US 7209876

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 7209876:

US Patent 7209876: System and method for automated answering of natural language questions and queries

• Title: System and method for automated answering of natural language questions and queries
• Assignee: Iot Innovations LLC (Current Assignee as of August 2, 2022). The original assignee was Groove Unlimited LLC.
• Inventors: Michael J. Miller, Leonard Jay Wantz
• Filing Date: November 13, 2002
• Issue Date: April 24, 2007
• Abstract: The patent describes a method for searching an information repository to find answers to natural language questions or queries. This method involves generating an expected answer form based on the structure of the natural language question, searching for answers that fit this expected form, and then presenting the answer to the user.

Legal Status: The patent is listed as "Expired - Lifetime," with an expiration date of January 24, 2025. Therefore, as of April 26, 2026, the patent has expired. There is no specific mention of US Patent 7209876 in the CAFC dockets for 2026 within the search results, which is consistent with its expired status.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1 (Method for Producing Answers): This claim describes a computer-implemented method that takes a search question or query containing placeholders (variable expressions) for the desired answer. It then performs an initial search in an information repository, narrows down the results to "answer phrases" that structurally resemble the query and fill the placeholders, and finally modifies these phrases to provide direct answers.
• Claim 13 (Method for Producing Answers - Keyword/Phrase Search Focus): This claim outlines a computer-implemented method where a search question or query indicates the subject. It initiates a keyword/phrase search in an information repository, obtains a dataset, and then retrieves "answer phrases" from this dataset that syntactically match the anticipated form of an answer to the query. These answer phrases are then provided as output.
• Claim 25 (Method for Processing Natural Language): This claim details a computer-implemented method for processing a natural language question. It starts by converting the natural language question into a "generic question form," then into an "expected answer form." It then uses keywords from the question to search an information repository, filters the results to find "answer phrases" that syntactically match the "expected answer form," and formats these to be direct answers to the original natural language question.
• Claim 32 (System for Producing Answers): This claim describes a computer system, specifically a server, hosting a data search service. This system is equipped with program code to:
  • Transform a natural language question into an "expected answer form" that includes specific data terms and answer placeholders.
  • Extract these data terms to generate a keyword/phrase search query and initiate a search in an information repository.
  • Filter the search results to pinpoint "answer phrases" that syntactically match the "expected answer form."
  • Format these "answer phrases" into direct answers for the original natural language question and present them as output.