Method and system for configuring automatic generation of narratives from data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10185477-B1
Application number	US-201414211444-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

The exemplary embodiments describe, inter alia, an apparatus comprising: a processor configured to (1) generate a plurality of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for interaction with a user to support configuration of a narrative story generator to automatically generate a narrative story based on input data, wherein at least one of the GUIs presents content blocks comprising a story outline in a hierarchical structure, (2) evaluate configuration elements of the narrative story generated using imported sample data, and (3) generate narrative stories based on the configuration of the narrative story generator and the input data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a processor configured to generate a plurality of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for interaction with a user to receive configuration input data from the user to support configuration of a narrative story generator, wherein the configuration comprises a plurality of configuration elements arranged in a hierarchy, wherein the configuration elements determine how the narrative story generator is to utilize input data in order to automatically generate a narrative story based on the input data, the configuration elements including a plurality of content blocks and a plurality of angles, and wherein the GUIs comprise a story outline GUI and an angle specification GUI;
wherein the angle specification GUI is configured to specify angles for the configuration elements in response to user configuration input, each angle corresponding to a characterization of data, wherein the user configuration input includes user input that defines an applicability condition test for an angle, and wherein the applicability condition test is configured to test whether the characterization for that angle is accurate with respect to the input data;
wherein the angle specification GUI includes an angle family GUI, wherein the angle family GUI is configured to list a plurality of the angles that are grouped into an angle family;
wherein the processor is further configured to perform an evaluation test of the angles of the angle family with respect to sample data in response to user input;
wherein the angle family GUI is further configured to identify, in response to the evaluation test, which of the angles were deemed true and false based on their respective applicability condition tests as applied to the sample data;
wherein the story outline GUI is configured to present content blocks comprising a story outline, wherein each of a plurality of the content blocks in the story outline is associated with a plurality of the configuration elements including an angle;
wherein the story outline GUI is further configured to be expandable to show the hierarchy of a plurality of the associated configuration elements of the content blocks via a hierarchical structure that uses indentations to show hierarchical relationships among the associated configuration elements including the angles;
wherein the processor is further configured to generate narrative stories based on the configuration and an analysis of the input data, wherein the analysis includes a testing of the input data against the defined applicability condition tests for the angles of the configuration to determine whether any of the characterizations corresponding to the angles serves as an accurate input data characterization that is to be included in the narrative story; and
wherein the processor is further configured to (1) generate a test narrative story based on the configuration using imported sample data, (2) evaluate a plurality of the configuration elements with respect to the test narrative story and the imported sample data, and (3) based on the evaluation with respect to test narrative story and the imported sample data, provide feedback through at least one of the GUIs that indicates whether the configuration is able to correctly generate a narrative story from input data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to display additional GUIs illustrating errors or successful configuration of a plurality of configuration elements of the narrative story generator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the GUIs display a navigation bar, the navigation bar displaying a plurality of configuration elements of the narrative story generator.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the configuration elements include outlines, content blocks, angles, models, and derivations.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the GUIs displays a function reference tool and at least one GUI displays a drop down menu illustrating suggested operations as a user types an operation within any field of the GUI.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the angle specification GUI is further configured to receive user configuration input that defines a data model for the data to be tested against the applicability condition test.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the angle specification GUI is further configured to receive user configuration input that defines interestingness values associated with the angles, each interestingness value for use by the narrative story generator to decide whether the characterization corresponding to its associated the angle is to be included in the narrative story when its associated the angle is deemed applicable to the input data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the configuration elements further include a plurality of blueprints associated with the content blocks and the angles, wherein the blueprints are configured to parameterize how the characterizations corresponding to the angles are expressed as text, and wherein the story outline GUI is configured to show the hierarchy of angles and blueprints within a content block via indentations such that angles are indented from content blocks and blueprints are indented from angles blueprints.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the angle specification GUI is further configured to identify, for an angle, other configuration elements of the configuration that reference that angle.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the angles are associated with interestingness values, each interestingness value for use by the narrative story generator to decide whether the characterization corresponding to its associated angle is to be included in the narrative story when its associated angle is deemed applicable to the input data; and
wherein the angle family GUI is further configured to be sortable to sort the angles identified as true based on their associated interestingness values.

11. A method comprising:
generating a plurality of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for interaction with a user to receive configuration input data from the user to support configuration of a narrative story generator, wherein the configuration comprises a plurality of configuration elements arranged in a hierarchy, wherein the configuration elements determine how the narrative story generator is to utilize input data in order to automatically generate a narrative story based on the input data, the configuration elements including a plurality of content blocks and a plurality of angles, and wherein the GUIs comprise a story outline GUI and an angle specification GUI;
the angle specification GUI specifying angles for the configuration elements in response to user configuration input, each angle corresponding to a characterization of data, wherein the user configuration input includes user input that defines an applicability condition test for an angle, and wherein the applicability condition test is configured to test whether the characterization for that angle is accurate with respect to the input data, wherein the angle specification GUI includes an angle family GUI;
the angle family GUI listing a plurality of the angles that are grouped into an angle family;
performing an evaluation test of the angles of the angle family with respect to sample data in response to user input; and
the angle family GUI identifying, in response to the evaluation test, which of the angles were deemed true and false based on their respective applicability condition tests as applied to the sample data;
the story outline GUI presenting content blocks comprising a story outline wherein each of a plurality of the content blocks in the story outline is associated w

Assignees

• Narrative Science Inc

Inventors

• Paley Andrew R
• Nichols Nathan D
• Hammond Kristian J

Classifications

• G06F40/56

  Natural language generation · CPC title

• G06F3/0482 Primary

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F16/435 Primary

  Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles · CPC title

• G06F17/2881

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F3/04842 Primary

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title