System and method for determining timing of response in a group communication using artificial intelligence

• US 10,051,442 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Proctor, Lee M
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Tan H
• Application Number:
  US15/390,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20180184257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 455518, 455519, 455 902, 4554353, 455466, 4554121, 4554141, 4554144, 370260, 370328, 370312, 704275, 704270, 706 45, 706 11, 706 54
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/566 relating to a participants right to speak arrangements for multi-party communication with floor control, e.g. for conferences, H04L65/4038, H04L65/4046, H04L65/4053
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

Efficient use of channel bandwidth response, response timing, along with the ability to acquire the most accurate and up to date response are provided for management of virtual assistant search queries within a communication system (100). Improved management is obtained using an artificial intelligence (AI) server (104) controlling response activity to a query communication device (102) by incorporating one or more of: adjusting verbosity of responses (158), redirecting queries from the AI server to alternate resources (412), and/or prioritizing of a response (506) based on wait time.

Claims

1. A method of receiving information, comprising:

forming a talkgroup from a plurality of radios;

sending a verbal query via a (push-to-talk) PTT radio of the talkgroup to at least one of the members of the talkgroup;

generating and sending a verbal response to the verbal query from an AI server, the AI server having natural language processing and response capability, after a predetermined verbal response wait time from the talkgroup has expired with no verbal response being generated by the talkgroup; and

prioritizing automated responses to the verbal query in response to changes in incident scene context information determined by the AI server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response to the verbal query from another radio of the talkgroup prior to the wait time expiring.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response to the verbal query from the AI server after the predetermined wait time has expired.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wait time is determined based on radio channel bandwidth and the AI server'"'"'s floor control availability.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising;

determining a priority for sending a verbal response from the AI server;

and sending the response based on the priority.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prioritizing the radio verbal query, by the AI server or a floor controller, based on context factors.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the context factors are associated with the talkgroup and comprise one or more of:

radio user identity, rank of requestor, rank of other members of the talkgroup, number of members in the talkgroup.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the context factors are associated with an incident scene of the query radio and comprises:

incident scene type and public safety information pertaining to the incident scene.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically assigning the AI server and a floor controller upon formation of one or more talkgroups within a communication system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

adjusting a response wait time, by the AI server based on a confidence level that the verbal query was intended for the AI server or for members of the talkgroup.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an anticipated response time; and

locking a floor control, by the AI server, for the anticipated response time.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying, to the AI server, by the radio sending the query, a subgroup of talkgroup members to hear the response; and

sending the response, by the AI server, to the subgroup of talkgroup members.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the AI server automatically removes itself from the talkgroup upon sending the response.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the AI server provides additional information to the verbal query after a verbal response has been generated by the talkgroup.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the AI server, without being queried, automatically inserts itself into the talkgroup and sends a response to a query radio of the talkgroup.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the AI server is automatically assigned upon formation of one or more talkgroups within the communication system.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein a radio member of the talkgroup sends an AI request for the AI server to join the talkgroup.

18. A method of receiving information, comprising:

forming a talkgroup from a plurality of radios;

sending a verbal query via a (push-to-talk) PTT radio of the talkgroup to at least one of the members of the talkgroup;

generating and sending a verbal response to the verbal query from an AI server, the AI server having natural language processing and response capability, after a predetermined verbal response wait time from the talkgroup has expired with no verbal response being generated by the talkgroup;

prioritizing a radio query based on verbal query words having predetermined keyword priority rankings; and

re-prioritizing automated verbal responses to the query, from the AI server, in response to changes in incident scene context determined by the AI server, wherein the incident scene context is monitored as part of the query.

19. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of radios having half-duplex functionality, the plurality of radios forming one or more talkgroups;

an artificial intelligence (AI) server providing a natural language processing query and response database;

a floor controller for scheduling query and response operation;

the AI server intelligently interacting with the floor controller to provide responses to verbal queries sent out by one or more radios from the one or more talkgroups;

timing of verbal responses of at least one of the AI verbal queries being prioritized based on context information of the communication system; and

wherein the AI server prioritizes automated responses to the verbal query in response to changes in incident scene context information determined by the AI server.

23. The communication system of claim 19, wherein the AI server provides additional information to the verbal query after a verbal response has been generated by the talkgroup.

20. The communication system 19, wherein the talkgroup comprises half-duplex radios operating in a narrowband network.

21. The communication system 19, wherein the talkgroup comprises half-duplex radios operating in a broadband network.

22. The communication system 19, wherein the talkgroup is a public safety communications talkgroup and the AI server and the floor controller prioritize timing of responses to queries based on context information within the public safety communication system.

24. The communication system 19, wherein the AI server, without being queried, automatically inserts itself into the talkgroup and sends a response to a query radio of the talkgroup.

25. The communication system 19, wherein the AI server is automatically assigned upon formation of one or more talkgroups within the communication system.

26. The communication system 19, wherein a radio member of the talkgroup sends an AI request for the AI server to join the talkgroup.

27. The communication system 19, wherein the timing for the AI server to respond is further based on a predetermined response wait time within which no verbal response is generated by the one or more talkgroups.

28. A communication system, comprising,

a push-to-talk (PTT) communication device having talkgroup capability;

an artificial intelligence (AI) server having language processing and response capability; and

a floor controller for interoperatively controlling timing and prioritization of verbal query and verbal response between the PTT communication device and the AI server, wherein the AI server prioritizes automated responses to the verbal query in response to changes in incident scene context information determined by the AI server.

29. The communication system of claim 28, wherein the talkgroup comprises half-duplex radios operating in a narrowband network.

32. The communication system of claim 28, wherein the AI server provides additional information to the verbal query after a verbal response has been generated by a talkgroup.

30. The communication system 28, wherein the talkgroup comprises half-duplex radios operating in a broadband network.

31. The communication system 28, comprising,

wherein the AI server, without being queried, automatically inserts itself into the talkgroup and sends a response to a query radio of the talkgroup.

33. The communication system 28, wherein the AI server is automatically assigned upon formation of one or more talkgroups within the communication system.

34. The communication system 28, wherein a radio member of the talkgroup sends an AI request for the AI server to join the talkgroup.

35. The communication system 28, wherein the AI server responds to the verbal query after a predetermined verbal response wait time within which a talkgroup has not responded to the verbal query.

36. A method of receiving information, comprising:

forming a talkgroup from a plurality of radios;

sending a verbal query via a (push-to-talk) PTT radio of the talkgroup to at least one of the members of the talkgroup;

generating and sending a verbal response to the verbal query from an AI server, the AI server having natural language processing and response capability, after a predetermined verbal response wait time from the talkgroup has expired with no verbal response being generated by the talkgroup;

determining an anticipated response time; and

locking the floor control, by the AI server, for the anticipated response time.

37. A method of receiving information, comprising:

forming a talkgroup from a plurality of radios;

sending a verbal query via a (push-to-talk) PTT radio of the talkgroup to at least one of the members of the talkgroup;

generating and sending a verbal response to the verbal query from an AI server, the AI server having natural language processing and response capability, after a predetermined verbal response wait time from the talkgroup has expired with no verbal response being generated by the talkgroup, wherein the AI server provides additional information to the verbal query after a verbal response has been generated by the talkgroup.

38. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of radios having half-duplex functionality, the plurality of radios forming one or more talkgroups;

an artificial intelligence (AI) server providing a natural language processing query and response database;

a floor controller for scheduling query and response operation;

the AI server intelligently interacting with the floor controller to provide responses to verbal queries sent out by one or more radios from the one or more talkgroups; and

timing of verbal responses of at least one of the AI verbal queries being prioritized based on context information of the communication system, wherein the AI server provides additional information to the verbal query after a verbal response has been generated by the talkgroup.

39. A communication system, comprising,

a push-to-talk (PTT) communication device having talkgroup capability;

an artificial intelligence (AI) server having language processing and response capability; and

a floor controller for interoperatively controlling timing and prioritization of verbal query and verbal response between the PTT communication device and the AI server, wherein the AI server provides additional information to the verbal query after a verbal response has been generated by a talkgroup.