Machine interface

• US 20020004719A1
• Filed: 03/13/2001
• Published: 01/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hogenhout, Wide Roeland
• Granted Patent: US 6,832,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/258
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A machine interface for interfacing a user to a machine receives input words from a user. Scores for at least some of the input words are determined using scores for words appearing in each passages of the text. A passage in the text having the highest combined score for the input words is identified and a corresponding dialogue instruction set is executed to generate words for output and to respond to input words from the user.

Claims

1. A machine having a user interface comprising:

inputting means for inputting words from a user;

outputting means for outputting words to a user;

instruction set storage means for storing a plurality of dialogue instruction sets, each said instruction set corresponding to a passage of information in a text document;

score storage means for storing scores for words appearing in each passage of said text;

search means for receiving the input words, for determining scores for at least some of the input words from said score storage means, and for identifying a said passage in said text having a highest combined score for the input words; and

dialogue execution means for executing a dialogue instruction set corresponding to said passage identified as having the highest combined score to generate words for output by said outputting means and to respond to words input by said inputting means.

2. A machine according to claim 1 including user prompt means for generating a user prompt corresponding to said passage having the highest combined score for output by said outputting means if said search means does not determine a said passage with a combined score significantly higher than the combined scores for other said passages, said dialogue execution means being responsive to one or more positive input words to execute said dialogue instruction set, and said search means being responsive to one or more negative input words to reduce the score for said passage and to redetermine a said passage having a highest combined score.

3. A machine according to claim 1 for providing a spoken dialogue interface, wherein said inputting means is adapted to input spoken words, said outputting means is adapted to output spoken words, said instruction set storage means is adapted to store spoken dialogue instruction sets, and said dialogue execution means is adapted to execute a spoken dialogue instruction set.

4. A machine according to claim 1 wherein said search means is adapted to ignore non information bearing words when determining the scores.

5. A machine according to claim 1 including:

text inputting means for inputting said text document;

fragmentation means for identifying passages in said text document;

instruction set generation means for generating said dialogue instruction sets corresponding to said passages and for storing said dialogue instruction sets in said instruction set storage means; and

score determining means for determining said scores for words appearing in each passage and for storing said scores in said score storage means.

6. Configuration apparatus for use with the machine according to claim 1, the apparatus comprising:

text inputting means for inputting said text document;

fragmentation means for identifying passages in said text document;

instruction set generation means for generating said dialogue instruction sets corresponding to said passages and for storing said dialogue instruction sets in said instruction set storage means; and

score determining means for determining said scores for words appearing in each passage and for storing said scores in said score storage means.

7. An interface method for a machine, the method comprising:

receiving words from a user;

determining scores for at least some of the input words using stored scores for words appearing in each of a plurality of passages of said text;

identifying a said passage in said text having a highest combined score for the input words;

identifying and executing one of a plurality of dialogue instruction sets corresponding to said identified passage to generate words for output and to respond to input words.

8. An interface method according to claim 7 including:

a) generating a user prompt corresponding to said identified passage if said identified passage does not have a combined score significantly higher than the combined scores for other said passages,

b) if a positive response is received from the user, executing said dialogue instruction set or if a negative response is received from the user, reducing the score for said identified passage and re-identifying a said passage having a highest combined score, and

c) repeating steps a) and b) if a said dialogue instruction set is not executed.

9. An interface method according to claim 8 wherein if anything other than a positive or negative response is received from the user, the steps of claim 7 are repeated using the words of the response as the received words from the user.

10. An interface method according to any one of claim 7, for providing a spoken dialogue interface for the machine, wherein the words received from the user are spoken words, said dialogue instruction set comprises a spoken dialogue instruction set which is executed to generate spoken words for output and to respond to received spoken words.

11. An interface method according to claim 7, wherein the step of determining scores comprises determining scores for only information bearing received words.

12. An interface method according to claim 7, including:

inputting said text document;

identifying passages in said text document;

generating said dialogue instruction sets corresponding to said passages;

storing said instruction sets;

determining said scores for words appearing in each passage; and

storing said scores.

13. A method of generating dialogue configuration data for use in the method of claim 7, the method comprising:

inputting said text document;

identifying passages in said text document;

generating said dialogue instruction sets corresponding to said passages;

storing said instruction sets;

determining said scores for words appearing in each passage; and

storing said scores.

14. Processor implementable instruction code for controlling a processor to implement the method of claim 7.

15. A carrier medium carrying the processor implementable instruction code according to claim 14.

16. A carrier medium carrying said dialogue instruction sets and said scores for words generated in accordance with claim 13.