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US5265014A
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Multi-modal user interface
Assignee: HP Inc
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Filing: 1992-02-14
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Granted: 1993-11-23
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Expires: 2012-02-14
Abstract
Abstract A multi-modal user interface for removing a referential ambiguity from a natural language input to a computer system. A user provides both a textual input and a referential input. The referential input is provided by using a mouse to point to text items on the screen. The referential input removes the ambiguity from the textual input. The textual input typically is a query of a database and is displayed as a query in a query card. The referential input is a selection of elements from responses to previous queries. The user selects various ones of these query cards for display on the screen at any given time and points to elements of the responses in the displayed cards as necessary to provide referential inputs for new queries.
Inventors
- 👤 Nicholas Haddock
- 👤 Andrew Nelson
- 👤 Derek Proudian
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 18:02
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/20; G06F16/24; G06F16/242; G06F16/2428; G06F40/00; G06F40/20; G06F40/253
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
107 words
A multi-modal user interface comprising: input means for receiving from a user a textual database query which refers to an element not contained in the textual input and a referential input which refers to elements contained in responses to a plurality of previous queries from the user; means for detecting a referential ambiguity in the textual database query, the referential ambiguity comprising an ambiguous reference to the element not contained in the textual input; means for removing the referential ambiguity according to the referential input to provide an unambiguous query; and means for evaluating the unambiguous query and providing a result of the evaluation to the user.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
107 words
A multi-modal user interface comprising: input means for receiving from a user a textual database query which refers to an element not contained in the textual input and a referential input which refers to elements contained in responses to a plurality of previous queries from the user; means for detecting a referential ambiguity in the textual database query, the referential ambiguity comprising an ambiguous reference to the element not contained in the textual input; means for removing the referential ambiguity according to the referential input to provide an unambiguous query; and means for evaluating the unambiguous query and providing a result of the evaluation to the user.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
An interface according to claim 1 wherein the input means comprises a mouse.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
An interface according to claim 1 wherein the input means comprises a touch-sensitive screen.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
An interface according to claim 1 wherein the input means comprises means responsive to human speech to provide a digital representation of spoken words.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
An interface according to claim 1 wherein the input means comprises a visually-displayed query card having a first region in which the query is displayed and a second region in which the result is displayed.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
An interface according to claim 5 wherein the input means comprises a plurality of visually-displayed query cards, one for each of a plurality of queries posed by the user, each such card displaying a different query and a response to that query.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
An interface according to claim 6 wherein the input means comprises means for selecting an element of a response being displayed on a query card as the referential input.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
An interface as in claim 1 wherein the element not contained in the textual database query comprises text that was provided by the user in preceding textual database queries.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
An interface as in claim 1 wherein the element not contained in the textual database query comprises text that was provided to the user in response to preceding textual database queries.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
113 words
A computer implemented method of querying a database, the method comprising: receiving a database query from a user, the query referring to an element not contained in the query; receiving a referential input from the user, the referential input referring to elements contained in responses to a plurality of previous queries from the user; identifying any referential expression in the database query that refers to the element not contained in the database query; resolving any ambiguous reference in the referential expression to the element not contained in the query according to the referential input to provide an unambiguous query; evaluating the unambiguous query; and providing a result of the evaluation to the user.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
113 words
A computer implemented method of querying a database, the method comprising: receiving a database query from a user, the query referring to an element not contained in the query; receiving a referential input from the user, the referential input referring to elements contained in responses to a plurality of previous queries from the user; identifying any referential expression in the database query that refers to the element not contained in the database query; resolving any ambiguous reference in the referential expression to the element not contained in the query according to the referential input to provide an unambiguous query; evaluating the unambiguous query; and providing a result of the evaluation to the user.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method according to claim 10 and further comprising displaying a query card, displaying the query in a first portion of the card, and displaying the result in a second portion of the card.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 11 and further comprising displaying a plurality of query cards, one for each of a plurality of queries posed by the user, each such card displaying a different query and the response to that query.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method according to claim 12 and further comprising displaying a list of previously-asked queries.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 12 wherein the step of receiving a referential input from a user comprises receiving the user's selection of text being displayed in the second portion of a query card as the referential input.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 14 wherein the user's selection of text comprises elements selected from responses to a plurality of previously-asked queries.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 14 wherein the user's selection of text consists exclusively of a portion of a response to a single query.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-11-22 | 1997-05-24 | 1997-11-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-11-22 | 2001-05-24 | 2001-11-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-11-22 | 2005-05-24 | 2005-11-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |