Unsupervised Text Segmentation by Topic Using Vector Distance Minimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current text segmentation methods in natural language processing rely on costly and error-prone supervised learning, requiring large labeled datasets that are difficult to obtain, limiting their effectiveness in tasks like text understanding and summarization.

Innovation Solution

An unsupervised machine learning approach that uses deep learning and inner product processing to segment text into topics without labeled data, leveraging the intuition that consecutive text portions should 'agree' and belong to the same segment, with pattern alignment to label segments accurately.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If supervised learning methods are used for text segmentation, then segmentation accuracy can be improved, but the cost and complexity of obtaining labeled training data increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesegmentation accuracyVSAvoiddata labeling complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically generating segment labels through unsupervised learning algorithms without requiring human annotators. The model learns segmentation patterns directly from unlabeled text data, eliminating the need for external labeling services while maintaining segmentation quality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary unsupervised learning model that mediates between raw unlabeled text and segmentation results. This intermediary system processes text through algorithms like topic modeling or clustering to generate segment labels without direct human intervention, bridging the gap between unlabeled data and structured segmentation output

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If large labeled datasets are collected for training, then model performance improves, but the time and resources required for data collection and labeling increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemodel performanceVSAvoiddata preparation time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system eliminates the time-consuming data preparation phase by using unsupervised learning to automatically learn from unlabeled text. The model performs self-training on available data without requiring manual curation, annotation, or validation steps that traditionally consume significant time and resources

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies preliminary unsupervised processing to text data before formal segmentation, pre-extracting topics, themes, or structural patterns that will later guide segmentation. This preliminary action prepares the data in advance without requiring labeled examples, reducing the overall time needed for model development and deployment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If manual labeling by human readers is performed, then training data quality improves, but errors and inconsistencies in labeling increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetraining data qualityVSAvoidlabeling consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces human labelers with automated unsupervised learning algorithms that consistently apply the same segmentation criteria throughout the dataset. This eliminates human errors, fatigue-related inconsistencies, and subjective variations while maintaining high data quality through algorithmic rigor and repeatability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS10984193B1Unsupervised text segmentation by topic
Publication Date: 2021.04.20 INTUIT INC
  • US10984193B1 patent drawing
  • US10984193B1 patent drawing
  • US10984193B1 patent drawing

AI summary

A processor may generate a plurality of vectors from an original text by processing the original text with at least one unsupervised learning algorithm. Each of the plurality of vectors may correspond to a separate portion of a plurality of portions of the original text. The processor may determine respective segments to which respective vectors belong. The processor may minimize a distance between at least one vector belonging to the segment and a known vector from among one or more known vectors and applying a label of the known vector to the segment.