Method for generating a context-based voice dialogue output in a voice dialog system

• US 20080033724A1
• Filed: 08/03/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SVOX AG (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Schachtl, Stefanle, Block, Hans-Ulrich
• Application Number:
  US11/882,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033724A1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

The user friendliness of voice dialog systems is increased by drawing the user'"'"'s attention in a context-based manner to additional themes modeled in the system during the dialog, so this additional information has a content-related connection with the instantaneous actions of the user. A conversation character which, to a certain extent, can suggest intelligent, easy conversation with different threads, can thus be imitated in the voice dialog system.

Claims

1. A method for generating a context-based voice dialog output in a voice dialog system having transactions, each transaction having transaction parameters, each transaction parameter having a plurality of possible parameter values, comprising:

allocating a first parameter value to a transaction parameter of a first transaction;

thematically matching the first parameter value with a matching possible parameter value of a second transaction parameter of a second transaction;

determining a second parameter value for a third transaction parameter of the second transaction; and

generating a voice dialog output which comprises at least the first parameter value and the second parameter value.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the voice dialog system comprises a plurality of voice dialog applications, and

the first transaction is part of a first voice dialog application and the second transaction is part of a second voice dialog application.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is triggered after the first parameter value has been identified in a user'"'"'s voice input.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method is triggered after the first parameter value has been identified in a user'"'"'s voice input and an action associated with the first parameter value has been executed by the voice dialog system.

5. The method for creating a voice dialog system from a plurality of voice dialog applications, comprising:

comparing individual voice dialog applications using a predefinable criterion; and

combining the voice dialog applications which satisfy the predefinable criterion, the voice dialog applications being combined to create the voice dialog system.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein

in combining the voice dialog applications, transactions and transaction parameters are respectively combined, and

voice dialog applications are combined if the voice dialog applications have matching parameter values.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the predefinable criterion is a functional match between the transactions of the voice dialog applications and/or a semantic match between the transaction parameters of the voice dialog applications.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein

the predefinable criterion is a semantic match between the transaction parameters of the voice dialog applications,

to determine the semantic match between two transaction parameters, a comparison is performed of parameter values, and

a semantic match between associated transaction parameters is established or not as a function of the comparison.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein

the predefinable criterion is a functional match between the transactions of the voice dialog applications,

to determine the functional match between two transactions, the grammars associated with the transactions are compared with each other, and

a functional match between two transactions is established or not as a function of the comparison.

10. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein

the predeterminable criterion is a match in vocabularies of the voice dialog applications.

11. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein

when the voice dialog applications are combined, transactions are combined, and

the transactions combined in the voice dialog system are stored in a common transaction database.

12. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein

when the voice dialog applications are combined, transaction parameters are combined, and

the transaction parameters combined in the voice dialog system are stored in a common transaction parameter database.

13. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein

when the voice dialog applications are combined, grammars are combined, and

the grammars combined in the voice dialog system are combined in a common grammar database.

14. A system to generate a context-based voice dialog output in a voice dialog system having transactions, each transaction having transaction parameters, each transaction parameter having a plurality of possible parameter values, comprising:

an allocation unit to allocate a first parameter value to a transaction parameter of a first transaction;

a matching unit to thematically match the first parameter value with a matching possible parameter value of a second transaction parameter of a second transaction;

a determination unit to determine a second parameter value for a third transaction parameter of the second transaction; and

a generation unit to generate a voice dialog output which comprises at least the first parameter value and the second parameter value.

15. The system to create a voice dialog system from a plurality of voice dialog applications, comprising:

a comparison unit to compare individual voice dialog applications using a predefinable criterion; and

a combination unit to combine the voice dialog applications which satisfy the predefinable criterion, the voice dialog applications being combined to create the voice dialog system.