Method and apparatus for identifying and classifying query intent

An apparatus, comprising:

• a processor configured to:
• access an ontology that defines a hierarchy of a plurality of concepts at different concept domain layers and that links natural language words to the plurality of concepts at different concept domain layers;
• classify each of a plurality of received queries with a particular intent category based on the ontology, wherein the intent category is pre-defined by a single natural language word or phrase that summarizes in a same natural language word formation a generalized information requested by the queries and wherein the queries use different natural language formations to request different types of information summarized by the natural language word or phrase of the particular intent category;
• associate an intent response formulated of natural language words or phrases with the particular intent category, wherein the intent response provides a single common applicable response for the queries;
• access an intent hierarchy of a plurality of intent categories including the particular intent category, wherein natural language phrases representing the hierarchy of intent categories at different domain layers of the intent hierarchy have different generalities of terms than natural language phrases representing the intent categories in other domain layers of the intent hierarchy, and wherein the intent hierarchy is independent and different from a hierarchy of the ontology;
• determine if the particular intent category has a parent hierarchical intent category located in a higher domain layer of the intent hierarchy;
• and
• determine whether to display an additional intent response based on the parent hierarchical intent category determination.

A method, comprising:

• storing an ontology that defines a hierarchy of a plurality of concepts at different concept domain layers and that links natural language words to the plurality of concepts at different concept domain layers;
• classifying each of a plurality of received queries with a particular intent category based on the ontology, wherein the intent category is pre-defined by a single natural language word or phrase that summarizes in a same natural language word formation a generalized information requested by the queries and wherein the queries use different natural language formations to request different types of information summarized by the single natural language word or phrase of the particular intent category;
• associating, using a computing device, an intent response formulated of natural language words or phrases with the particular intent category, wherein the intent response provides a single common applicable response for the queries;
• storing an intent hierarchy of a plurality of intent categories including the particular intent category, wherein natural language phrases representing the hierarchy of intent categories at different domain layers of the intent hierarchy have different generalities of terms than natural language phrases representing the intent categories in other domain layers of the intent hierarchy, and wherein the intent hierarchy is independent and different from a hierarchy of the ontology;
• determining, using the computing device, if the particular intent category has a parent hierarchical intent category located in a higher domain layer of the intent hierarchy;
• and
• if the parent hierarchical intent category is present in the intent hierarchy, then using the computer device to cause an intent response of the hierarchical intent category to be displayed.