Hierarchical methods and apparatus for extracting user intent from spoken utterances
First Claim
1. A method for determining intent associated with a spoken utterance of a user, comprising the steps of:
- obtaining decoded speech uttered by the user; and
extracting an intent from the decoded speech uttered by the user, wherein the intent is extracted in an iterative manner such that a first class is determined after a first iteration and at least one sub-class of the first class is determined after at least a second iteration, the first class and the at least one sub-class of the first class being hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Improved techniques are disclosed for permitting a user to employ more human-based grammar (i.e., free form or conversational input) while addressing a target system via a voice system. For example, a technique for determining intent associated with a spoken utterance of a user comprises the following steps/operations. Decoded speech uttered by the user is obtained. An intent is then extracted from the decoded speech uttered by the user. The intent is extracted in an iterative manner such that a first class is determined after a first iteration and a sub-class of the first class is determined after a second iteration. The first class and the sub-class of the first class are hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user, e.g., a target and data that may be associated with the target. The multi-stage intent extraction approach may have more than two iterations. By way of example only, the user intent extracting step may further determine a sub-class of the sub-class of the first class after a third iteration, such that the first class, the sub-class of the first class, and the sub-class of the sub-class of the first class are hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for determining intent associated with a spoken utterance of a user, comprising the steps of:
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obtaining decoded speech uttered by the user; and
extracting an intent from the decoded speech uttered by the user, wherein the intent is extracted in an iterative manner such that a first class is determined after a first iteration and at least one sub-class of the first class is determined after at least a second iteration, the first class and the at least one sub-class of the first class being hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. Apparatus for determining intent associated with a spoken utterance of a user, comprising:
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a memory; and
at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;
(i) obtain decoded speech uttered by the user; and
(ii) extract an intent from the decoded speech uttered by the user, wherein the intent is extracted in an iterative manner such that a first class is determined after a first iteration and at least one sub-class of the first class is determined after at least a second iteration, the first class and the at least one sub-class of the first class being hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An article of manufacture for use in determining intent associated with a spoken utterance of a user, comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:
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obtaining decoded speech uttered by the user; and
extracting an intent from the decoded speech uttered by the user, wherein the intent is extracted in an iterative manner such that a first class is determined after a first iteration and at least one sub-class of the first class is determined after at least a second iteration, the first class and the at least one sub-class of the first class being hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user.
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Specification