Methods and apparatus for context and experience sensitive prompting in voice applications

• US 20050177374A1
• Filed: 02/05/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Technology Corporation Miami Lakes FLA US
• Inventors: Sanders, Derek, Tokarev, Vladimir Sergeyevich, Cooper, Robert S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,742,580 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/227 of the speaker; Human-factor methodology
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

Systems and techniques for improved user prompting. A system according to one aspect of the invention includes a central server hosting various modules providing services to users. The modules suitably employ voice recognition in order to interpret user inputs. Each module has access to user information that includes information indicating the user'"'"'s experience with each function of each module. When a module needs to issue a prompt to the user, it retrieves and examines the user information to determine the user'"'"'s experience with the module and function. Suitably, each module is operative to categorize a user as belonging to an experience category, such as novice, intermediate and expert based on the user'"'"'s level of experience with the function. The module selects a prompt associated with the user'"'"'s level of experience with the function and presents it to the user.

Claims

1. A voice recognition system comprising:

a plurality of modules for receiving voice inputs from a user and performing services for the user response to the voice inputs; and

a prompt selection module for selecting a prompt for presentation to a user, the prompt selection module being operative to identify an experience level of a user and select a prompt appropriate to the user'"'"'s experience level.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein selection of a prompt is further based on the module and function being used.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each module incorporates a prompt selection module to select prompts for that module.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the prompt selection for each module identifies the function for which prompting is needed and selects from among prompts associated with that function.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the user information includes information indicating the user'"'"'s proficiency in using the system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the information indicating the user'"'"'s proficiency includes information indicating the user'"'"'s proficiency with each function that is available to the user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the information indicating a user'"'"'s proficiency with each function includes a function usage tally for each function, the function usage tally for a function indicating a number of times the user has successfully employed the function.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the prompt selection being used employs the function usage tally for a function to determine a user experience category for the user with respect to the function.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the prompt selection being used determines the user experience category by selecting an experience category associated with a range of function usage tally values within which the user'"'"'s function usage tally for the function falls.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the prompt selection selects a prompt associated with the user experience category.

11. A method of prompt selection, comprising the steps of:

identifying a module and function being employed when a need for user prompting arises;

identifying a user experience level for the function; and

selecting a prompt appropriate for the user experience level for the function.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of identifying the user experience level is followed by a step of identifying the user as belonging to a particular experience category and wherein the step of selecting a prompt includes selecting a prompt associated with the experience category to which the user belongs.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the user experience category for a function includes examining user information for the function, the user experience information for the function includes a function usage tally indicating a number of times the function has been successfully invoked by the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the user experience category for a function includes assigning the user to an experience category associated with a range of function usage tally values within which the user'"'"'s function usage tally for the function falls.

15. The method of claim 14, further including a step of updating the user information for each function whenever the user successfully invokes the function.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of updating the user information includes updating the user'"'"'s function usage tally for a function upon each successful use of that function.