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US 9,229,927 B2Granted
Macro replacement of natural language input
AssigneeWolfram Alpha LLC
InventorsStephen Wolfram, Peter Overmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a method of creating a natural language (NL) macro, a first term/phrase and a second term/phrase in an imprecise syntax are obtained, and an association between the first and the second terms/phrases is created. The association is stored as an NL macro. In a method of using an NL macro in an NL query, it is determined that an original NL query includes an NL macro, and the NL macro is replaced with its corresponding NL value to form a revised NL query. The revised NL query is processed to generate one or more answers.
Claims18
A method of creating a macro for a natural language (NL) query answering system by the one or more computing devices having one or more memories, the method comprising:
- obtaining, by the one or more computing devices and via at least one of i) a communication network or ii) a user interface device, a first term or phrase in imprecise syntax, wherein the first term or phrase is to serve as a macro for use with the NL query answering system such that, when the first term or phrase is provided as input to the NL query answering system, which is implemented by one or more computing devices, the NL query answering system will interpret the first term or phrase as representing another term or phrase;
- obtaining, by the one or more computing devices, a second term or phrase in imprecise syntax;
- generating, by the one or more computing devices, an association between the first term or phrase and the second term or phrase so that the first term or phrase represents the second term or phrase;
- storing, by the one or more computing devices, the association as a natural language (NL) macro in the one or more memories so that the NL query answering system can recognize, when the NL query answering system subsequently receives the first term or phrase in an NL input, that the first term or phrase represents the second term or phrase;
- and
- determining, by the one or more computing devices implementing NL processing techniques, whether a mismatch between a context of the first term or phrase and a context of the second term or phrase exists, including:
- determining, by the one or more computing devices implementing NL processing techniques, a meaning of the second term or phrase,
- comparing, by the one or more computing devices, i) the meaning of the second term or phrase with ii) a meaning of the first term or phrase, and
- determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether a mismatch exists based on the act of comparing.
6 more elements
A method of creating a macro for a natural language (NL) query answering system by the one or more computing devices having one or more memories, comprising:
- obtaining, by the one or more computing devices and via at least one of i) a communication network or ii) a user interface device, a first term or phrase in imprecise syntax, wherein the first term or phrase is to serve as a macro for use with the NL query answering system such that, when the first term or phrase is provided as input to the NL query answering system, which is implemented by the one or more computing devices, the NL query answering system will interpret the first term or phrase as representing another term or phrase;
- obtaining, by the one or more computing devices, a second term or phrase in imprecise syntax by performing macro assistance, including:
- analyzing, by the one or more computing devices implementing NL processing techniques, the first term or phrase, including recognizing that the first term or phrase refers to a location,
- making an assumption, by the one or more computing devices implementing NL processing techniques, that the first term or phrase refers to a current location,
- determining, by the one or more computing devices, the current location based on at least one of:
- an IP address, a cell tower, GPS information, or other information corresponding to a device from which the first term or phrase or second term or phrase is obtained, and
- including, by the one or more computing devices, the current location in the second term or phrase, and
- suggesting, by the one or more computing devices, the second term or phrase based on at least the analyzing of the first term or phrase;
- generating, by the one or more computing devices, an association between the first term or phrase and the second term or phrase so that the first term or phrase represents the second term or phrase;
- and
- storing, by the one or more computing devices, the association as a natural language (NL) macro in the one or more memories so that the NL query answering system can recognize, when the NL query answering system subsequently receives the first term or phrase in an NL input, that the first term or phrase represents the second term or phrase.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.