System and methods for conducting an interactive dialog via a speech-based user interface

• US 20060085192A1
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Polkosky, Melanie D., Michelini, Vanessa V., Davis, Brent L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/257
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A system and methods are provided for conducting an interactive dialog via a speech-based user interface. The system includes an auditory prompt module for generating a sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts based upon a pre-determined user-oriented task, and an error recovery module for responding to a communication error by initiating an error recovery based upon a user response to the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts. The error recovery includes providing at least one error-recovery prompt selected from a hierarchy of error-recovery prompts, the selection based upon a hierarchy of communication error types.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a user dialog via a speech-based user interface, the method comprising:

providing a sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts, the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts based upon a pre-determined user-oriented task; and

if a communication error occurs, responding to the communication error by initiating an error recovery based upon a user response to the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts;

wherein the error recovery comprises providing at least one error-recovery prompt selected from a hierarchy of error-recovery prompts, the selection based upon a hierarchy of communication error types.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchy of communication error types comprises at least one of an acoustical error, a lexical error, a syntactical error, and a conceptual error.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the error recovery comprises determining a type of the communication error based upon a user response to one of the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the error recovery comprises determining a type of the communication error based upon a sequential analysis of a user response to one of the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether an acoustical error has occurred based upon an auditory level associated with the user response to at least one of the goal-directed auditory prompts; and

if the acoustical error has occurred, providing an acoustical error prompt in response thereto.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether a lexical error has occurred based upon a search for a match between a user response and a list of pre-designated acceptable responses, both the user response and the list of pre-designated acceptable responses corresponding to a same one of the goal-directed auditory prompts; and

if the lexical error has occurred, providing a lexical error prompt in response thereto.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether a syntactical error has occurred based upon a parts-of-speech evaluation of the user response and a search for a match between parts of speech identified by the parts-of-speech evaluation and parts of speech contained in a set of expected parts of speech, both the user response and the set of expected parts of speech corresponding to a same one of the goal-directed auditory prompts; and

if the syntactical error has occurred, providing a syntactical error prompt in response thereto

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether a conceptual error has occurred based upon a non-auditory user response within a predefined time period; and

if the conceptual error has occurred, providing a conceptual error prompt in response thereto.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether a conceptual error has occurred based upon an out-of-context user response; and

if the conceptual error has occurred, providing a conceptual error prompt in response thereto.

10. A system for conducting a user dialog via a speech-based user interface, the method comprising:

an auditory prompt module for generating a sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts, the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts based upon a pre-determined user-oriented task; and

an error recovery module for responding to a communication error by initiating an error recovery based upon a user response to the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts;

wherein the error recovery comprises providing at least one error-recovery prompt sequentially selected from a hierarchy of error-recovery prompts, the sequential selection based upon a hierarchy of communication error types.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the hierarchy of communication error types comprises at least one of an acoustical error, a lexical error, a syntactical error, and a conceptual error.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the error recovery comprises determining a type of the communication error based upon a user response to one of the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the error recovery comprises determining a type of the communication error based upon a sequential analysis of a user response to one of the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether an acoustical error has occurred based upon an auditory level associated with the user response to at least one of the goal-directed auditory prompts; and

if the acoustical error has occurred, providing an acoustical error prompt in response thereto.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether a lexical error has occurred based upon a search for a match between a user response and a list of pre-designated acceptable responses, both the user response and the list of pre-designated acceptable responses corresponding to a same one of the goal-directed auditory prompts; and

if the lexical error has occurred, providing a lexical error prompt in response thereto.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether a syntactical error has occurred based upon a parts-of-speech evaluation of the user response and a search for a match between parts of speech identified by the parts-of-speech evaluation and parts of speech contained in a set of expected parts of speech, both the user response and the set of expected parts of speech corresponding to a same one of the goal-directed auditory prompts; and

if the syntactical error has occurred, providing a syntactical error prompt in response thereto

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether a conceptual error has occurred based upon a non-auditory user response within a predefined time period; and

if the conceptual error has occurred, providing a conceptual error prompt in response thereto.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the error recovery comprises:

determining whether a conceptual error has occurred based upon an out-of-context user response; and

if the conceptual error has occurred, providing a conceptual error prompt in response thereto.

19. A computer-readable storage medium for conducting a user dialog via a speech-based user interface, the storage medium comprising computer instructions for:

providing a sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts, the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts based upon a pre-determined user-oriented task; and

if a communication error occurs, responding to the communication error by initiating an error recovery based upon a user response to the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts;

wherein the error recovery comprises providing at least one error-recovery prompt selected from a hierarchy of error-recovery prompts based upon a hierarchy of communication error types.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the error recovery further comprises determining a type of the communication error based upon a sequential analysis of a user response to one of the sequence of goal-directed auditory prompts.