Knowledge acquisition and retrieval apparatus and method

Abstract

A method for associating data, including creating reciprocal associations between elements of at least one first memory segment and elements of at least one distinct second distinct memory segment to provide: (i) a hierarchical relationship between elements of the at least one first memory segment by traversing the reciprocal associations, and, (ii) a hierarchical relationship between elements of the at least one distinct second memory segment by traversing the reciprocal associations.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of associating data, comprising: 
 creating reciprocal associations between elements of at least one first memory segment and elements of at least one distinct second distinct memory segment to provide: 
 (i) a hierarchical relationship between elements of the at least one first memory segment by traversing the reciprocal associations, and,  
 (ii) a hierarchical relationship between elements of the at least one distinct second memory segment by traversing the reciprocal associations.  
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , where creating reciprocal associations comprises: 
 based on non-existence of a first input in the at least one first memory segment: 
 (i) storing the first input in the at least one first memory segment,  
 (ii) creating a corresponding first input element in the distinct second memory segment, and  
 (iii) reciprocally associating the first input in the at least one first memory segment with the corresponding first input element in the distinct second memory segment,  
   based on non-existence of a second input in the at least one first memory segment: 
 (i) storing the second input in the at least one first memory segment,  
 (ii) creating a corresponding second input element in the distinct second memory segment, and  
 (iii) reciprocally associating the second input in the at least one first memory segment with the corresponding second input element in the distinct second memory segment, and,  
   reciprocally associating the first input in the at least one first input element with the second input element in the distinct second memory segment.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising retrieving data from the at least one first memory segment based on an input, the retrieved data corresponding to the at least one distinct second memory segment element reciprocally associated with the input and different from the input.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , where the input represents language data.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , where the at least one first memory segment includes at least one of: 
 an auditory data segment, a visual data segment, a language data segment, a motion data segment, and a sensory data segment.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising retrieving data from the at least one first memory segment based on an input, the retrieved data based on the at least one first memory data segment element corresponding to at least one distinct second memory segment element that is (i) reciprocally associated with the input and (ii) different from the input.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , where the input includes at least one of a visual data, an auditory data, a sensor data, and a motion data.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising retrieving data from the at least one first memory segment based on at least one input, the at least one input being at least one element of the at least one second memory segment, the retrieved data based on the at least one first memory segment element reciprocally associated with the at least one input.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , where the retrieved data includes language data.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising retrieving data from the at least one first memory segment based on at least two inputs, the at least two inputs being at least two elements of the at least one distinct second memory segment, the retrieved data based on at least one element of the at least one first memory segment reciprocally associated with all of the at least two inputs.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , where the retrieved data includes language data.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising retrieving data from the at least one first memory segment based on a first input and a distinct second input, the first input and the distinct second input being elements of the at least one first memory segment, the retrieved data based on all elements of the at least one first memory segment traversed in the reciprocally associated hierarchy of the first input and the distinct second input.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising retrieving data from the at least one distinct second memory segment based on at least two inputs, the at least two inputs being elements of the at least one first memory segment, the retrieved data based on the at least one element of the at least one distinct second memory segment reciprocally associated with all of the at least two inputs.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising retrieving data from the at least one distinct second memory segment based on at least one input, the at least one input being elements of the at least one first memory segment, the retrieved data based on elements of the at least one first memory segment reciprocally associated with all of the at least one input.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , where the retrieved data represents at least one of: an auditory data, a motion data, a sensory data, and a visual data.