Adaptive navigation method in an interactive voice system, and interactive voice navigation system

• US 20030069731A1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Societe Francaise Du Radiotelephone
• Original Assignee: Societe Francaise Du Radiotelephone
• Inventors: Foucher, Albert
• Application Number:
  US10/243,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069731A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/251
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

Adaptive navigation in an interactive voice system is attained with an engine recognizing the spoken words of a user, a voice application stored in a memory of a central processing unit of a data system and managing, by a dialog manager, the dialog with the user through a voice interface as a function of the implemented recognition. The ergonomics of the dialogs with the user is dynamically managed as a function of plural indicators.

Claims

1. An adaptive navigation method in an interactive voice system (1) including a recognition engine for a user'"'"'s spoken words, a voice application stored in a memory of a central processing unit of a data system, the method comprising managing via a dialog manager the dialog with the user through an interface as a function of the implemented recognition, and adjusting the voice application as a function of a plurality of indicators linked to the user behavior and represented by data stored in the memory of the central processing unit by ergonomically dynamically managing the dialogs with the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing the implemented recognition and initiating an action managed by the voice application as a function of the analyzed implemented recognition and the state of at least one of the indicators.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said action includes either (a) sending a reply to the spoken words of a user or a request to the user to repeat the user'"'"'s spoken words to a request to the user to talk, or (b) relaying the user to consultation with a physical person, or modifying a help level to offer the user.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending a confirmation request of the implemented recognition prior to initiating said action.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising responding to dialog with the user to store a first indicator representing the user'"'"'s dialog level, a second indicator based on dialog quality, and a third indicator representing the history of the dialogue with the user.

6. The method of claim 5, further including incrementing the first indicator in response to a modification of a help level.

7. The method of claim 5, further including incrementing a non-response indicator in response to (a) the non-response indictor being at a value less than a maximum value (NRmax) and (b) sending of a request for talk to the user.

8. The method of claim 5, further including incrementing an incomprehensibility indicator in response to (a) the incomprehensibility indicator being less than a maximum value and (b) sending of a request for repetition to the user.

9. An interactive voice navigation system comprising an engine for recognizing a user'"'"'s spoken words, a voice application stored in a memory of a central processing unit of a data system, the processing unit being arranged for managing dialog with the user through a voice interface as a function of the implemented recognition, and (b) ergonomically dynamically managing the dialogs with the user by adjusting the voice application as a function of a plurality of indicators associated with user behavior and represented by data stored in the memory of the central processing unit.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is arranged for (a) implemented recognition analyzing and (b) initiating an action managed by the voice application as a function of the analysis of the implemented recognition and the state of at least one indicator.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is arranged for working out and sending a reply to spoken words from the user, (b) confirming a request to a user to repeat the spoken words of the user or a request to a user to talk having been worked out and sent, (c) switching the dialogue to a physical person, and (d) regulating a help level to offer to the user.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is arranged for deriving (a) a first indicator representing the level of the user'"'"'s spoken words, (b) a second indicator representing the quality of the dialog, and (c) a third indicator representing the history of the dialog with the user.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor includes a counter for storing each indicator and for incrementing the counter in response to dialog with the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first indicator is associated with a dialog-level counter in the memory of the processor, the processor being arranged to initiate a modification of the help level in response to the dialog-level counter being incremented or decremented.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor memory includes a first local incomprehensibility counter for storing the second indicator and a second local non-response counter.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor memory includes a general history counter for storing the third indicator.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the dialog-level counter can store values only from 0 to 4.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the incomprehensibility counter can store values from 0 to a value exceeding its stored maximum value which is 2.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the non-response counter can store values from 0 to a value exceeding a stored maximum value which is 2.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the general history counter can store values from 0 to a value exceeding a stored maximum value which is 3.

21. A mobile telephony system including the system of claim 9.