Method and system for pronoun disambiguation
First Claim
1. A method of interpreting a pronoun, the method comprising:
- A) recognizing a user input as containing a recognized pronoun;
B) comparing said recognized pronoun to pronoun information associating the historical noun references with pronoun number and gender information;
C) selecting one of said historical noun references as a function of said comparison between said recognized pronoun and said pronoun information; and
D) updating said pronoun information as a function of a successful selection of said historical noun reference.
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Abstract
A method and system for pronoun disambiguation adapts or learns from evaluating input by the user. The system stores pronoun information relating to pronoun usage for people, entities, and things that a user can use a pronoun to refer to in interacting with the system. The pronoun information is used by the system in a process that interprets the meaning of the pronoun in the context of the interaction with the user. The system and method include matching the pronoun reference input by the user to the likely person or thing based upon an evolving pronoun preference associated with the person, entity or thing. During each interaction, the system and method permit the user to verify that the system interpreted the pronoun as referring to the correct person, entity or thing and modifies the stored pronoun information to reflect the verified usage. The system and method can select pronoun preferences when a user adds an entry into their address book by searching for information that can indicate the proper pronoun preference for a given entry. The pronoun preference can be selected based upon information in the user'"'"'s address book and/or other sources of pronoun information such as other users'"'"' address books and system databases.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of interpreting a pronoun, the method comprising:
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A) recognizing a user input as containing a recognized pronoun; B) comparing said recognized pronoun to pronoun information associating the historical noun references with pronoun number and gender information; C) selecting one of said historical noun references as a function of said comparison between said recognized pronoun and said pronoun information; and D) updating said pronoun information as a function of a successful selection of said historical noun reference. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus for interpreting a pronoun comprising:
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a recognizer adapted to recognize a user input as containing a recognized pronoun; a historical listing of noun references and associated pronoun information associating the historical noun references with pronoun number and gender information; means for comparing said recognized pronoun to said associated pronoun information; means for selecting one of said noun references of said historical listing as a function of said comparison between said recognized pronoun and said associated pronoun information; and means for updating said pronoun information as a function of a successful selection of one of said noun references. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of interpreting a pronoun in a voice user interface comprising:
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A) recognizing a user utterance as containing a recognized pronoun; B) comparing said recognized pronoun to pronoun information associating the historical noun references with pronoun number and gender information; C) selecting a record from a database corresponding to one of said historical noun references as a function of said comparison between said recognized pronoun and said pronoun information; and D) updating said pronoun information as a function of a successful selection of said record. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for interpreting a pronoun in a voice user interface comprising:
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a recognizer adapted to recognize a user input as containing a recognized pronoun; a historical listing of noun references and associated pronoun information associating the historical noun references with pronoun number and gender information; means for comparing said recognized pronoun to said pronoun information; means for selecting a record from a database corresponding to one of said historical noun references as a function of said comparison between said recognized pronoun and said pronoun information; and means for updating said pronoun information as a function of a successful selection of said historical noun reference. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A system providing for user interaction comprising:
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a voice personal assistant adapted to presenting prompts to and receiving responses from a user; said voice personal assistant including a recognizer adapted for recognizing responses that include pronouns, received from the user; means for maintaining a historical list of noun references; means for comparing a recognized pronoun to pronoun information associated with historical noun references, the pronoun information including pronoun number and gender information; an application adapted for performing at least one function for said user; means for selecting one of said historical noun references as a function of a comparison between a recognized pronoun with said pronoun information; utilizing a selected one of said noun references in performing a function of said application; and means for updating said pronoun information as a function of a successful selection of said historical noun reference.
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24. A system providing for user interaction comprising:
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a voice personal assistant adapted to presenting prompts to and receiving responses from a user; said voice personal assistant including a recognizer adapted for recognizing responses that include pronouns, received from the user; a historical list of noun references; a pronoun cross-reference associating pronoun information with at least one noun reference in said historical list the pronoun information including pronoun number and gender information; a first subsystem adapted for selecting one of said noun references of said historical listing as a function of a comparison between a recognized pronoun with associated pronoun information in said pronoun cross-reference; an application adapted for performing at least one function for said user utilizing a selected one of said noun references in performing a function of said application.; and a second subsystem configured to update said pronoun information as a function of a successful selection of said historical noun reference.
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Specification