Patent · US Expired

Probabilistic method for natural language processing and for encoding free-text data into a medical database by utilizing a Bayesian network to perform spell checking of words

US6292771A · kind A · utility

157Cited by
6References
2Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 30, 1998
Grant dateSep 18, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 30, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F40/30
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A natural language understanding system is described which provides for the generation of concept codes from free-text medical data. A probabilistic model of lexical semantics, in the preferred embodiment of the invention implemented by means of a Bayesian network, is used to determine the most probable concept or meaning associated with a sentence or phrase. The inventive method and system includes the steps of checking for synonyms, checking spelling, performing syntactic parsing, transforming text to its "deep" or semantic form, and performing a semantic analysis based on a probabilistic model of lexical semantics. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, spell checking and transformational processing as well as semantic analysis make use of semantic probabilistic determinations.

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