TASK ASSISTANT INCLUDING IMPROVED NAVIGATION

• US 20140258855A1
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mauro, David Andrew, Bouvier, Henri, Dykstra-Erickson, Elizabeth Ann, Daniel, Susan Dawnstarr, Gandrabur, Simona, Peters, Stephen Douglas, Raman, Vijay R.
• Application Number:
  US13/787,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20140258855A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90332 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer

Abstract

A method of providing a task assistant to provide an interface to an application is described. The method includes, in one embodiment, receiving input from a user through multimodal input including a plurality of each input, typing input, and touch input, interpreting the input, and providing a formatted query to the application, and receiving data from the application in response to the query. The method further includes identifying a destination providing a response to the query, identifying an anchor pointing to a specific location in the application associated with the response to the query, and directing the user to the specific location, using the anchor, the specific location providing a response to the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing a task assistant to provide an interface to an application, the method comprising:

receiving input from a user through multimodal input including a plurality of speech input, typing input, and touch input;

interpreting the input, and providing a formatted query to the application;

receiving data from the application in response to the query;

identifying a destination providing a response to the query;

identifying an anchor pointing to a specific location in the application associated with the response to the query; and

directing the user to the specific location, using the anchor, the specific location providing a response to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an anchor may be associated with one of:

a site, a specific portion of the site, and a plurality of portions of the site.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an anchor is to a generated page, the generated page generated in response to the formatted query.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the generated page is a data collection template.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data collection template includes prefilled data, based on data associated with the user'"'"'s account.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the data collected in the data collection template is provided to a plurality of locations in the application.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the anchor to the generated page can be bookmarked.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the input is ambiguous; and

when the input is ambiguous present a clarification request to the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the clarification request comprises a natural language dialog, requesting a user to choose between potential destinations in response to the query.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a highlight overlay over the specific point, including an explanation of the interpreted query and identified anchor.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the user to bookmark the anchor location, such that the user can easily navigate to the location.

12. A task assistant to provide an interface to an application comprising:

an input user interface to receive input from a user through multimodal input including a plurality of speech input, typing input, and touch input;

a command interpreter to interpret the input, and provide a formatted query to the application;

a communication logic to receive data from the application in response to the query, the data identifying a destination providing a response to the query;

an anchor navigation logic to identify an anchor pointing to a specific location in the application associated with the response to the query; and

a push logic to direct the user to the specific location, using the anchor, the specific location providing a response to the user.

13. The task assistant of claim 12, wherein an anchor may be associated with one of:

a site, a specific portion of the site, and a plurality of portions of the site, or a page generated in response to the formatted query.

14. The task assistant of claim 13, wherein the generated page is a data collection template.

15. The task assistant of claim 14, wherein the data collection template includes prefilled data, based on data associated with the user'"'"'s account.

16. The task assistant of claim 14, wherein the data collected in the data collection template is provided to a plurality of locations in the application.

17. The task assistant of claim 13, wherein the anchor to the generated page can be bookmarked.

18. The task assistant of claim 12, further comprising:

a query logic to determine when the input is ambiguous, and request a clarification request to the user, the clarification request comprising a natural language dialog, requesting a user to choose between potential destinations in response to the query.

19. The task assistant of claim 12, further comprising:

a favorites store to enable the user to bookmark the anchor location, such that the user can easily navigate to the location.

20. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium including computer-readable program code, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for providing a task assistant, the method comprising:

receiving input from a user through multimodal input including a plurality of speech input, typing input, and touch input;

interpreting the input, and providing a formatted query to the application;

receiving data from the application in response to the query;

identifying a destination providing a response to the query;

identifying an anchor pointing to a specific location in the application associated with the response to the query; and

directing the user to the specific location, using the anchor, the specific location providing a response to the user.