Answer management in a question-answering environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016125751-A1
Application number	US-201414570491-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2014
Priority date	Nov 5, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Managing answers in a question-answering environment is disclosed. Managing answers in the question-answering environment can include sorting, based on a set of answer categories for a subject matter, a first set of answers into a first answer category and a second set of answers into a second answer category. Managing answers in the question-answering environment can include determining, using the subject matter, a first category sequence including the first answer category and the second answer category, and establishing, based on the first category sequence, a first answer sequence established from a portion of the first set of answers from the first answer category and a portion of the second set of answers from the second answer category.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 - 6 . (canceled)

7 . A computer system for managing answers in a question-answering environment, the system comprising:
an answer management processor configured to:
sort, based on a set of answer categories for a subject matter, a first set of answers into a first answer category and a second set of answers into a second answer category;
determine, using the subject matter, a first category sequence including the first answer category and the second answer category; and
establish, based on the first category sequence, a first answer sequence established from a portion of the first set of answers from the first answer category and a portion of the second set of answers from the second answer category.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein:
the answer management processor is further configured to:
sort, based on the set of answer categories, a third set of answers into a third answer category;
determine, using the subject matter, a second category sequence including the first answer category, the second answer category, and the third answer category; and
establish, based on the second category sequence, a second answer sequence from the portion of the first set of answers from the first answer category, the portion of the second set of answers from the second answer category, and a portion of the third set of answers from the third answer category.

9 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a question analyzer configured to:
receive, from a user, a question relating to the subject matter;
analyze, using a natural language processing technique, the question; and
wherein the answer management processor is further configured to:
determine, based on the question analyzer analyzing the question, the set of answer categories.

10 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a question analyzer configured to:
receive, from a user, a question relating to the subject matter; and
an answer generator configured to:
identify, in response to the question analyzer receiving the question, a group of answers based on the question, the group of answers including the first set of answers and the second set of answers; and
wherein the answer management processor is further configured to:
analyze, by a natural language processing technique, the group of answers; and
determine, based on analyzing the group of answers, the set of answer categories.

11 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a question analyzer configured to:
receive, from a user, a question; and
wherein the answer management processor is further configured to:
determine the subject matter using a natural language processing technique.

12 . The system of claim 7 , wherein:
the answer management processor being configured to determine, using the subject matter, the first category sequence, includes being configured to:
select, from a repository of category sequences, a group of category sequences corresponding to the subject matter, the group of category sequences including the first category sequence.

13 . A computer program product for managing answers in a question-answering environment, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computer to cause the computer to perform a method comprising:
sorting, based on a set of answer categories for a subject matter, a first set of answers into a first answer category and a second set of answers into a second answer category; determining, using the subject matter, a first category sequence including the first answer category and the second answer category; and establishing, based on the first category sequence, a first answer sequence established from a portion of the first set of answers from the first answer category and a portion of the second set of answers from the second answer category.

14 . The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
sorting, based on the set of answer categories, a third set of answers into a third answer category; determining, using the subject matter, a second category sequence including the first answer category, the second answer category, and the third answer category; establishing, based on the second category sequence, a second answer sequence from the portion of the first set of answers from the first answer category, the portion of the second set of answers from the second answer category, and a portion of the third set of answers from the third answer category; and providing the second answer sequence.

15 . The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, from a user, a question relating to the subject matter; analyzing, by a natural language processing technique, the question; and determining, based on analyzing the question, the set of answer categories.

16 . The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, from a user, a question relating to the subject matter; identifying, in response to receiving the question, a group of answers based on the question, the group of answers including the first set of answers and the second set of answers; analyzing, by a natural language processing technique, the group of answers; and determining, based on analyzing the group of answers, the set of answer categories.

17 . The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, from a user, a question; and determining the subject matter using a natural language processing technique configured to analyze the question.

18 . The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein:
determining, using the subject matter, the first category sequence, includes: selecting, from a repository of category sequences, a group of category sequences corresponding to the subject matter, the group of category sequences including the first category sequence.

19 - 25 . (canceled)

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Barker Kevin S
• Eggebraaten Thomas J
• Megerian Mark G
• Petri John E
• Pfeifer Michael D

Classifications

• G06N7/01

  Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks · CPC title

• G16H10/20

  for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires · CPC title

• G06F16/955

  using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL] · CPC title

• G06F16/24578

  using ranking · CPC title

• G06Q30/0203

  Market surveys; Market polls · CPC title