Language-oriented user interfaces for voice activated services

• US 20030004730A1
• Filed: 08/13/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Comverse Incorporated (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Comverse Network Systems, Inc. (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Yuschik, Matthew John
• Application Number:
  US10/216,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20030004730A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/065 Adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding

Abstract

A comprehensive system is provided for designing a voice activated user interface (VA UI) having a semantic and syntactic structure adapted to the culture and conventions of spoken language for the intended users. The system decouples the content dimension of speech (semantics) and the manner-of-speaking dimension (syntax) in a systematic way. By decoupling these dimensions, the VA UI can be optimized with respect to each dimension independently and jointly. The approach is general across languages and encompasses universal variables of language and culture. Also provided are voice activated user interfaces with semantic and syntactic structures so adapted, as well as a prompting grammar and error handling methods adapted to such user interfaces.

Claims

1. A method for adaptive error handling in a voice activated user interface, the method comprising:

detecting that an error has occurred in a dialogue between the user and the user interface based on a change in behavior of the user;

reprompting the user when the error is an omission error; and

returning to a previous menu state responsive to a correction command by the user when the error is a commission error.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein reprompting the user includes repeating a previous prompt to which the user failed to respond.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein reprompting the user includes prompting the user according to an alternate prompting grammar.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the change in the user'"'"'s behavior is a lengthening of a latency interval between a prompt from the user interface and a response from the user.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the correction command is one of a command to cancel a previous response, a command for help, and a command to return to a main menu of the user interface.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the previous menu state is a state of a current menu before the error occurred.

7. A method for adaptive error handling in a voice activated user interface, the method comprising:

detecting that an error has occurred in a dialogue with the user interface following a prompt delivered according to a first prompting structure; and

reprompting the user according to a second prompting structure when a count of errors exceeds a predetermined value.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the detected error is one of a failure to respond to the prompt and an incorrect response given by the user in response to the prompt.

9. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the first prompting structure includes a prompt chunk size greater than one and less than five.

10. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the second prompting structure includes at least one of an alternative prompt for the delivered prompt, a plurality of prompts each corresponding to a subtask of the delivered prompt, and a prompt requiring a yes-or-no response.

11. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the count of errors is one of a count of errors for the dialogue, a count of errors for a task attempted in the dialogue, and a count of errors committed by the user in a specified time interval.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the user error is one of a failure to respond to a prompt and an incorrect response given by the user in response to the prompt.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the error prompt level is selected from a first level corresponding to a prompting structure having prompts with parallel association of responses and a second level corresponding to a prompting structure having only prompts with serial association of responses.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the user error is one of a failure to respond to a previous prompt and an incorrect response given by the user in response to the previous response.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the predetermined value is one.

18. A computer system as recited in claim 17, wherein said processor reprompts the user by a procedure including repeating a previous prompt to which the user failed to respond.

19. A computer system as recited in claim 17, wherein said processor reprompts the user by a procedure including prompting the user according to an alternate prompting grammar.

12. A method for adaptive error handling in a voice activated user interface, the method comprising:

selecting an error prompt level based on an accumulated number of user errors when a user error occurs in a dialogue between the user interface and a user; and

reprompting the user according to the selected error prompt level.

17. A computer system providing a service to a user through a voice activated user interface, said computer system comprising:

a storage storing a menu of commands usable by the user in a dialogue between the user and the user interface; and

a processor detecting an error in the dialogue based on a change in behavior of the user, reprompting the user when the error is an omission error, and returning to a previous menu state responsive to a correction command when the error is a commission error.

20. A computer system providing a service to a user through a voice activated user interface, said computer system comprising:

a storage storing a menu of commands usable by the user in a dialogue between the user and the user interface; and

a processor prompting a command selection by the user according to a first prompting syntax, detecting an error in the dialogue when the error occurs, and prompting a command selection by the user according to a second prompting syntax when a count of errors by the user during the dialogue exceeds a predetermined value.

21. A computer system as recited in claim 20, wherein the detected error is one of a failure to respond to the prompt and an incorrect response given by the user in response to the prompt.

22. A computer system as recited in claim 20, wherein the first prompting style is based on a prompting syntax including a prompt chunk size greater than one and less than five.

23. A computer system as recited in claim 20, wherein the second prompting style is based on a prompting structure including at least one of an alternative prompt for the delivered prompt, a plurality of prompts each corresponding to a subtask of the delivered prompt, and a prompt requiring a yes-or-no response.

24. A computer system as recited in claim 20, wherein the count of errors is one of a count of errors for the dialogue, a count of errors for a task attempted in the dialogue, and a count of errors committed by the user in a specified time interval.

25. A computer readable medium encoded with a program for providing a service to a user through a voice activated user interface, said program comprising instructions for:

detecting an error in a dialogue between a user and the user interface based on a change in behavior of the user;

reprompting the user when the error is an omission error; and

returning to a previous menu state responsive to a correction command when the error is a commission error.

26. A computer readable medium encoded with a program for providing a service to a user through a voice activated user interface, said program comprising instructions for:

prompting a command selection by a user according to a first prompting syntax;

detecting occurrence of an error in the dialogue; and

prompting a command selection by the user according to a second prompting syntax when a count of errors by the user during the dialogue exceeds a predetermined value.