Method and apparatus for concept-based searching of natural language discourse

A data processing system made with computing hardware and programmable memory, for concept-based search, comprising the following sub-systems:

• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish retrieving a first unit of natural language discourse from a first record of a first database;
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish parsing the first unit of natural language discourse into a first parse structure that represents sub-units, of the first unit of natural language discourse, by nodes;
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish adding a first concept-value pair, that indicates a first reference to a first pinnacle concept and a first reference level to the first pinnacle concept, to at least one node of the first parse structure, wherein the addition of the first concept-value pair is determined, at least in part, by identifying an occurrence of a first linguistic feature from a first set of linguistic features and the first set of linguistic features is approximately complete with respect to the first pinnacle concept;
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish determining the first unit of natural language discourse as asserting, with respect to a second pinnacle concept, a second reference at a second reference level, wherein the second reference level is determined as a function of a concept-value pair that indicates a reference to the first pinnacle concept;
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish determining a first snippet from the first unit of natural language discourse and the first record;
• and
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish including the first snippet in a second database if the second reference level is sufficient in relation to a threshold.

A computer program on a tangible computer readable memory, having computer-readable code devices embodied therein, for concept-based search, the computer program comprising:

• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish retrieving a first unit of natural language discourse from a first record of a first database;
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish parsing the first unit of natural language discourse into a first parse structure that represents sub-units, of the first unit of natural language discourse, by nodes;
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish adding a first concept-value pair, that indicates a first reference to a first pinnacle concept and a first reference level to the first pinnacle concept, to at least one node of the first parse structure, wherein the addition of the first concept-value pair is determined, at least in part, by identifying an occurrence of a first linguistic feature from a first set of linguistic features and the first set of linguistic features is approximately complete with respect to the first pinnacle concept;
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish determining the first unit of natural language discourse as asserting, with respect to a second pinnacle concept, a second reference at a second reference level, wherein the second reference level is determined as a function of a concept-value pair that indicates a reference to the first pinnacle concept;
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish determining a first snippet from the first unit of natural language discourse and the first record and
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish including the first snippet in a second database if the second reference level is sufficient in relation to a threshold.

A method for concept-based search, performed by computing hardware and programmable memory, comprising:

• retrieving a first unit of natural language discourse from a first record of a first database;
• parsing the first unit of natural language discourse into a first parse structure that represents sub-units, of the first unit of natural language discourse, by nodes;
• adding a first concept-value pair, that indicates a first reference to a first concept and a first reference level to the first concept, to at least one node of the first parse structure, wherein the addition of the first concept-value pair is determined, at least in part, by identifying an occurrence of a first linguistic feature from a first set of linguistic features and the first concept is referenced by many different linguistic features of a human language;
• adding at least one reference to a second concept, to at least one node of the first parse structure, wherein a reference to the second concept can modify a reference level to the first concept;
• determining the first unit of natural language discourse as making, with respect to a third concept, a third reference at a third reference level, wherein the third reference level is determined as a function of references to the first and second concepts and the third concept is referenced by many different linguistic features of the human language;
• determining a first snippet from the first unit of natural language discourse and the first record;
• and
• including the first snippet in a second database if the third reference level is sufficient in relation to a threshold.

A data processing system made with computing hardware and programmable memory, for concept-based search, comprising the following sub-systems:

• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish retrieving a first unit of natural language discourse from a first record of a first database;
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish parsing the first unit of natural language discourse into a first parse structure that represents sub-units, of the first unit of natural language discourse, by nodes;
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish adding a first concept-value pair, that indicates a first reference to a first concept and a first reference level to the first concept, to at least one node of the first parse structure, wherein the addition of the first concept-value pair is determined, at least in part, by identifying an occurrence of a first linguistic feature from a first set of linguistic features and the first concept is referenced by many different linguistic features of a human language;
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish adding at least one reference to a second concept, to at least one node of the first parse structure, wherein a reference to the second concept can modify a reference level to the first concept;
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish determining the first unit of natural language discourse as making, with respect to a third concept, a third reference at a third reference level, wherein the third reference level is determined as a function of references to the first and second concepts and the third concept is referenced by many different linguistic features of the human language;
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish determining a first snippet from the first unit of natural language discourse and the first record;
• and
• a sub-system configured, at least in part with computing hardware and programmable memory, to accomplish including the first snippet in a second database if the third reference level is sufficient in relation to a threshold.

A computer program on a tangible computer readable memory, having computer-readable code devices embodied therein, for concept-based search, the computer program comprising:

• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish retrieving a first unit of natural language discourse from a first record of a first database;
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish parsing the first unit of natural language discourse into a first parse structure that represents sub-units, of the first unit of natural language discourse, by nodes;
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish adding a first concept-value pair, that indicates a first reference to a first concept and a first reference level to the first concept, to at least one node of the first parse structure, wherein the addition of the first concept-value pair is determined, at least in part, by identifying an occurrence of a first linguistic feature from a first set of linguistic features and the first concept is referenced by many different linguistic features of a human language;
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish adding at least one reference to a second concept, to at least one node of the first parse structure, wherein a reference to the second concept can modify a reference level to the first concept;
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish determining the first unit of natural language discourse as making, with respect to a third concept, a third reference at a third reference level, wherein the third reference level is determined as a function of references to the first and second concepts and the third concept is referenced by many different linguistic features of the human language;
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish determining a first snippet from the first unit of natural language discourse and the first record;
• and
• computer readable program code devices configured to accomplish including the first snippet in a second database if the third reference level is sufficient in relation to a threshold.