Patents by Inventor Oren Etzioni

Oren Etzioni 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: 8938410
    Abstract: To implement open information extraction, a new extraction paradigm has been developed in which a system makes a single data-driven pass over a corpus of text, extracting a large set of relational tuples without requiring any human input. Using training data, a Self-Supervised Learner employs a parser and heuristics to determine criteria that will be used by an extraction classifier (or other ranking model) for evaluating the trustworthiness of candidate tuples that have been extracted from the corpus of text, by applying heuristics to the corpus of text. The classifier retains tuples with a sufficiently high probability of being trustworthy. A redundancy-based assessor assigns a probability to each retained tuple to indicate a likelihood that the retained tuple is an actual instance of a relationship between a plurality of objects comprising the retained tuple. The retained tuples comprise an extraction graph that can be queried for information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: University of Washington through its Center for Commercialization
    Inventors: Michael J. Cafarella, Michele Banko, Oren Etzioni
  • Publication number: 20140310066
    Abstract: Techniques are described for using predictive pricing information for items to assist in evaluating buying and/or selling decisions in various ways, such as on behalf of end-user item acquirers and/or intermediate item providers. The predictive pricing for an item may be based on an analysis of historical pricing information for that item and/or related items, and can be used to make predictions about future pricing information for the item. Such predictions may then be provided to users in various ways to enable comparison of current prices to predicted future prices. In some situations, predictive pricing information is used to assist customers when purchasing airline tickets and/or to assist travel agents when selling airline tickets. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Alexander Yates, Craig A. Knoblock, Rattapoom Tuchinda
  • Publication number: 20140297264
    Abstract: Open Information Extraction (IE) systems extract relational tuples from text, without requiring a pre-specified vocabulary, by identifying relation phrases and associated arguments in arbitrary sentences. However, state-of-the-art Open IE systems such as REVERB and WOE share two important weaknesses—(1) they extract only relations that are mediated by verbs, and (2) they ignore context, thus extracting tuples that are not asserted as factual. This paper presents OLLIE, a substantially improved Open IE system that addresses both these limitations. First, OLLIE achieves high yield by extracting relations mediated by nouns, adjectives, and more. Second, a context-analysis step increases precision by including contextual information from the sentence in the extractions. OLLIE obtains 2.7 times the area under precision-yield curve (AUC) compared to REVERB and 1.9 times the AUC of WOEparse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2013
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Robert E. Bart, Mausum, Michael D. Schmitz, Stephen G. Soderland
  • Publication number: 20140156264
    Abstract: A system for extracting relational tuples from sentences is provided. The system includes a bootstrapper, an open pattern learner, and a pattern matcher. The bootstrapper generates training data by, for each of a plurality of seed tuples, identifying sentences of a corpus that contains the words of the seed tuple. The open pattern learner learns, from the seed tuples and sentence pairs, open patterns that encode ways in which relational tuples may be expressed in a sentence, The pattern matcher matches the open patterns to a dependency parse of a sentence, identifies base nodes of the dependency parse for the arguments and relation for the relational tuple that the open pattern encodes, and expands the arguments and relation of the relational tuple.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Robert E. Bart, Mausam, Michael D. Schmitz, Stephen G. Doderland
  • Publication number: 20140032209
    Abstract: A system for identifying relational tuples is provided. The system extracts a relation phrase from a sentence by identifying a verb in the sentence and then identifying a relation phrase of the sentence as a phrase in the sentence starting with the identified verb that satisfies both a syntactic constraint and a lexical constraint. The system also identifies arguments for a relation phrase. To extract the arguments, the system applies a left-argument-left-bound classifier, a left-argument-right-bound classifier, and a right-argument-right-bound classifier to identify a left argument and right argument for the relation phrase such that the left argument, the relation phrase, and the right argument form a relational tuple.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Michael Cafarella, Michele Banko
  • Patent number: 8566143
    Abstract: Techniques are described for using predictive pricing information for items to assist in evaluating buying and/or selling decisions in various ways, such as on behalf of end-user item acquirers and/or intermediate item providers. The predictive pricing for an item may be based on an analysis of historical pricing information for that item and/or related items, and can be used to make predictions about future pricing information for the item. Such predictions may then be provided to users in various ways to enable comparison of current prices to predicted future prices. In some situations, predictive pricing information is used to assist customers when purchasing airline tickets and/or to assist travel agents when selling airline tickets. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Alexander Yates, Craig A. Knoblock, Rattapoom Tuchinda
  • Patent number: 8489385
    Abstract: A translation graph is created using a plurality of reference sources that include translations between a plurality of different languages. Each entry in a source is used to create a wordsense entry, and each new word in a source is used to create a wordnode entry. A pair of wordnode and wordsense entries corresponds to a translation. In addition, a probability is determined for each wordsense entry and is decreased for each translation entry that includes more than a predefined number of translations into the same language. Bilingual translation entries are removed if subsumed by a multilingual translation entry. Triangulation is employed to identify pairs of common wordsense translations between a first, second, and third language. Translations not found in reference sources can also be inferred from the data comprising the translation graph. The translation graph can then be used for searches of a data collection in different languages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Kobi Reiter, Marcus Sammer, Michael Schmitz, Stephen Soderland
  • Publication number: 20120303412
    Abstract: Data relating to products sold across a plurality of merchants may be gathered from a variety of sources and processed, including with machine learning components. Identifiers of a same product sold by different merchants may be de-duplicated and/or matched as part of the data processing into a smaller set of uniquely identified products. When the data comes from text, including free-form text, an information extraction and/or machine learning component may be used to detect references to new and known unique products, including product successors (e.g., new product models). Product successor availability may be determined based on gathered data. Product price movement direction predictions, and/or product price range predictions may be determined, as well as purchase-timing recommendations (e.g. Buy or Wait). Such recommendations may be provided for presentation (e.g., to prediction service users) in a variety of forms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, David Hsu, Igor Tartarinov
  • Publication number: 20120271622
    Abstract: A translation graph is created using a plurality of reference sources that include translations between a plurality of different languages. Each entry in a source is used to create a wordsense entry, and each new word in a source is used to create a wordnode entry. A pair of wordnode and wordsense entries corresponds to a translation. In addition, a probability is determined for each wordsense entry and is decreased for each translation entry that includes more than a predefined number of translations into the same language. Bilingual translation entries are removed if subsumed by a multilingual translation entry. Triangulation is employed to identify pairs of common wordsense translations between a first, second, and third language. Translations not found in reference sources can also be inferred from the data comprising the translation graph. The translation graph can then be used for searches of a data collection in different languages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Kobi Reiter, Marcus Sammer, Michael Schmitz, Stephen Soderland
  • Patent number: 8209164
    Abstract: A translation graph is created using a plurality of reference sources that include translations between a plurality of different languages. Each entry in a source is used to create a wordsense entry, and each new word in a source is used to create a wordnode entry. A pair of wordnode and wordsense entries corresponds to a translation. In addition, a probability is determined for each wordsense entry and is decreased for each translation entry that includes more than a predefined number of translations into the same language. Bilingual translation entries are removed if subsumed by a multilingual translation entry. Triangulation is employed to identify pairs of common wordsense translations between a first, second, and third language. Translations not found in reference sources can also be inferred from the data comprising the translation graph. The translation graph can then be used for searches of a data collection in different languages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Kobi Reiter, Marcus Sammer, Michael Schmitz, Stephen Soderland
  • Publication number: 20110251917
    Abstract: Techniques are described for using predictive pricing information for items to assist in evaluating buying and/or selling decisions in various ways, such as on behalf of end-user item acquirers and/or intermediate item providers. The predictive pricing for an item may be based on an analysis of historical pricing information for that item and/or related items, and can be used to make predictions about future pricing information for the item. Such predictions may then be provided to users in various ways to enable comparison of current prices to predicted future prices. In some situations, predictive pricing information is used to assist customers when purchasing airline tickets and/or to assist travel agents when selling airline tickets. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Applicant: University of Washington
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Alexander Yates, Craig A. Knoblock, Rattapoom Tuchinda
  • Publication number: 20110191276
    Abstract: To implement open information extraction, a new extraction paradigm has been developed in which a system makes a single data-driven pass over a corpus of text, extracting a large set of relational tuples without requiring any human input. Using training data, a Self-Supervised Learner employs a parser and heuristics to determine criteria that will be used by an extraction classifier (or other ranking model) for evaluating the trustworthiness of candidate tuples that have been extracted from the corpus of text, by applying heuristics to the corpus of text. The classifier retains tuples with a sufficiently high probability of being trustworthy. A redundancy-based assessor assigns a probability to each retained tuple to indicate a likelihood that the retained tuple is an actual instance of a relationship between a plurality of objects comprising the retained tuple. The retained tuples comprise an extraction graph that can be queried for information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Publication date: August 4, 2011
    Applicant: University of Washington through its Center for Commercialization
    Inventors: Michael J. Cafarella, Michele Banko, Oren Etzioni
  • Patent number: 7974863
    Abstract: Techniques are described for using predictive pricing information for items to assist in evaluating buying and/or selling decisions in various ways, such as on behalf of end-user item acquirers and/or intermediate item providers. The predictive pricing for an item may be based on an analysis of historical pricing information for that item and/or related items, and can be used to make predictions about future pricing information for the item. Such predictions may then be provided to users in various ways to enable comparison of current prices to predicted future prices. In some situations, predictive pricing information is used to assist customers when purchasing airline tickets and/or to assist travel agents when selling airline tickets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: University of Washington
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Alexander Yates, Craig A. Knoblock, Rattapoom Tuchinda
  • Publication number: 20110046989
    Abstract: A method and system for protecting prices is provided. The price protection system increases consumer confidence when making purchases by reducing the risk associated with fluctuating prices. The price protection system receives a purchase specification from a consumer. Next, the price protection system determines the risk that the prices of items matching the purchase specification will change and reports a protected price to the consumer that represents the price that the price protection system will protect based on the determined risk for a protection period. Finally, the price protection system receives a request from the consumer to purchase protection of the protected price.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Applicant: Farecast, Inc.
    Inventors: Hugh Crean, Jay Bartot, David Hsu, Oren Etzioni, Michael Fridgen
  • Patent number: 7877343
    Abstract: To implement open information extraction, a new extraction paradigm has been developed in which a system makes a single data-driven pass over a corpus of text, extracting a large set of relational tuples without requiring any human input. Using training data, a Self-Supervised Learner employs a parser and heuristics to determine criteria that will be used by an extraction classifier (or other ranking model) for evaluating the trustworthiness of candidate tuples that have been extracted from the corpus of text, by applying heuristics to the corpus of text. The classifier retains tuples with a sufficiently high probability of being trustworthy. A redundancy-based assessor assigns a probability to each retained tuple to indicate a likelihood that the retained tuple is an actual instance of a relationship between a plurality of objects comprising the retained tuple. The retained tuples comprise an extraction graph that can be queried for information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: University of Washington through its Center for Commercialization
    Inventors: Michael J. Cafarella, Michele Banko, Oren Etzioni
  • Patent number: 7797187
    Abstract: A method and system for protecting prices is provided. The price protection system increases consumer confidence when making purchases by reducing the risk associated with fluctuating prices. The price protection system receives a purchase specification from a consumer. Next, the price protection system determines the risk that the prices of items matching the purchase specification will change and reports a protected price to the consumer that represents the price that the price protection system will protect based on the determined risk for a protection period. Finally, the price protection system receives a request from the consumer to purchase protection of the protected price.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Farecast, Inc.
    Inventors: Hugh Crean, Jay Bartot, David Hsu, Oren Etzioni, Michael Fridgen
  • Publication number: 20090132233
    Abstract: A translation graph is created using a plurality of reference sources that include translations between a plurality of different languages. Each entry in a source is used to create a wordsense entry, and each new word in a source is used to create a wordnode entry. A pair of wordnode and wordsense entries corresponds to a translation. In addition, a probability is determined for each wordsense entry and is decreased for each translation entry that includes more than a predefined number of translations into the same language. Bilingual translation entries are removed if subsumed by a multilingual translation entry. Triangulation is employed to identify pairs of common wordsense translations between a first, second, and third language. Translations not found in reference sources can also be inferred from the data comprising the translation graph. The translation graph can then be used for searches of a data collection in different languages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2007
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Applicant: University of Washington
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Kobi Reiter, Marcus Sammer, Michael Schmitz, Stephen Soderland
  • Publication number: 20090030746
    Abstract: Techniques are described for using predictive pricing information for items to assist in evaluating buying and/or selling decisions in various ways, such as on behalf of end-user item acquirers and/or intermediate item providers. The predictive pricing for an item may be based on an analysis of historical pricing information for that item and/or related items, and can be used to make predictions about future pricing information for the item. Such predictions may then be provided to users in various ways to enable comparison of current prices to predicted future prices. In some situations, predictive pricing information is used to assist customers when purchasing airline tickets and/or to assist travel agents when selling airline tickets. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2008
    Publication date: January 29, 2009
    Inventors: Oren Etzioni, Alexander Yates, Craig A. Knoblock, Rattapoom Tuchinda
  • Publication number: 20080243479
    Abstract: To implement open information extraction, a new extraction paradigm has been developed in which a system makes a single data-driven pass over a corpus of text, extracting a large set of relational tuples without requiring any human input. Using training data, a Self-Supervised Learner employs a parser and heuristics to determine criteria that will be used by an extraction classifier (or other ranking model) for evaluating the trustworthiness of candidate tuples that have been extracted from the corpus of text, by applying heuristics to the corpus of text. The classifier retains tuples with a sufficiently high probability of being trustworthy. A redundancy-based assessor assigns a probability to each retained tuple to indicate a likelihood that the retained tuple is an actual instance of a relationship between a plurality of objects comprising the retained tuple. The retained tuples comprise an extraction graph that can be queried for information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2007
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: University of Washington
    Inventors: Michael J. Cafarella, Michele Banko, Oren Etzioni
  • Publication number: 20080114622
    Abstract: A method and system for protecting prices is provided. The price protection system increases consumer confidence when making purchases by reducing the risk associated with fluctuating prices. The price protection system receives a purchase specification from a consumer. Next, the price protection system determines the risk that the prices of items matching the purchase specification will change and reports a protected price to the consumer that represents the price that the price protection system will protect based on the determined risk for a protection period. Finally, the price protection system receives a request from the consumer to purchase protection of the protected price.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Publication date: May 15, 2008
    Inventors: Hugh Crean, Jay Bartot, David Hsu, Oren Etzioni, Michael Fridgen