Patents by Inventor Corville O. Allen

Corville O. Allen 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).

  • Patent number: 10275446
    Abstract: A method and system for determining a location of origin and a time period in which a document was written is disclosed. A text is received and a set of linguistic characteristics for the text are identified. A set of possible locations and time periods for the text are determined based on the set of linguistic characteristics. A set of reference documents are used to determine a proximity rating for the text based upon a determination of how close the text is to the reference documents. The potential locations and time periods are ranked and returned for presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Roberto DeLima, Andrew R. Freed, Robert L. Nielsen
  • Patent number: 10262381
    Abstract: There are provided a system, a method and a computer program product for creating the social group whose participants are involved in an online conversation. The system aggregates data associated with the online conversation and a group profile, of the social group. The system determines, based on the online conversation data and the group profile, a context of the online conversation and a goal of the social group. The system receives, based on the determined context and the goal, a first bidding from each provider, the first bidding associated with the determined context and the goal, the each provider providing one or more of: goods, services or discounts associated with the context and the goal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Jeffrey D. Haggar, Eileen J. Min, Michael M. Skeen, Eric Woods
  • Publication number: 20190102344
    Abstract: A search engine is enhanced to employ user preferences to customize answer output by, receiving a first plurality of candidate answers and weights to a first search query for a first user from a first stage of a non-semantic search engine routing and processing path; augmenting the weights for the plurality of candidate answers according to a set of preference coefficients according to a first set of preferences for the first user; selecting one or more of the first plurality of candidate answers according to the augmented weights; and producing an output including the selected one or more candidate answers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Scott Robert Carrier, Scott N. Gerard, Sterling Richardson Smith, David Blake Styles, Eric Woods
  • Patent number: 10235350
    Abstract: An approach is provided in which a knowledge manager detects an annotation error while attempting to annotate a document and, as such, segments the document into multiple document segments. The knowledge manager then detects another annotation error while attempting to annotate the multiple document segments, resulting in a set of unannotated document segments. In turn, the knowledge manager generates a notification that identifies the set of unannotated document segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Andrew R. Freed, Kyungae Lim
  • Publication number: 20190074073
    Abstract: Cognitive medical treatment recommendation mechanisms are provided. The mechanisms ingest a corpus of medical treatment content that comprises drug-to-drug interaction information. The mechanisms generate a set of drug interaction insight data structures and an initial set of candidate treatments for a medical condition of a patient based on an analysis of an electronic medical record associated with the patient. The mechanisms rank candidate treatments in the initial set of candidate treatments based on the set of drug interaction insight data structures to generate a final set of candidate treatments, where the ranking reduces rankings of candidate treatments in which drug interactions are identified in the set of drug interaction insight data structures. The mechanisms output a treatment recommendation based on the final set of candidate treatments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Publication date: March 7, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Timothy A. Bishop, Michael T. Payne, Sue S. Schmidt, Leah R. Smutzer
  • Publication number: 20190073916
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided in a data processing system for utilizing algorithms based on categories in a question answering system. The mechanisms capture a history of performance and correctness metrics for identifying efficiency of respective algorithms for finding answers to questions in respective question categories in a question answering system. The mechanisms determine sets of algorithms to use for respective question categories according to efficiency and correctness analysis. The mechanisms determine a question category of a given input question and execute a set of algorithms corresponding to the question category of the given input question that meet an efficiency threshold to contribute to finding a correct answer for the given input question.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Publication date: March 7, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Kyle L. Croutwater, Kevin B. Haverlock, Michael D. Whitley
  • Patent number: 10216802
    Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a method for generating an answer in a question answering system is provided. The method may include receiving a question. The method may also include identifying a candidate answer from a corpus. The method may then include determining a plurality of sentences based on the identified candidate answer. The method may further include calculating a similarity value for each sentence within the plurality of sentences based on comparing the plurality of sentences to the candidate answer and the received question. The method may also include identifying at least one sentence within the plurality of sentences with a calculated similarity value that exceeds a threshold value. The method may then include presenting the answer, whereby the answer comprises the plurality of sentences, the candidate answer, and metadata.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Joseph N. Kozhaya, Christopher M. Madison, Sai P. Peddi
  • Patent number: 10212116
    Abstract: A computer implemented method and system for condensing a communications thread which includes monitoring, using a computer, a communications thread. Multiple instances of a repeated portion of content of the communications thread are identified. One instance of the repeated portion of content of the communications thread is retained. One or more additional instances of the repeated portion of content is removed and stored. A reference link in the communications thread is associated to the repeated portion of content. The communications thread is condensed, wherein the condensed communications thread includes the one instance of the repeated portion of content, and the reference link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Mario A. Maldari, Monica Senior, Paul A. Smith
  • Publication number: 20190050472
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention may include a method, computer program product, and system for generating ground truth data for a plurality of cognitive capabilities within an overall cognitive system. The embodiment may include configuring multiple sets of training data. Each set of training data corresponds to a separate cognitive capability. The embodiment may include displaying a set of ground truth curation activities via a user interface. The embodiment may include determining the ground truth curation activities performed for a first type of data for a first duration. The first type of data is selected from the single set of grouped training data. The embodiment may include determining whether the first duration has exceeded a pre-determined threshold. The embodiment may include switching the curation activities to a second type of data. The second type of data is selected from the single set of grouped data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2017
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Andrew R. Freed, Sorabh Murgai
  • Publication number: 20190050474
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention may include a method, computer program product, and system for generating ground truth data for a plurality of cognitive capabilities within an overall cognitive system. The embodiment may include configuring multiple sets of training data. Each set of training data corresponds to a separate cognitive capability. The embodiment may include displaying a set of ground truth curation activities via a user interface. The embodiment may include determining the ground truth curation activities performed for a first type of data for a first duration. The first type of data is selected from the single set of grouped training data. The embodiment may include determining whether the first duration has exceeded a pre-determined threshold. The embodiment may include switching the curation activities to a second type of data. The second type of data is selected from the single set of grouped data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Andrew R. Freed, Sorabh Murgai
  • Publication number: 20190042626
    Abstract: A recommendation engine for works of literature uses patterns of flow and element similarities for scoring a first user-rated work of literature against one or more recommendation candidate works of literature. Cluster models are created using meta-data modeling the works of literature, the meta-data having literary element categories and instances within each category. Each instance is described by an index value (position in the literature) and significance value (e.g. weight or significance). Cluster finding process(es) invoked for each instance in each category find Similarity Concept clusters and Consistency Trend clusters, which are recorded into the cluster models representing each work of literature. The cluster model can be printed or displayed so that a user can visually understand the ebb and flow of each literary element in the literature, and may be digitally compared to other cluster models of other works of literature for potential recommendation to a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Scott R. Carrier, Eric Woods
  • Publication number: 20190042559
    Abstract: The program directs a computer processor to resolve an anaphor in electronic natural language text. The program detects a plurality of entities and an anaphor in a span of parsed natural language text comprising one or more sentences, and extracts pairs of related entities based on domain knowledge. The program constructs a set of tuples, wherein each tuple is a data type comprising an anaphor, an antecedent entity (AE) appearing before the anaphor in the span of parsed natural language text, and an entity (E) appearing after the anaphor in the span of parsed natural language text, wherein the anaphor refers to the AE and relates the AE to the E. The program resolves the anaphor by determining which entity in the plurality of entities the anaphor references, using the constructed set of tuples, and selecting an AE among one or more candidate AEs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Roberto DeLima, Aysu Ezen Can, Robert C. Sizemore
  • Publication number: 20190035421
    Abstract: Mechanisms, in a natural language processing (NLP) system are provided. The NLP system receives a plurality of communications associated with a communication system, over a predetermined time period, from a plurality of end user devices. The NLP system identifies, for each communication in the plurality of communications, a user submitting the communication to thereby generate a set of users comprising a plurality of users associated with the plurality of communications. The NLP system retrieves a user model for each user in the set of users, which specifies at least one attribute of a corresponding user. The NLP system generates an aggregate user model that aggregates the at least one attribute of each user in the set of users together to generate an aggregate representation of the attributes of the plurality of users in the set of users. The NLP system performs a cognitive operation based on the aggregate user model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Laura J. Rodriguez
  • Publication number: 20190026650
    Abstract: Curating high-quality ground truth is an important but difficult part of training a cognitive system. The invention greatly simplifies this process by determining the value that particular training data has in improving existing ground truth. Candidate training data of different types (text, audio, images) is extracted from an interaction log, and each entry is analyzed to arrive at a training value score. The analysis generates multiple component scores which are combined for the final score. The component scores may include a per-feature variability score, a cross-feature variability score, and an accuracy score. A set of the unverified entries may be presented to a user based on the training value scores, and the user can select which of the entries in the set should be included as new ground truths. The ground truths can then be updated by adding the selected entries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Andrew R. Freed, Sorabh Murgai
  • Publication number: 20190026270
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for analyzing one or more existing book indexes to build a statistical model of term-to-text pairs. A document may be analyzed, wherein the document may include at least a portion of an instruction in a book. A term in the document may be identified. Whether the term is a candidate for an index of the book may be identified based upon, at least in part, the statistical model of term-to-text pairs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Donna K. Byron, Carmine M. DiMascio, Florian Pinel, Timothy P. Winkler
  • Publication number: 20190026654
    Abstract: Curating high-quality ground truth is an important but difficult part of training a cognitive system. The invention greatly simplifies this process by determining the value that particular training data has in improving existing ground truth. Candidate training data of different types (text, audio, images) is extracted from an interaction log, and each entry is analyzed to arrive at a training value score. The analysis generates multiple component scores which are combined for the final score. The component scores may include a per-feature variability score, a cross-feature variability score, and an accuracy score. A set of the unverified entries may be presented to a user based on the training value scores, and the user can select which of the entries in the set should be included as new ground truths. The ground truths can then be updated by adding the selected entries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Andrew R. Freed, Sorabh Murgai
  • Patent number: 10180988
    Abstract: An approach is provided to provide communication between a user and a question answering (QA) system using a persona. A persona-based profile is identified to utilize in a conversation between the user and the QA system with the persona being relevance and/or sentiment based. A question is received at the QA system from the user. The QA system retrieves candidate answers which are compared to the persona-based profile. The candidate answers are scored based on the comparison. One or more of the candidate answers are selected based on the scores and these candidate answers are provided to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Andrew R. Freed
  • Patent number: 10176175
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for analyzing one or more existing book indexes to build a statistical model of term-to-text pairs. A document may be analyzed, wherein the document may include at least a portion of an instruction in a book. A term in the document may be identified. Whether the term is a candidate for an index of the book may be identified based upon, at least in part, the statistical model of term-to-text pairs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Donna K. Byron, Carmine M. DiMascio, Florian Pinel, Timothy P. Winkler
  • Patent number: 10176157
    Abstract: An approach is provided in which a knowledge manager detects an annotation error while attempting to annotate a document and, as such, segments the document into multiple document segments. The knowledge manager then detects another annotation error while attempting to annotate the multiple document segments, resulting in a set of unannotated document segments. In turn, the knowledge manager generates a notification that identifies the set of unannotated document segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Andrew R. Freed, Kyungae Lim
  • Publication number: 20190005097
    Abstract: A recommendation engine for works of literature uses patterns of flow and element similarities for scoring a first user-rated work of literature against one or more recommendation candidate works of literature. Cluster models are created using meta-data modeling the works of literature, the meta-data having literary element categories and instances within each category. Each instance is described by an index value (position in the literature) and significance value (e.g. weight or significance). Cluster finding process(es) invoked for each instance in each category find Similarity Concept clusters and Consistency Trend clusters, which are recorded into the cluster models representing each work of literature. The cluster model can be printed or displayed so that a user can visually understand the ebb and flow of each literary element in the literature, and may be digitally compared to other cluster models of other works of literature for potential recommendation to a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Scott R. Carrier, Eric Woods