METHOD FOR MATCHING QUERIES WITH ANSWER ITEMS IN A KNOWLEDGE BASE

摘要

The present invention includes an expert system in which a search index furnishes answers to incoming queries provided in natural language. A search index for a specific field contains components that facilitate selecting a best fitting stored answer to the incoming query. Furthermore, context of the incoming query (e.g. location of the user, a current web page or service being used/viewed by the user, the time, etc.) may be considered when selecting a best fitting answer. A language specific storehouse of weighted words and a private storehouse of weighted words associated with a field-specific search index provide the basis for evaluating the significance level of a natural language word of a query. Again, context of the incoming query may be considered when evaluating the significance level of a natural language word of a query. Irrelevant portions of an incoming query may first be deleted from the inquiry prior to processing. A procedure elects candidates from a store of indexed answers to match the incoming query to first form a list of candidates, based on the existence of identical or similar words. Then, from the list of available candidates, one that provides the best match is selected.

主权项

1. A system for providing an automated response to a user natural language query (NLQ) made in regard to a subject, said system comprising:
a computing platform including communication circuitry, processing circuitry and computer executable code adapted to cause the computing platform to:
(a) receive digital data representing the user NLQ;(b) assign a weight value to each of some or all of the words in the NLQ, wherein a weight value assigned to a given word of the NLQ is inversely related to a rate of occurrence of the given word in at least one knowledgebase;(c) calculate a query significance value for each of some or all of the words in the NLQ, wherein the query significance value for a given word is proportional to the weight value of the given word relative to a sum of weight values of a set of words in the NLQ;(d) search the at least one knowledgebase for one or more candidate matches, which candidate matches include words corresponding to words in the user NLQ; and(e) score matches between the NLQ and the one or more match candidates by performing a mathematical operation using the query significance value of words in the NLQ and the query significance value of corresponding words in the one or more match candidates;(f) compare a context in which the NLQ was submitted to contexts associated with one or more of the one or more match candidates.