Method and system for voice recognition menu navigation with error prevention and recovery

• US 20030191648A1
• Filed: 04/08/2002
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Knott, Benjamin Anthony, Martin, John Mills, Bushey, Robert Randal, Smart, Tracy Leigh
• Granted Patent: US 7,246,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A method and system for error prevention and recovery of voice activated navigation through a menu having plural nodes provides situation dependent utterance verification by relating confirmation to utterance determination confidence levels. In one embodiment, a high confidence level results in implicit confirmation, a medium confidence level results in explicit confirmation and a low confidence level results in a concise interrogative prompt of a single word that requests the user to repeat the utterance. In situations where voice recognition is difficult, dual modality with DTMF navigation is provided as an option for menu selections.

Claims

1. A method for navigating a voice recognition menu having plural nodes, the method comprising:

receiving a user utterance at a voice recognition service;

determining a requested node associated with the user utterance;

classifying the user utterance as having a high, medium or low confidence that the determined requested node matches the node requested by the user utterance;

advancing a high confidence utterance to a menu node associated with the high confidence utterance;

requesting confirmation of a medium confidence utterance by prompting the user with the determined requested node; and

requesting the user to restate a low confidence utterance.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining implicit confirmation of high confidence utterances before advancing to associated menu nodes.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein obtaining implicit confirmation further comprises:

stating the determined requested node;

advancing to the determined requested node if the user either fails to respond or responds with affirmation; and

requesting the user to restate the user utterance if the user refutes the determined requested node.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting confirmation of a medium confidence utterance further comprises:

obtaining explicit confirmation of medium confidence utterances.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein obtaining explicit confirmation further comprises:

stating the determined requested node as query to the user;

advancing to the determined requested node if the user responds with affirmation; and

requesting the user to restate the user utterance if the user refutes the determined requested node.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein requesting the user to restate a low confidence utterance further comprises:

stating a precise interrogative prompt; and

re-receiving the user utterance from the user.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the precise interrogative prompt comprises a single word stated as a query.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein stating the precise interrogative prompt comprises stating the word “

Pardon”

as a query.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

counting the number of attempts to determine the received user utterance; and

directing the user to a DTMF menu after a predetermined number of attempts.

10. A system for aiding user navigation through a voice recognition menu having plural nodes, the system comprising:

a voice recognition response unit interfaced with a telephone network, the voice recognition response unit operable to accept a user request for a menu node submitted as a voice utterance and determine the node of the voice recognition menu associated with the voice utterance;

a confidence engine interfaced with the voice recognition response unit and operable to assign one of plural confidence levels to a determination by the voice recognition response unit of the node associated with the voice utterance; and

an interrogate engine interfaced with the voice recognition response unit and operable to command an implicit confirmation for a first confidence level, an explicit confirmation for a second confidence level and a concise interrogative prompt for a third confidence level.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the implicit confirmation comprises stating the determined node to the user and proceeding to the determined node unless the user refutes the determined node.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the implicit confirmation further comprises stating the determined node as a query.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the explicit confirmation comprises stating the determined node to the user as a query requiring an affirmative response before proceeding to the determined node.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the explicit confirmation further comprises instructions to restate the requested node if the user refutes the determined node.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the concise interrogative prompt comprises a single word query to restate the requested node.

16. The system of claim 10 further comprising a DTMF engine interfaced with the voice recognition response unit, the DTMF engine operable to provide a touch tone menu for selection of a requested node.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the voice recognition response unit detects a predetermined delay by users in responding to requests for input, the voice recognition response unit operable after the predetermined delay to provide a secondary request for input, the secondary request including instructions to input a DTMF response to navigate to a node.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the voice recognition response unit further comprises a counter to count user attempts to navigate at a predetermined node, the counter activating the DTMF engine to provide touch tone navigation after a predetermined number of attempts.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the DTMF engine selectively activates to offer touch tone menu options in conjunction with voice activated menu options.

20. A method for voice activated navigation of a menu, the method comprising:

receiving a voice request to navigate to a menu selection;

determining the menu selection by comparing the voice request to a glossary of sample requests;

determining a confidence level for the menu selection determination; and

selectively confirming the menu selection determination based on the confidence level.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein selectively confirming comprises one of implicit confirmation or explicit confirmation.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising reprompting the voice request if the user refutes the menu selection determination.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein determining a confidence level further comprises determining a high, medium or low confidence level, the method further comprising:

querying the user with a concise interrogative prompt for low confidence menu selection determinations.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the concise interrogative prompt comprises a query having a single word.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the concise interrogative prompt comprises the query “

Pardon?”

26. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

counting user attempts to state a menu selection; and

providing a DTMF menu to the user after a predetermined number of attempts.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein providing a DTMF menu further comprises offering the user selection by either voice activation or a touch tone input.