Voice Question Answering with Knowledge Base and Web Search

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing speech processing systems face challenges in efficiently answering complex questions due to the limitations of structured knowledge bases and web queries, which struggle with inferential knowledge and provide multiple unspecific results, respectively.

Innovation Solution

A combined question answering system that utilizes both a structured knowledge base and web search to provide accurate and specific responses, incorporating components like ASR, NLU, and a search manager to process user queries and select appropriate answers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a structured knowledge base is used to answer questions, then the system can provide structured and reliable answers, but it fails to handle complex questions requiring inferential knowledge

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanswer reliabilityVSAvoidcapability to handle complex questions

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines a structured knowledge base with a web search engine to create a hybrid question-answering system. The knowledge base provides reliable structured answers for simple questions, while the web search engine supplements the system with inferential knowledge and complex information retrieval capabilities, thereby resolving the limitation of the knowledge base alone.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If web search is used to answer questions, then the system can handle complex and unstructured information, but it provides multiple unspecific results reducing answer reliability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecapability to handle complex informationVSAvoidanswer specificity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a question classifier as an intermediary component that analyzes user questions and routes them to the appropriate answer source. The classifier determines whether a question is best answered by the structured knowledge base or the web search engine, thereby filtering and selecting specific reliable results from the web search to complement the knowledge base answers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Device complexity

If a single answer source is used, then the system is simple to implement, but it cannot provide comprehensive answers to all types of questions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidcomprehensive question answering capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the question-answering function into two distinct components: a knowledge base handler for structured questions and a web search engine for complex questions. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific question types while working together to provide comprehensive answers, balancing system manageability with functional versatility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12602198B2Search and knowledge base question answering for a voice user interface

Publication Date: 2026.04.14 AMAZON TECH INC

AI summary

A voice-controlled question answering system that is capable of answering questions using both a knowledge base and a search engine. The knowledge base is used to answer questions when answers to those questions are contained in the knowledge base. If an answer using the knowledge base is unavailable, and if the question is suitable for answering using an unstructured search approach, the system may obtain an answer using a search engine. The search engine results may be processed to obtain an answer to the question suitable for output using a voice user interface.