Temporal Reference Frame Segmentation for Contextual Time Description
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Solution Overview
Problem
Natural language generation systems face challenges in linguistically describing time periods in output text, as they often require external information or context to generate appropriate descriptions, and existing methods lack variability and precision in temporal references.
Innovation Solution
A temporal description system is introduced that identifies a communicative context and utilizes temporal reference frames to generate phrase specifications for time periods, incorporating descriptors and relationships to provide context-specific and varied linguistic descriptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a natural language generation system uses standard temporal expressions, then the output is linguistically correct, but the variability and contextual relevance of temporal descriptions is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments temporal reference into multiple hierarchical frames (calendar frame, time-of-day frame, duration frame, etc.), where each frame handles specific temporal aspects. This segmentation allows the system to select appropriate frames based on communicative context, improving adaptability without requiring a single complex temporal model to handle all cases.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically selects and instantiates temporal reference frames based on the communicative context and domain. Rather than using a fixed temporal expression system, the appropriate temporal frame is activated depending on the situation (e.g., calendar frame for dates, time-of-day frame for clock times), making the system adaptable to different contexts while keeping individual frame implementations relatively simple.
2Measurement precision
If the system incorporates multiple temporal reference frames, then the precision and variability of temporal descriptions improve, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects which temporal reference frame to instantiate based on the communicative context and domain requirements. This dynamic selection allows the system to achieve high precision when needed by activating specific temporal frames, while avoiding the complexity of maintaining all frames active simultaneously. The temporal frame instantiation is context-driven rather than comprehensive.
Solution Approach 2:
Each temporal reference frame is designed to handle specific temporal precision requirements locally. For example, the calendar frame handles date-level precision, the time-of-day frame handles clock-time precision, and the duration frame handles interval precision. This local specialization allows each frame to be optimized for its specific purpose without requiring all frames to handle all types of temporal information, reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are described herein that are configured to express a time in an output text. In some example embodiments, a method is provided that comprises identifying a time period to be described linguistically in an output text. The method of this embodiment may also include identifying a communicative context for the output text. The method of this embodiment may also include determining one or more temporal reference frames that are applicable to the time period and a domain defined by the communicative context. The method of this embodiment may also include generating a phrase specification that linguistically describes the time period based on the descriptor that is defined by a temporal reference frame of the one or more temporal reference frames. In some examples, the descriptor specifies a time window that is inclusive of at least a portion of the time period to be described linguistically.