Bi-directional natural language system for interfacing with multiple back-end applications

• US 7,254,539 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wingate, Susan M., Epstein, Mark E., Puchtel, Glenn T., Carberry, Martin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, VIJAY B
• Application Number:
  US10/178,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,870 Days
• Field of Search: 704/257, 704 8- 10, 707/4, 707/10, 709/201, 712/216, 711/1
• US Class Current: 704/257
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A system and method for servicing natural language requests with a plurality of remote host systems. The system utilizes a computer program that comprises: (1) an input system for inputting an NL command; (2) a translation system that extracts a request from the NL command and stores the request in a host-independent format; and (3) a routing system for servicing the request, wherein the routing system comprises a mechanism for selecting a host, for converting the request into a host dependent directive, and for forwarding the directive to the selected host. The system may further include a speech recognition system, a local data source for servicing the NL command, templates for converting the request into the host dependent directive, a heuristic for selecting the host, and an output system for obtaining and outputting the response.

Claims

1. A method for servicing natural language instructions with a plurality of hosts, comprising the steps of:

inputting a natural language command into a natural language translator;

interpreting a request from the natural language command;

storing the request in a host-independent format;

selecting a single host from the plurality of hosts;

converting the request to a host dependent directive for the selected host;

submitting the host dependent directive to the selected host; and

obtaining and outputting a response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of interpreting the request comprises the step of disambiguating the request with a previous response that specifically answers a previous request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a host comprises the step of utilizing a heuristic to determine which of a plurality of hosts should be selected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of converting the request to the host dependent directive includes the steps of:

providing a plurality of format templates, wherein each format template corresponds to one of the plurality of hosts;

choosing a format template that corresponds to the selected host; and

encoding the host dependent directive based on the chosen format template.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a host comprises the step of first attempting to service the request with a local data source.