objects, wherein the named objects correspond to object names which include a local identifier and a local group, and wherein each object name can only be assumed to be distinct from other object names in a same group where the local identifier is different;
a knowledge inference module on at least one of the computers operable to infer new knowledge from the factual knowledge;
a query answering module on at least one of the computers operable to receive a query in a pre-determined format and respond to the query using at least the representations of the factual knowledge; and
a knowledge base management module operable to incorporate additional knowledge into the knowledge base without first having to identify every additional object.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The computer system of claim 11 wherein the query answering module is operable to facilitate transmission of the factual knowledge in response to a request transmitted from a first one of the computers to a second one of the computers.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The computer system of claim 15 wherein the query answering module is operable to transmit more of the factual knowledge than requested thereby transmitting commercially valuable information in the network.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The computer system of claim 15 wherein the knowledge base includes server knowledge identifying which of the computers include specific portions of the factual knowledge thereby facilitating selection of the second computer by the first computer.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The computer system of claim 17 wherein the second computer is operable to employ the server knowledge to identify at least one alternate computer in response to the request from the first computer.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The computer system of claim 15 wherein the network is the internet.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The computer system of claim 19 further comprising at least one web browser operable to display the factual knowledge and the new knowledge.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The computer system of claim 20 wherein the web browser is operable to display a summary information screen providing general information on a named object using a portion of the factual knowledge retrieved from the knowledge base.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The computer system of claim 21 wherein the summary information screen includes a link corresponding to each named object which generate further summary information screens when the link is activated.

### Claim 23 (depends on 19)

The computer system of claim 19 wherein online documents correspond to unique names and wherein the factual knowledge associates URLs for downloading the online documents with the unique names in the knowledge base.

### Claim 24 (depends on 12)

The computer system of claim 12 wherein the query answering module is operable to facilitate transmission of the factual knowledge in response to a request transmitted from a first one of the computers to a second one of the computers.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The computer system of claim 24 wherein the query answering module is operable to transmit more of the factual knowledge than requested thereby transmitting commercially valuable information in the network.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The computer system of claim 24 wherein the knowledge base includes server knowledge identifying which of the computers include specific portions of the factual knowledge thereby facilitating selection of the second computer by the first computer.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The computer system of claim 26 wherein the second computer is operable to employ the server knowledge to identify at least one alternate computer in response to the request from the first computer.

### Claim 28 (depends on 24)

The computer system of claim 24 wherein the network is the internet.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The computer system of claim 28 further comprising at least one web browser operable to display the factual knowledge and the new knowledge.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The computer system of claim 29 wherein the web browser is operable to display a summary information screen providing general information on a named object using a portion of the factual knowledge retrieved from the knowledge base.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The computer system of claim 30 wherein the summary information screen includes a link corresponding to each named object which generate further summary information screens when the link is activated.

### Claim 32 (depends on 28)

The computer system of claim 28 wherein online documents correspond to unique names and wherein the factual knowledge associates URLs for downloading the online documents with the unique names in the knowledge base.

### Claim 33 (depends on 14)

The computer system of claim 14 wherein the query answering module is operable to facilitate transmission of the factual knowledge in response to a request transmitted from a first one of the computers to a second one of the computers.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

The computer system of claim 33 wherein the query answering module is operable to transmit more of the factual knowledge than requested thereby transmitting commercially valuable information in the network.

### Claim 35 (depends on 33)

The computer system of claim 33 wherein the knowledge base includes server knowledge identifying which of the computers include specific portions of the factual knowledge thereby facilitating selection of the second computer by the first computer.

### Claim 36 (depends on 35)

The computer system of claim 35 wherein the second computer is operable to employ the server knowledge to identify at least one alternate computer in response to the request from the first computer.

### Claim 37 (depends on 33)

The computer system of claim 33 wherein the network is the internet.

### Claim 38 (depends on 37)

The computer system of claim 37 further comprising at least one web browser operable to display the factual knowledge and the new knowledge.

### Claim 39 (depends on 38)

The computer system of claim 38 wherein the web browser is operable to display a summary information screen providing general information on a named object using a portion of the factual knowledge retrieved from the knowledge base.

### Claim 40 (depends on 39)

The computer system of claim 39 wherein the summary information screen includes a link corresponding to each named object which generate further summary information screens when the link is activated.

### Claim 41 (depends on 37)

The computer system of claim 37 wherein online documents correspond to unique names and wherein the factual knowledge associates URLs for downloading the online documents with the unique names in the knowledge base.