Intent-Based Application Access via Verb-Noun Annotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current computer application systems lack the ability to understand user intent effectively, limiting their capacity to recommend appropriate applications based on user needs and context, as they primarily rely on navigation links and do not efficiently separate user intent from the methods to achieve it.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that stores annotations for computer applications, including verbs and nouns describing activities and work objects, allowing users to input verbs and nouns to specify and access relevant applications based on user intent, with optional context information for more accurate matching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional navigation links and pre-packaged software interfaces are used, then system structure is simple and easy to implement, but user intent understanding capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the application interface into distinct components: verb annotations (actions), noun annotations (objects), and context annotations. This segmentation allows the system to separately capture and process different aspects of user intent, improving intent understanding without creating a monolithic complex system. Each annotation type can be independently developed, stored, and queried.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer of semantic annotations between the user interface and the application logic. These annotations act as a mediator that translates user interactions into structured intent representations, enabling the system to understand user goals without requiring complex direct analysis of user behavior. The annotations serve as a bridge between raw user input and application response.
2Adaptability or versatility
If service discovery and loose coupling of software components are implemented, then system flexibility improves, but application navigation and interface expressiveness remain limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal annotation framework that can be applied across different applications and contexts. The verb-noun-context annotation structure serves multiple functions: it describes application capabilities, captures user intent, enables service discovery, and supports navigation. This multi-functional approach allows the same mechanism to improve both system flexibility and ease of operation without requiring separate solutions for each.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where user interactions with annotated interfaces generate data that refines intent models. The annotations capture not only static application capabilities but also dynamic user behavior patterns. This feedback mechanism enables the system to learn from user interactions and improve navigation recommendations over time, making the interface more expressive and adaptive without increasing operational complexity.
3Loss of information
If monitoring of service invocation is used to understand user needs, then implementation is simple, but separation of user intent from action method is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts user intent from the action execution process by capturing it separately in verb-noun annotations before the actual service invocation occurs. Instead of merely monitoring what services are called, the system extracts and stores the underlying intent (what the user wants to achieve) separately from the method (how it's achieved). This extraction maintains clear separation between intent and action while using a structured but not overly complex annotation framework.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a computer-implemented method comprising storing information in a datastore, the information corresponding to a plurality of computer applications, wherein the plurality of computer applications have associated annotations, receiving an input from a user, providing a first verb and a first noun corresponding to a user intent based on said input, and specifying one or more of said plurality of applications based on the verb and noun annotations for the plurality of applications and the first verb and first noun corresponding to the user intent. The annotations comprise a verb describing one or more activities performed by an associated application and a noun describing work objects on which the activities are performed. Users access the applications in the datastore.