Kathleen J Thompson

US Patent:

20010003183, Jun 7, 2001

Filed:

Dec 7, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/732094

Inventors:

Kathleen Thompson - Belmar NJ, US
Russ Altman - Menlo Park CA, US
Oliver Duschka - Palo Alto CA, US

International Classification:

G06F007/00

US Classification:

707/003000, 707/001000

Abstract:

A library of query templates and a dictionary that relates keywords to more abstract concepts are first prepared on a computer system. Each template contains one or more typed variables. A query is then generated by entering into the system one or more keywords. Each keyword is abstracted to a concept. Advantageously, each concept may be further refined, for example, by additional abstraction, or by picking one concept from several candidates, or by successive abstraction and rejection of different keywords until an acceptable concept is found. Next, for the concepts that are obtained, the system finds all query templates are then instantiated with those concepts or with the keywords used to form the concepts. The user then selects the most appropriate query from among the instantiated query templates. The invention may be practiced in formulating queries to access any set of information sources. It is particularly useful to use the invention to access distributed, heterogeneous databases which do not have a single standardized vocabulary or structure.

US Patent:

61784168, Jan 23, 2001

Filed:

Jun 15, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/097849

Inventors:

Kathleen A. Thompson - Belmar NJ
Russ B. Altman - Menlo Park CA
Oliver M. Duschka - Palo Alto CA

International Classification:

G06F 1730

US Classification:

707 3

Abstract:

A library of query templates and a dictionary that relates keywords to more abstract concepts are first prepared on a computer system. Each template contains one or more typed variables. A query is then generated by entering into the system one or more keywords. Each keyword is abstracted to a concept. Advantageously, each concept may be further refined, for example, by additional abstraction, or by picking one concept from several candidates, or by successive abstraction and rejection of different keywords until an acceptable concept is found. Next, for the concepts that are obtained, the system finds all query templates are then instantiated with those concepts or with the keywords used to form the concepts. The user then selects the most appropriate query from among the instantiated query templates. The invention may be practiced in formulating queries to access any set of information sources.