Patent ID: 8001144

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of detecting that different entities identified by different proper names are in a relationship, said method comprising: storing, in a storage device, an input file comprising text patterns, each text pattern comprising: a specific text expression that represents a specific type of relationship between a first entity and a second entity; a first slot location identifier indicating a location of a first slot for a first proper name of said first entity in said specific type of relationship relative to said specific text expression; and a second slot location identifier indicating a location of a second slot for a second proper name of said second entity in said specific type of relationship relative to said specific text expression; locating and tagging, by a processor, occurrences of all proper names within multiple text-based documents in order to generate a list of proper names and locations of said proper names within said multiple text-based documents; analyzing, by said processor, said multiple text-based documents so as to locate a document that contains said specific text expression of a specific text pattern; and accessing, by said processor, said list to determine if any of said proper names on said list are located in said document within said first slot relative to said specific text expression, as determined based on said first slot location identifier, and within said second slot relative to said specific text expression, as determined based on said second slot location identifier so as to detect said specific type of relationship and so as to identify, said first entity in said specific type of relationship by said first proper name and said second entity in said specific type of relationship by said second proper name, respectively.