Patents by Inventor Christopher Brian Quirk
Christopher Brian Quirk has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20230325603Abstract: A controllable grounded response generation framework includes a machine learning model, a grounding interface, and a control interface. The machine learning model is trained to output computer-generated text based on input text. The grounding interface is useable by the machine learning model to access a grounding source including information related to the input text. The control interface is useable by the machine learning model to recognize a control signal. The machine learning model is configured to include information from the grounding source in the computer-generated text and focus the computer-generated text based on the control signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2023Publication date: October 12, 2023Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Michel GALLEY, Christopher Brian QUIRK, William Brennan DOLAN, Zeqiu WU
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Patent number: 11741306Abstract: A controllable grounded response generation framework includes a machine learning model, a grounding interface, and a control interface. The machine learning model is trained to output computer-generated text based on input text. The grounding interface is useable by the machine learning model to access a grounding source including information related to the input text. The control interface is useable by the machine learning model to recognize a control signal. The machine learning model is configured to include information from the grounding source in the computer-generated text and focus the computer-generated text based on the control signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2020Date of Patent: August 29, 2023Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Michel Galley, Christopher Brian Quirk, William Brennan Dolan, Zeqiu Wu
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Patent number: 11720610Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for providing entity relation extraction across sentences in a document using distant supervision are disclosed. A computing device can receive an input, such as a document comprising a plurality of sentences. The computing device can identify syntactic and/or semantic links between words in a sentence and/or between words in different sentences, and extract relationships between entities throughout the document. A knowledge base (e.g., a table, chart, database etc.) of entity relations based on the extracted relationships can be populated. An output of the populated knowledge base can be used by a classifier to identify additional relationships between entities in various documents. Machine learning can be applied to train the classifier to predict relations between entities. The classifier can be trained using known entity relations, syntactic links and/or semantic links.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2021Date of Patent: August 8, 2023Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Christopher Brian Quirk, Hoifung Poon
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Patent number: 11429779Abstract: A method and system for providing replacement text segments for a given text segment may include receiving a request to provide the replacement text segment for the text segment in the document, examining a content characteristic of the document, and examining at least one of user-specific information, organization-specific information, or non-linguistic features of the document, before identifying at least one replacement text segment for the text segment, via a machine translation system, based on the content characteristic of the document and at least one of the user-specific information, the organization-specific information, or the non-linguistic features of the document. The method and system may include providing the identified replacement text segment for display to a user, receiving an input indicating a user's selection of the identified replacement text segment, and upon receiving the input, replacing the text segment in the document with the identified replacement text segment.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2019Date of Patent: August 30, 2022Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Zhang Li, Domenic Joseph Cipollone, Maria Isabel Carpenter, Juhi Amitkumar Naik, Susan Michele Hendrich, Michael Wilson Daniels, William Brennan Dolan, Christopher Brian Quirk, Christopher John Brockett, Alice Yingming Lai
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Publication number: 20220092093Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for providing entity relation extraction across sentences in a document using distant supervision. In some examples, a computing device can receive an input, such as a document comprising a plurality of sentences. The computing device can identify syntactic and/or semantic links between words in a sentence and/or between words in different sentences, and extract relationships between entities throughout the document. Techniques and technologies described herein populate a knowledge base (e.g., a table, chart, database etc.) of entity relations based on the extracted relationships. An output of the populated knowledge base can be used by a classifier to identify additional relationships between entities in various documents. Example techniques described herein can apply machine learning to train the classifier to predict relations between entities. The classifier can be trained using known entity relations, syntactic links and/or semantic links.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2021Publication date: March 24, 2022Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Christopher Brian Quirk, Hoifung Poon
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Patent number: 11250331Abstract: A technique is described herein for processing documents in a time-efficient and accurate manner. In a training phase, the technique generates a set of initial training examples by associating entity mentions in a text corpus with corresponding entity identifiers. Each entity identifier uniquely identifies an entity in a particular ontology. The technique then removes noisy training examples from the set of initial training examples, to provide a set of filtered training examples. The technique then applies a machine-learning process to generate a linking component based, in part, on the set of filtered training examples. In an application phase, the technique uses the linking component to link input entity mentions with corresponding entity identifiers. Various application systems can leverage the capabilities of the linking component, including a search system, a document-creation system, etc.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2017Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Christopher Brian Quirk, Hoifung Poon, Wen-tau Yih, Hai Wang
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Patent number: 11210324Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media provide entity relation extraction across sentences in a document using distant supervision. A computing device can receive an input, such as a document comprising a plurality of sentences. The computing device can identify syntactic and/or semantic links between words in a sentence and/or between words in different sentences, and extract relationships between entities throughout the document. A knowledge base (e.g., a table, chart, database etc.) of entity relations based on the extracted relationships can be populated. An output of the populated knowledge base can be used by a classifier to identify additional relationships between entities in various documents. Machine learning can be applied to train the classifier to predict relations between entities. The classifier can be trained using known entity relations, syntactic links and/or semantic links.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2016Date of Patent: December 28, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Christopher Brian Quirk, Hoifung Poon
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Patent number: 11126794Abstract: A method for providing targeted rewrites can include receiving a selection of text in a file; generating a set of target rewrites of the selection of text, the set of target rewrites comprising: at least one phrase or sentence having semantic similarity to a phrase or sentence of the selection of text; and a style that corresponds to a particular target style, wherein a target style is a representative style for a genre, profession, or environment; and providing for selection one or more of the target rewrites of the set of target rewrites.Type: GrantFiled: April 11, 2019Date of Patent: September 21, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Zhang Li, Christopher John Brockett, William Brennan Dolan, Christopher Brian Quirk, Alice Yingming Lai, Susan Michele Hendrich, Olivier Gauthier, Kaushik Ramaiah Narayanan, Maria Isabel Carpenter, Juhi Amitkumar Naik, Michael Wilson Daniels
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Publication number: 20210192140Abstract: A controllable grounded response generation framework includes a machine learning model, a grounding interface, and a control interface. The machine learning model is trained to output computer-generated text based on input text. The grounding interface is useable by the machine learning model to access a grounding source including information related to the input text. The control interface is useable by the machine learning model to recognize a control signal. The machine learning model is configured to include information from the grounding source in the computer-generated text and focus the computer-generated text based on the control signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 12, 2020Publication date: June 24, 2021Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Michel GALLEY, Christopher Brian QUIRK, William Brennan DOLAN, Zeqiu WU
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Patent number: 11017765Abstract: A method for use with a computing device is provided. The method may include executing one or more programs of an intelligent digital assistant system at a processor and presenting a user interface to a user. At the processor, the method may include receiving natural language user input from the user, parsing the user input at an intent handler to determine an intent template with slots, populating the slots in the intent template with information from user input, and performing resolution on the intent template to partially resolve unresolved information. If a slot with missing slot information exists in the partially resolved intent template, a loop may be executed at the processor to fill the slots. The method may include, at the processor, determining that all required information is available and resolved and generating a rule based upon the intent template with all required information being available and resolved.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2019Date of Patent: May 25, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Oz Solomon, Christopher Brian Quirk, Han Yee Mimi Fung, Keith Coleman Herold
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Patent number: 10957311Abstract: Intelligent assistant systems, methods and computing devices are disclosed for training a machine learning-based parser to derive user intents. A method comprises analyzing with a feeder parser a surface form of a user input. A user intent underlying the surface form is derived by the feeder parser. The surface form and the user intent are provided to a machine learning-based parser and used to enhance a training set of the machine learning-based parser.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2017Date of Patent: March 23, 2021Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Oz Solomon, Erich-Soren Finkelstein, Keith Coleman Herold, Christopher Brian Quirk
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Publication number: 20210004432Abstract: A method and system for providing replacement text segments for a given text segment may include receiving a request to provide the replacement text segment for the text segment in the document, examining a content characteristic of the document, and examining at least one of user-specific information, organization-specific information, or non-linguistic features of the document, before identifying at least one replacement text segment for the text segment, via a machine translation system, based on the content characteristic of the document and at least one of the user-specific information, the organization-specific information, or the non-linguistic features of the document. The method and system may include providing the identified replacement text segment for display to a user, receiving an input indicating a user's selection of the identified replacement text segment, and upon receiving the input, replacing the text segment in the document with the identified replacement text segment.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2019Publication date: January 7, 2021Applicant: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Zhang LI, Domenic Joseph CIPOLLONE, Maria Isabel CARPENTER, Juhi Amitkumar NAIK, Susan Michele HENDRICH, Michael Wilson DANIELS, William Brennan DOLAN, Christopher Brian QUIRK, Christopher John BROCKETT, Alice Yingming LAI
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Publication number: 20200327189Abstract: A method for providing targeted rewrites can include receiving a selection of text in a file; generating a set of target rewrites of the selection of text, the set of target rewrites comprising: at least one phrase or sentence having semantic similarity to a phrase or sentence of the selection of text; and a style that corresponds to a particular target style, wherein a target style is a representative style for a genre, profession, or environment; and providing for selection one or more of the target rewrites of the set of target rewrites.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2019Publication date: October 15, 2020Inventors: Zhang LI, Christopher John BROCKETT, William Brennan DOLAN, Christopher Brian QUIRK, Alice Yingming LAI, Susan Michele HENDRICH, Olivier GAUTHIER, Kaushik Ramaiah NARAYANAN, Maria Isabel CARPENTER, Juhi Amitkumar NAIK, Michael Wilson DANIELS
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Publication number: 20200104653Abstract: A method for use with a computing device is provided. The method may include executing one or more programs of an intelligent digital assistant system at a processor and presenting a user interface to a user. At the processor, the method may include receiving natural language user input from the user, parsing the user input at an intent handler to determine an intent template with slots, populating the slots in the intent template with information from user input, and performing resolution on the intent template to partially resolve unresolved information. If a slot with missing slot information exists in the partially resolved intent template, a loop may be executed at the processor to fill the slots. The method may include, at the processor, determining that all required information is available and resolved and generating a rule based upon the intent template with all required information being available and resolved.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2019Publication date: April 2, 2020Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Oz SOLOMON, Christopher Brian QUIRK, Han Yee Mimi FUNG, Keith Coleman HEROLD
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Patent number: 10496905Abstract: A method for use with a computing device is provided. The method may include executing one or more programs of an intelligent digital assistant system at a processor and presenting a user interface to a user. At the processor, the method may include receiving natural language user input from the user, parsing the user input at an intent handler to determine an intent template with slots, populating the slots in the intent template with information from user input, and performing resolution on the intent template to partially resolve unresolved information. If a slot with missing slot information exists in the partially resolved intent template, a loop may be executed at the processor to fill the slots. The method may include, at the processor, determining that all required information is available and resolved and generating a rule based upon the intent template with all required information being available and resolved.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2017Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Oz Solomon, Christopher Brian Quirk, Han Yee Mimi Fung, Keith Coleman Herold
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Patent number: 10446142Abstract: Examples described herein dynamically personalize a digital assistant for a specific user, creating a personal connection between the digital assistant and the user. The digital assistant accesses user activity and generates queries based on the user activity. The digital assistant facilitates natural language conversations as machine learning sessions between the digital assistant and the user using the one or more queries to learn the user's preferences and receives user input from the user during the learning session in response to the queries. The digital assistant dynamically updates a personalized profile for the user based on the user input during the natural language conversations.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2015Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Melissa Nicole Lim, Margaret Ann Mitchell, Christopher Brian Quirk
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Publication number: 20190130282Abstract: A technique is described herein for processing documents in a time-efficient and accurate manner. In a training phase, the technique generates a set of initial training examples by associating entity mentions in a text corpus with corresponding entity identifiers. Each entity identifier uniquely identifies an entity in a particular ontology. The technique then removes noisy training examples from the set of initial training examples, to provide a set of filtered training examples. The technique then applies a machine-learning process to generate a linking component based, in part, on the set of filtered training examples. In an application phase, the technique uses the linking component to link input entity mentions with corresponding entity identifiers. Various application systems can leverage the capabilities of the linking component, including a search system, a document-creation system, etc.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2017Publication date: May 2, 2019Inventors: Christopher Brian QUIRK, Hoifung POON, Wen-tau YIH, Hai WANG
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Patent number: 10255269Abstract: Long short term memory units that accept a non-predefined number of inputs are used to provide natural language relation extraction over a user-specified range on content. Content written for human consumption is parsed with distant supervision in segments (e.g., sentences, paragraphs, chapters) to determine relationships between various words within and between those segments.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2016Date of Patent: April 9, 2019Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Christopher Brian Quirk, Kristina Nikolova Toutanova, Wen-tau Yih, Hoifung Poon, Nanyun Peng
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Patent number: 10176168Abstract: Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) based search query spelling correction techniques are described herein. In one or more implementations, search data regarding searches performed by clients may be logged. The logged data includes query correction pairs that may be used to ascertain error patterns indicating how misspelled substrings may be translated to corrected substrings. The error patterns may be used to determine suggestions for an input query and to develop query correction models used to translate the input query to a corrected query. In one or more implementations, probabilistic features from multiple query correction models are combined to score different correction candidates. One or more top scoring correction candidates may then be exposed as suggestions for selection by a user and/or provided to a search engine to conduct a corresponding search using the corrected query version(s).Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2011Date of Patent: January 8, 2019Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLCInventors: Jianfeng Gao, Mei-Yuh Hwang, Xuedong D. Huang, Christopher Brian Quirk, Zhenghao Wang
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Publication number: 20180293221Abstract: A method to execute computer-actionable directives conveyed in human speech comprises: receiving audio data recording speech from one or more speakers; converting the audio data into a linguistic representation of the recorded speech; detecting a target corresponding to the linguistic representation; committing to the data structure language data associated with the detected target and based on the linguistic representation; parsing the data structure to identify one or more of the computer-actionable directives; and submitting the one or more of the computer-actionable directives to the computer for processing.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 11, 2018Publication date: October 11, 2018Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLCInventors: Erich-Soren FINKELSTEIN, Han Yee Mimi FUNG, Aleksandar UZELAC, Oz SOLOMON, Keith Coleman HEROLD, Vivek PRADEEP, Zongyi LIU, Kazuhito KOISHIDA, Haithem ALBADAWI, Steven Nabil BATHICHE, Christopher Lance NUESMEYER, Michelle Lynn HOLTMANN, Christopher Brian QUIRK, Pablo Luis SALA