System and method of switching between dialog systems with separate dedicated communication units

• US 7,343,290 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2002
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Breuer, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): {hacek over (S)}mits; Talivaldis Ivars
• Application Number:
  US10/252,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2, 704/270.1
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

The invention concerns a method of switching from one original dialog system (1), which communicates with the user using its own dedicated speech recognition and/or speech output unit (6), to a target dialog system (2), which also communicates with the user using its own dedicated speech recognition and/or speech output unit (7), whereby the language of the speech recognition and/or speech output unit (7) of the target dialog system (2) can be set. The original dialog system (1) transfers a language information parameter (P₂) to the target dialog system (2), as a result of which the language which the original dialog system (1) used for communication with the user is specified. The target dialog system (2) uses this language information parameter (P₂) to set the language of the speech recognition and/or speech output unit (7) for further communication with the user.

Claims

1. A method of switching a user from an original dialog system to a separate target dialog system which can be set as desired to one of a plurality of languages, each dialog system having its own dedicated communication unit for communicating with a user using at least one of automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS), the method comprising:

communicating to the target dialog system a language information parameter representing a language of an original dialog communication between the user and the original dialog system using a dedicated original dialog communication unit based on at least one of automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS), and,

using the language information parameter for the target dialog system to automatically select a suitable language for communication with the user using a dedicated target dialog communication unit based on at least one of automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS).

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

communicating to the target dialog system an additional original dialog parameter characterizing the original communication between the user and the original dialog system.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein each dialog system includes its own dedicated speech recognition unit.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein each dialog system includes its own dedicated Text To Speech (TTS) unit.

5. A dialog switching system comprising:

means for switching a user from an original dialog system to a separate target dialog system which can be set as desired to one of a plurality of languages, each dialog system having its own dedicated communication unit for communicating with a user using at least one automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS), including means for communicating a language information parameter to the target dialog system representing a language of an original dialog communication between the user and the original dialog system using a dedicated original dialog communication unit based on at least one of automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS); and

means for selecting responsive to the language information parameter a target dialog language for use in a communication between the target dialog system the dialog user using a dedicated target dialog communication unit based on at least one of automatic speech recognition and text-to-speech (TTS).

6. A dialog system according to claim 5, further comprising:

means for communicating to the target dialog system an additional original dialog parameter characterizing the original communication between the user and the original dialog system.

7. A dialog system according to claim 5, wherein each dialog system includes its own dedicated speech recognition unit.

8. A dialog system according to claim 5, wherein each dialog system includes its own dedicated Text To Speech (TTS) unit.