Sub-word Embeddings for Semantic Search Accuracy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional data management systems fail to accurately understand the intent behind user queries containing uncommon terms or misspellings, leading to inadequate assistance and increased resource consumption.

Innovation Solution

A data management system utilizing deep learning-based sub-word embeddings to break down terms into sub-words, convert them into vectors, and identify related terms in a vector space, providing accurate assistance by generating augmented query data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional data management systems use predefined lists of synonyms and misspellings, then they can identify some user queries correctly, but they fail to understand queries containing uncommon terms or misspellings not in the list

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequery understanding accuracyVSAvoidhandling of uncommon terms
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments terms into sub-words (character n-grams) to create a more granular representation. This allows the model to break down unfamiliar terms into component parts that can be independently analyzed and matched against the vector space, enabling recognition of uncommon terms and misspellings that would not be captured by whole-word matching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms terms from discrete categorical values into continuous vector representations using sub-word embeddings. This parameter transformation allows for semantic similarity calculation based on vector distance, enabling the system to identify conceptually related terms even when the exact word or spelling doesn't match, thereby improving adaptability to uncommon terminology.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If traditional systems perform multiple fruitless searches when users enter unrecognized terms, then they consume large amounts of computing resources, but they still fail to provide relevant assistance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassistance provision efficiencyVSAvoidcomputing resource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary processing of terms into sub-word embeddings before the search operation. By pre-computing vector representations of sub-words and storing them in a vector space, the system prepares the data structure in advance to enable efficient similarity-based matching, avoiding the need for multiple fruitless sequential searches.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces the mechanical sequential search approach with a vector-space-based similarity search. Instead of checking terms against fixed lists or performing multiple sequential searches, the system uses vector distance calculations to efficiently identify semantically related terms, significantly reducing computing resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If users make telephone calls to speak with experts, then they receive accurate assistance, but the process is very expensive and time consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassistance accuracyVSAvoidtime to obtain assistance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service by automatically understanding user queries through sub-word embedding analysis and providing relevant assistance documents without requiring human expert intervention. The system serves itself by using the vector space to identify and retrieve appropriate help resources, making the assistance process autonomous, immediate, and scalable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11086857B1Method and system for semantic search with a data management system
Publication Date: 2021.08.10 INTUIT INC
  • US11086857B1 patent drawing
  • US11086857B1 patent drawing
  • US11086857B1 patent drawing

AI summary

A method and system provides assistance to users of a data management system. The method and system trains an analysis model with a machine learning process to generate sub-word embeddings corresponding to vectorized representations of portions of a search term entered by a user. The method and system generates augmented query data based on the sub-word embeddings. The method and system provides assistance to the user based on the augmented query data.