Speech command input recognition system for interactive computer display with term weighting means used in interpreting potential commands from relevant speech terms

• US 6,192,343 B1
• Filed: 12/17/1998
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Morgan, Scott Anthony, Swearingen, Craig Ardner, Tannenbaum, Alan Richard, Roberts, David John
• Primary Examiner(s): {haeck over (S)}mits, Ta̅livadis I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US09/213,845
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/251, 704/255, 704/270, 704/214
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

A speech recognition system which interprets speech queries such as help queries and presents a list of relevant proposed commands sorted in order based upon relevance of the commands. The system organizes the displayed commands being prompted to the user through probability determining means which for each of a predetermined plurality of speech commands store an associated set of speech terms, each term having relevance to its associated command combined with means responsive to a speech query for determining the probability of speech terms from said set in said query, and means responsive to said probability determining means for prompting the user with a displayed sequence of commands sorted based upon said probability of speech terms associated with said commands. When such a sorted command is selected, the system has means responsive to a speech command for carrying out the system action corresponding to the command.

The system also provides means for adding terms to previous speech terms wherein the probability determining means will redetermine probability to include such added terms. In such a situation, the probability determining means will redetermine the weights to include the additional weights of such added terms.

Claims

1. In a user interactive computer controlled display system with speech command input recognition comprising, apparatus for interpreting speech queries to locate commands comprising:

means for predetermining a plurality of speech commands each associated with a corresponding plurality of system actions,

means responsive to a speech command for carrying out the system action corresponding to the command,

means for storing for each of said plurality of commands, an associated set of speech terms, each term having relevance to its associated command,

means responsive to a speech query for determining the probability of speech terms from said set in said query by applying a weight factor for a firm recognition of a speech term at least twice the weight of an infirm recognition of the term, and

means responsive to said probability determining means for prompting the user with a displayed sequence of commands sorted based upon said probability of speech terms associated with said commands.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein in determining said probability, an exact match of a speech term in said query with one of said plurality of commands doubles the weight accorded to the command in sorting of said command.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further including means for enabling the user to speak a command in said sorted sequence of commands to thereby initiate the system action associated with the command.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further including means for adding terms to previous speech terms wherein the probability determining means will redetermine probability to include such added terms.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 further including means for adding terms to previous speech terms wherein the probability determining means will redetermine the weights to include the additional weights of such added terms.

6. In a user interactive computer controlled display system with speech command input recognition comprising, a method for interpreting speech queries to locate commands comprising:

predetermining a plurality of speech commands each associated with a corresponding plurality of system actions,

responsive to a speech command, carrying out the system action corresponding to the command,

storing for each of said plurality of commands, an associated set of speech terms, each term having relevance to its associated command,

responsive to a speech query, determining the probability of speech terms from said set in said query by applying a weight factor for a firm recognition of a speech term at least twice the weight of an infirm recognition of the term, and

responsive to said probability determination, prompting the user with a displayed sequence of commands sorted based upon said probability of speech terms associated with said commands.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein in determining said probability, an exact match of a speech term in said query with one of said plurality of commands doubles the weight accorded to the command in sorting of said command.

8. The method of claim 6 further including the step of enabling the user to speak a command in said sorted sequence of commands to thereby initiate the system action associated with the command.

9. The method of claim 6 further including the step of adding terms to previous speech terms wherein said probability determination will redetermine the probability to include such added terms.

10. The method of claim 7 further including the step of adding terms to previous speech terms wherein said probability determination will redetermine the weights to include the additional weights of such added terms.

11. A computer program having program code included on a computer readable medium for interpreting speech queries to locate commands in an interactive computer controlled display system with speech command input comprising:

means for predetermining a plurality of speech commands each associated with a corresponding plurality of system actions,

means responsive to a speech command for carrying out the system action corresponding to the command,

means for storing for each of said plurality of commands, an associated set of speech terms, each term having relevance to its associated command,

means responsive to a speech query for determining the probability of speech terms from said set in said query by applying a weight factor for a firm recognition of a speech term at least twice the weight of an infirm recognition of the term, and

means responsive to said probability determining means for prompting the user with a displayed sequence of commands sorted based upon said probability of speech terms associated with said commands.

12. The computer program of claim 11 wherein in determining said probability, an exact match of a speech term in said query with one of said plurality of commands doubles the weight accorded to the command in sorting of said command.

13. The computer program of claim 11 further including means for enabling the user to speak a command in said sorted sequence of commands to thereby initiate the system action associated with the command.

14. The computer program of claim 11 further including means for adding terms to previous speech terms wherein the probability determining means will redetermine probability to include such added terms.

15. The computer program of claim 12 further including means for adding terms to previous speech terms wherein the probability determining means will redetermine the weights to include the additional weights of such added terms.