Natural language processing method

Abstract

Methods for converting a natural language sentence into a set of primitive sentences. The method include identifying verbal blocks in the sentence, splitting the sentence into a set of logical clauses, disambiguating ambiguous verbal blocks within each logical clause, and constructing a primitive sentence for each verbal block by duplicating the shared noun phrases of verbal blocks.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method for converting a natural language sentence into a primitive sentence, comprising steps:
 (a) identifying a verbal block in the sentence;   (b) splitting the sentence into a logical clause;   (c) determining a type of the clause;   (d) disambiguating an ambiguous verbal block within each logical clause in which the verbal block is considered independently of a noun phrase; and   (e) constructing the primitive sentence for each verbal block by duplicating a shared noun phrase of the verbal block;   wherein the method is performed by a computer system comprising a processor and a non-transitory program storage device readable by the computer system,   wherein the order of step (a) and step (b) is interchangeable, and   wherein the type of each clause determines whether or not said clause contains the verbal block.   
     
     
         3 . A method for extracting information from a natural language sentence, comprising:
 converting the sentence into a primitive sentence by detecting a logical clause;   determining a type of each clause; and   extracting information using the primitive sentence,   wherein the method is performed by a computer system comprising a processor and a non-transitory program storage device readable by the computer system, and   wherein the type of each clause determines whether or not said clause contains the verbal block.   
     
     
         4 . A method for extracting information from a natural language sentence, comprising steps:
 (a) identifying a verbal block in the sentence;   (b) splitting the sentence into a logical clause;   (c) determining a type of each clause;   (d) disambiguating an ambiguous verbal block within each logical clause in which the verbal block is considered independently of the noun phrase;   (e) constructing a primitive sentence for each verbal block by duplicating a shared noun phrase of the verbal block; and   (f) extracting information from each primitive sentence;   wherein the method is performed by a computer system comprising a processor and a non-transitory program storage device readable by the computer system,   wherein the order of step (a) and step (b) is interchangeable, and   wherein the type of each clause determines whether or not said clause contains the verbal block.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein information is extracted from each primitive sentence by detecting sequences of words in the primitive sentence using regular expression-like word patterns. 
     
     
         6 . A computer system comprising:
 a processor; and   a non-transitory program storage device readable by the computer system, embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for converting a natural language sentence into a primitive sentence, comprising:   (a) identifying a verbal block in the sentence;   (b) splitting the sentence into a logical clause;   (c) determining a type of each clause;   (d) disambiguating an ambiguous verbal block within each logical clause in which the verbal block is considered independently of a noun phrase; and   (e) constructing the primitive sentence for each verbal block by duplicating a shared noun phrase of the verbal block;   wherein the order of step (a) and step (b) is interchangeable, and   wherein the type of each clause determines whether or not said clause contains the verbal block.   
     
     
         7 . A computer system comprising:
 a processor; and   a non-transitory program storage device readable by the computer system, embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for extracting information from a natural language sentence, comprising:   converting the sentence into a primitive sentence by detecting a logical clause;   determining a type of each clause; and   extracting information using the primitive sentence,   wherein the type of each clause determines whether or not said clause contains the verbal block.   
     
     
         8 . A computer system comprising:
 a processor; and   a non-transitory program storage device readable by the computer system, embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for extracting information from a natural language sentence, comprising:   (a) identifying a verbal block in the sentence;   (b) splitting the sentence into a logical clause;   (c) determining a type of each clause;   (d) disambiguating an ambiguous verbal block within each logical clause in which the verbal block is considered independently of the noun phrase;   (e) constructing a primitive sentence for each verbal block by duplicating a shared noun phrase of the verbal block; and   (f) extracting information from each primitive sentence;   wherein the order of step (a) and step (b) is interchangeable, and   wherein the type of each clause determines whether or not said clause contains the verbal block.   
     
     
         9 . A computer system of  claim 8 , wherein information is extracted from each primitive sentence by detecting specific sequences of words in the primitive sentence using regular expression-like word patterns.