Partially automated interactive dialog

• US 20010047261A1
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Published: 11/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kassan, Peter
• Original Assignee: Kassan, Peter
• Inventors: Kassan, Peter
• Application Number:
  US09/767,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20010047261A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/32 Multiple recognisers used in sequence or in parallel; Score combination systems therefor, e.g. voting systems

Abstract

A computer program that provides automated interactive technical support simulating the sort of support an actual human would provide, including a mechanism under which, under certain circumstances, a human being is able to intervene where necessary to supplement or substitute for the automated help. The system has an artificial intelligence engine that uses natural language processing to engage in unrestricted and automated dialogue with callers, modified essentially in that the computer is able to rate the dialogue and when the dialogue quality falls below a predetermined rating threshold, callers are automatically routed to human operators for further intervention and assistance.

Claims

1. A substantially automatic and interactive system for handling requests for information from a plurality of system users, the system comprising:

a controller for responding to users information requests placed by the users;

a database containing information responsive to specific requests for information;

a computer with a memory, at least one input device and a facility that is able to retrieve information from the database that is responsive to the users'"'"' requests for information;

an artificial intelligence engine capable of carrying on a dialogue with the users and that recognizes key words and/or combinations thereof representing requests for information and that guides the computer towards specific sections of the database and that selects from the database most probable correct responses to the users'"'"' requests for information;

a dialogue rating software that qualitatively determines and sets a rating indicative of the effectiveness of the dialogue in terms of its ability to lead to the requested information; and

human intervention software that causes the dialogue to be passed to human operators in the event that the rating falls below a predetermined threshold.

2. The system of

claim 1

, in which the requested information comprises technical information.

3. The system of

claim 1

, in which the system simultaneously engages in automated dialogue with several users.

4. The system of

claim 1

, in which the database comprises a finite body of information relevant to a well-defined and limited subject matter.

5. The system of

claim 4

, in which the well-defined and limited subject matter relates to a computer program or a website.

6. The system of

claim 1

, in which the rating software monitors the operation of the computer in terms of how well it is performing by developing a rating criteria.

7. The system of

claim 6

, in which the rating criteria is based on one or more of:

unfamiliar words used by the user;

number of corrections a user makes to each statement made by the computer;

expression of dissatisfaction by the user; and

the number of questions and answers that have already transpired between a user and the computer.

8. The system of

claim 1

, further including a program that restates the information that a computer has gathered and asks for confirmation from the user.

9. The system of

claim 1

, further including a program that recognizes specific expressions by a user and treats such expressions similar to a recognition by the computer that its performance had fallen below the predetermined threshold.

10. The system of

claim 1

, in which a user'"'"'s request for human intervention is recognizable by a non verbal command.

11. The system of

claim 10

, in which the non verbal command comprises one or more of a keystroke operation, a function key operation, and a mouse operation.

12. The system of

claim 1

, further including a visual display on which the dialogue between the users and the computer is displayed.

13. The system of

claim 1

, in which the database is located remotely relative to the computer.

14. The system of

claim 1

, further comprising software for handling personal information including account information concerning callers.

15. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the dialogue is maintained orally between the computer and the users.

16. The system of

claim 1

, further including an automated diagnostic software that asks a series of questions and accepts responses thereto.

17. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the system does not identify itself to users as an automated computer system.

18. The system of

claim 1

, in which the system is operable in a plurality of selectable languages.

19. The system of

claim 1

, in which the system is accessible via a website.

20. The system of

claim 1

, in which the information comprises information about an institution.

21. The system of

claim 1

, in which the information comprises general reference information of the type provided by an online encyclopedia or an educational website.

22. The system of

claim 1

, in which the rating software gathers statistics on how well the computer performs.

23. The system of

claim 22

, in which the statistics are gathered relative to failures that have occurred based on a plurality of different criteria.

24. The system of

claim 1

, further including software for maintaining and storing a history of actual dialogues between users and the system.

25. The system of

claim 24

, in which information from the history being maintained is used to supplement an existing database.