Patent · US Expired

Constrained natural language interface for a computer that employs a browse function

US5377103A · kind A · utility

251Cited by
10References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 15, 1992
Grant dateDec 27, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 15, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F16/3329
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A computer includes a data/knowledge base with a plurality of entries and further employs a user/computer interface for responding to a natural language form input. The interface, in combination with the computer, provides a help function that includes a browse search capability that responds to the natural language-form input by responding with matching knowledge base data. The method includes the steps of: parsing a user's natural language input into a case frame structure; filtering the case frame structure into a goal-expression that comprises a verb and remaining syntactical portions of the natural language input; providing each data/knowledge base entry with a goal-expression data structure that indicates a functional characteristic of the data/knowledge base entry; comparing the goal-expression with the goal-expression data structures to determine a match or matches; and paraphrasing the found matching goal-expression data structure or structures into a natural language-form and communicating the paraphrase or paraphrases to the user.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.