Patents by Inventor Guihong Cao

Guihong Cao 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).

  • Publication number: 20240037172
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for automatically identifying additional content for a webpage. The systems and methods may create a side pane placed next to a webpage to supplement the webpage in a browser. The side pane may provide additional information or additional content to help users consume the webpage. The additional content may provide webpage insights and help the users further explore the webpage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Yu JIA, Xiaodong FAN, Guihong CAO, Innocent Mutabazi NDIMUBANZI, Zicheng HUANG, Yufei ZHONG, Astha SUNEJA, Jun LIU, Alyssa Nicole RICKEN, Eugene J SO, Julian Manuel VARANDA
  • Patent number: 11822612
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for automatically identifying additional content for a webpage. The systems and methods may create a side pane placed next to a webpage to supplement the webpage in a browser. The side pane may provide additional information or additional content to help users consume the webpage. The additional content may provide webpage insights and help the users further explore the webpage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Inventors: Yu Jia, Xiaodong Fan, Guihong Cao, Innocent Mutabazi Ndimubanzi, Zicheng Huang, Yufei Zhong, Astha Suneja, Jun Liu, Alyssa Nicole Ricken, Eugene J So, Julian Manuel Varanda
  • Publication number: 20230267328
    Abstract: Described herein is a mechanism to identify user intent in requests submitted to a system such as a digital assistant or question-answer systems. Embodiments utilize a match methodology instead of a classification methodology. Features derived from a subgraph retrieved from a knowledge base based on the request are concatenated with pretrained word embeddings for both the request and a candidate predicate. The concatenated inputs for both the request and predicate are encoded using two independent LSTM networks and then a matching score is calculated using a match LSTM network. The result is identified based on the matching scores for a plurality of candidate predicates. The pretrained word embeddings allow for knowledge transfer since pretrained word embeddings in one intent domain can apply to another intent domain without retraining.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: Jianshu JI, Yeyun GONG, Nan DUAN, Yi-Cheng PAN, Guihong CAO
  • Publication number: 20230125087
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for automatically identifying additional content for a webpage. The systems and methods may create a side pane placed next to a webpage to supplement the webpage in a browser. The side pane may provide additional information or additional content to help users consume the webpage. The additional content may provide webpage insights and help the users further explore the webpage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Inventors: Yu JIA, Xiaodong FAN, Guihong CAO, Innocent Mutabazi NDIMUBANZI, Zicheng HUANG, Yufei ZHONG, Astha SUNEJA, Jun LIU, Alyssa Nicole RICKEN, Eugene J. SO, Julian Manuel VARANDA
  • Publication number: 20220391464
    Abstract: The technology described herein makes improved use of limited screen space on a search results page by determining whether to present a question-and-answer experience and/or an entity details experience. This determination effects the amount of information presented and the format in which it is presented. In general, the question-and-answer experience provides less information and is more targeted to a question and query terms other than the entity. In contrast, the entity details experience provides more information about the entity that is not tailored to the query beyond the entity being included in the query. In one aspect, the determination of whether to show a question-and-answer experience and/or an entity details experience is based, at least in part, on an entity-details intent classification score (“intent classification score”) generated by a machine classification system. The classification score may be processed in combination with other criteria to make a final determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Inventors: Zicheng HUANG, Sharath RAO, Chao GAO, Guihong CAO
  • Patent number: 11455361
    Abstract: The technology described herein makes improved use of limited screen space on a search results page by determining whether to present a question-and-answer experience and/or an entity details experience. This determination effects the amount of information presented and the format in which it is presented. In general, the question-and-answer experience provides less information and is more targeted to a question and query terms other than the entity. In contrast, the entity details experience provides more information about the entity that is not tailored to the query beyond the entity being included in the query. In one aspect, the determination of whether to show a question-and-answer experience and/or an entity details experience is based, at least in part, on an entity-details intent classification score (“intent classification score”) generated by a machine classification system. The classification score may be processed in combination with other criteria to make a final determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Zicheng Huang, Sharath Rao, Chao Gao, Guihong Cao
  • Patent number: 11302330
    Abstract: A method of disambiguating user queries in a multi-turn dialogue include a set of user utterances includes using a predefined language model to recognize an ambiguous entity in an unresolved user utterance from the multi-turn dialogue. The method further includes outputting a clarifying question about the ambiguous entity, and receiving a clarifying user utterance. The method further includes identifying a disambiguating entity in the clarifying user utterance. The method further includes rewriting the unresolved user utterance as a rewritten utterance that replaces the ambiguous entity with the disambiguating entity, and outputting the rewritten utterance to one or more query answering machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jiayin Ge, Zicheng Huang, Guihong Cao
  • Patent number: 11256868
    Abstract: A method of disambiguating user queries in a multi-turn dialogue including a set of user utterances. The method includes using a predefined language model to recognize an ambiguous entity in an unresolved user utterance from the multi-turn dialogue, and using the predefined language model to recognize entity constraints of the ambiguous entity. The method further includes, in a computer-accessible conversation history of the multi-turn dialogue, searching a set of previously-resolved entities for a candidate entity having entity properties with a highest confidence correspondence to the entity constraints of the ambiguous entity. The unresolved user utterance is rewritten as a rewritten utterance that replaces the ambiguous entity with the candidate entity. The rewritten utterance is output to one or more query answering machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jiayin Ge, Jianshu Ji, Guihong Cao, Zicheng Huang, Mridu Baldevraj Narang
  • Publication number: 20220050833
    Abstract: A method for determining whether to dynamically suppress a candidate query answer designated for inclusion in search results includes instantiating a plurality of filtering rules for assessing suppression of a candidate query answer. The filtering rules include one or both of a pattern rule and a site rule. The method further comprises receiving a query, and, after receiving the query, retrieving one or more candidate query answers previously associated with the query. The method further comprises, for each candidate query answer, dynamically suppressing the candidate query answer from a curated position having enhanced prominence within search results relative to a plurality of other result entries, if either or both of a pattern rule and a site rule match the query. The method further includes returning search results including up to one candidate query answer in the curated position, responsive to a candidate query answer not being dynamically suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Zicheng HUANG, Mridu Baldevraj NARANG, Ling LI, Guihong CAO
  • Publication number: 20210042372
    Abstract: The technology described herein makes improved use of limited screen space on a search results page by determining whether to present a question-and-answer experience and/or an entity details experience. This determination effects the amount of information presented and the format in which it is presented. In general, the question-and-answer experience provides less information and is more targeted to a question and query terms other than the entity. In contrast, the entity details experience provides more information about the entity that is not tailored to the query beyond the entity being included in the query. In one aspect, the determination of whether to show a question-and-answer experience and/or an entity details experience is based, at least in part, on an entity-details intent classification score (“intent classification score”) generated by a machine classification system. The classification score may be processed in combination with other criteria to make a final determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Inventors: Zicheng HUANG, Sharath RAO, Chao GAO, Guihong CAO
  • Publication number: 20200380077
    Abstract: A method of disambiguating user queries in a multi-turn dialogue including a set of user utterances. The method includes using a predefined language model to recognize an ambiguous entity in an unresolved user utterance from the multi-turn dialogue, and using the predefined language model to recognize entity constraints of the ambiguous entity. The method further includes, in a computer-accessible conversation history of the multi-turn dialogue, searching a set of previously-resolved entities for a candidate entity having entity properties with a highest confidence correspondence to the entity constraints of the ambiguous entity. The unresolved user utterance is rewritten as a rewritten utterance that replaces the ambiguous entity with the candidate entity. The rewritten utterance is output to one or more query answering machines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jiayin GE, Jianshu JI, Guihong CAO, Zicheng HUANG, Mridu Baldevraj NARANG
  • Publication number: 20200380991
    Abstract: A method of disambiguating user queries in a multi-turn dialogue include a set of user utterances includes using a predefined language model to recognize an ambiguous entity in an unresolved user utterance from the multi-turn dialogue. The method further includes outputting a clarifying question about the ambiguous entity, and receiving a clarifying user utterance. The method further includes identifying a disambiguating entity in the clarifying user utterance. The method further includes rewriting the unresolved user utterance as a rewritten utterance that replaces the ambiguous entity with the disambiguating entity, and outputting the rewritten utterance to one or more query answering machines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jiayin GE, Zicheng HUANG, Guihong CAO
  • Publication number: 20200293874
    Abstract: Described herein is a mechanism to identify user intent in requests submitted to a system such as a digital assistant or question-answer systems. Embodiments utilize a match methodology instead of a classification methodology. Features derived from a subgraph retrieved from a knowledge base based on the request are concatenated with pretrained word embeddings for both the request and a candidate predicate. The concatenated inputs for both the request and predicate are encoded using two independent LSTM networks and then a matching score is calculated using a match LSTM network. The result is identified based on the matching scores for a plurality of candidate predicates. The pretrained word embeddings allow for knowledge transfer since pretrained word embeddings in one intent domain can apply to another intent domain without retraining.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Jianshu JI, Yeyun GONG, Nan DUAN, Yi-Cheng PAN, Guihong CAO
  • Patent number: 10740420
    Abstract: A platform for generating query-answer pairs is described herein, wherein the platform is well-suited for generating query-answer pairs for a variety of topics. The platform comprises a topic-specific classifier that is configured to identify queries from a query log that are fact-seeking queries that belong to a topic. The platform further comprises a domain identifier component that identifies domains that are relevant to the topic, wherein the domains comprise pages. The platform further includes a passage extraction system that comprises a hierarchy of rankers, wherein the passage extraction system is configured to identify passages in the pages that belong to the domain that comprise answers to the fact-seeking queries that belong to the topic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Jun Liu, Mridu Baldevraj Narang, Guihong Cao, Jinxi Xu
  • Publication number: 20200117742
    Abstract: A method for determining whether to dynamically suppress a candidate query answer designated for inclusion in search results includes instantiating a plurality of filtering rules for assessing suppression of a candidate query answer. The filtering rules include one or both of a pattern rule and a site rule. The method further comprises receiving a query, and, after receiving the query, retrieving one or more candidate query answers previously associated with the query. The method further comprises, for each candidate query answer, dynamically suppressing the candidate query answer from a curated position having enhanced prominence within search results relative to a plurality of other result entries, if either or both of a pattern rule and a site rule match the query. The method further includes returning search results including up to one candidate query answer in the curated position, responsive to a candidate query answer not being dynamically suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Zicheng HUANG, Mridu Baldevraj NARANG, Ling LI, Guihong CAO
  • Publication number: 20190286750
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-executable instructions for synthesizing facts from multiple sources. A user search string associated with a topic is received. Queries associated with the user search string are generated. Website content is queried, using the plurality of queries associated with the user search string, to generate results. The results are ranked based on a first feature. The results are filtered based on the first feature to generate intermediate results. The intermediate results are ranked based on a second feature. The second feature is most costly to calculate than the first feature. The filtered intermedia results are filtered based on the second feature to generate final results. Distinct facts from the final results are determined. The distinct facts include content from different URLs. The distinct facts associated with the topic are returned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Mridu Baldevraj Narang, Jun Liu, Guihong Cao, Zicheng Huang
  • Publication number: 20190147108
    Abstract: A platform for generating query-answer pairs is described herein, wherein the platform is well-suited for generating query-answer pairs for a variety of topics. The platform comprises a topic-specific classifier that is configured to identify queries from a query log that are fact-seeking queries that belong to a topic. The platform further comprises a domain identifier component that identifies domains that are relevant to the topic, wherein the domains comprise pages. The platform further includes a passage extraction system that comprises a hierarchy of rankers, wherein the passage extraction system is configured to identify passages in the pages that belong to the domain that comprise answers to the fact-seeking queries that belong to the topic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Jun LIU, Mridu Baldevraj NARANG, Guihong CAO, Jinxi XU
  • Publication number: 20180365318
    Abstract: Described herein are technologies relating to parsing at least one document to return a snippet that includes information that answers a question set forth in a query. A ranked list of search results is generated based upon the query, and a document represented by a search result in the ranked list of search results is retrieved from a search engine cache or a web server that hosts the document. The document is parsed, and snippets in the document are extracted and ranked. At least a most highly-ranked snippet is returned to a client computing device as including an answer to the question set forth in the query.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Inventors: Li YI, Guihong CAO, Daniel DEUTSCH, Richard QIAN
  • Patent number: 9542928
    Abstract: Methods, computer systems, and computer-storage media are provided for generating natural language outputs. Sets of triples may be used to map voice queries and answers to sentence structures that may be used as an output answer to the voice query. Sentence structures are only appropriate with certain sets of triples. One or more constraints may be associated with the set of triples to make sure sentence structures are only applied in correct situations. In order to be a valid sentence structure, each constraint associated therewith must be satisfied. If each constraint is satisfied, the sentence structure is valid and may be used as the format for an output answer. If each constraint is not satisfied, additional sentence structures associated with the set of triples may be evaluated until a valid sentence structure is identified. If no sentence structure is valid, no output is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Guihong Cao, Fetiye Karabay, Ahmed Mohamed
  • Publication number: 20150279348
    Abstract: Methods, computer systems, and computer-storage media are provided for generating natural language outputs. Sets of triples may be used to map voice queries and answers to sentence structures that may be used as an output answer to the voice query. Sentence structures are only appropriate with certain sets of triples. One or more constraints may be associated with the set of triples to make sure sentence structures are only applied in correct situations. In order to be a valid sentence structure, each constraint associated therewith must be satisfied. If each constraint is satisfied, the sentence structure is valid and may be used as the format for an output answer. If each constraint is not satisfied, additional sentence structures associated with the set of triples may be evaluated until a valid sentence structure is identified. If no sentence structure is valid, no output is generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Guihong CAO, Fetiye KARABAY, Ahmed MOHAMED