User interface for data access and entry

• US 7,359,858 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2002
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Swan, Richard, Gong, Li
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALBERTALLI, BRIAN LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US10/157,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,147 Days
• Field of Search: 704/9, 379/88
• US Class Current: 704/257
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Automatically searching for one or more matches to a search string includes accessing a first part and a second part of a search string. A first search space is searched for a match for the first part of the search string, and a second search space is limited based on a result of searching the first search space. The limited second search space is searched for a match for the second part of the search string. Various approaches are described for structuring a grammar of a voice recognition engine to allow efficient, quick recognition, and to enhance recognition by limiting the amount of the grammar that is searched, thus minimizing the incidence of misrecognition. Search strings can be recognized and searched using a multi-cluster approach. Recognition and searching can also be performed using a multi-level, multi-parameter cascade approach. Approaches can also be applied to recognition of other modes of input.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing a search string that includes a first component and a second component;

parsing the search string into the first component and the second component;

performing a first search for the first component using a global search space, simultaneous to parsing the search string into the first component and the second component;

outputting a first solution space based on performing the first search using the global search space, the first solution space being a dynamically-limited subset of the search space;

performing, at least partially in parallel with performing the first search using the global search space, a second search for the second component using the first solution space, the second search being peformed simultaneous to parsing the search string into the first component and the second component and simultaneous to outputting at least a portion of the first solution space;

outputting a second solution space based on performing the second search using the first solution space, the second solution space being a dynamically-limited subset of the first solution space and the second solution space being output after outputting the first solution space;

performing, at least partially in parallel with performing the second search, a third search on a combination of the first component and the second component using the second solution space, the third search being performed simultaneous to outputting at least a portion of the second solution space; and

outputting a third solution space based on performing the third search, the third solution space being a dynamically-limited subset of the first solution space and the second solution space, and the third solution space being output after outputting the second solution space.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the first search using the global search space further comprises searching a database.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second component comprises a voice segment.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second component comprises a manual mode input.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the search string comprises an address.

6. The method of claim 1:

wherein performing the first search using the global search space further comprises performing a first voice recognition on the first component;

wherein performing the second search using the first solution space further comprises performing a second voice recognition on the second component using the first solution space; and

wherein the first solution space includes grammar entries associated with the first component.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the grammar entries associated with the first component comprise grammar entries for a second search string, the second search string including at least the first component.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein:

performing voice recognition on the first component produces a first recognized string, and the recognized string is associated with a plurality of recognized search strings from the search space; and

performing the second search further comprises searching a portion of the first solution space associated with the plurality of recognized search strings.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein performing voice recognition on the second component of the voice segment further comprise comparing the second component to a set of high-occurrence patterns in the first solution space, and comparing the second component to a set of low-occurrence patterns in the first solution space.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

performing voice recognition on the voice segment using the second solution space.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first component is associated with a set of searchable entries; and

each entry in the first solution space is associated with one or more entries in the set of searchable entries.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

providing a first set of options to a user, the first set of options relating to the first component, and being provided to the user in a page;

accepting a first input from the user, the first input being selected from the first set of options;

limiting a second set of options based on the first input, the second set of options relating to the second component;

providing the second set of options to the user in the page, such that the user is presented with a page that provides the first set of options and the second set of options; and

accepting a second input from the user, the second input being selected from the second set of options.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein accepting the first input further comprises:

accepting a first voice input; and

performing voice recognition on the first input.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the first set of options comprises manufacturer designations and the second set of options comprises product designations from a manufacturer designated by the first input.

15. The method according to claim 12 wherein the search string comprises an address.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

providing a third set of options to the user, the third set of options relating to a third component and being provided to the user in the page; and

accepting a third input from the user, the third input being selected from the third set of options,

wherein the second set of options that is provided to the user is also based on the accepted third input.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising modifying the second set of options based on the third input.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the first set of options comprises manufacturer designations;

the third set of options comprises price range designations; and

the second set of options comprises product designations from a manufacturer designated by the first input in a price range designated by the third input.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first component comprises a first whole word, and

the second component comprises a second whole word.

20. An apparatus comprising:

an input module configured to access a search string that includes a first component and a second component;

a processor configured to;

parse the search string into the first component and the second component,

perform a first search for the first component using a global search space, simultaneous to parsing the search string into the first component and the second component,

output a first solution space based on performing the first search using the global search space, the first solution space being a dynamically-limited subset of the search space,

perform, at least partially in parallel with performing the first search using the global search space, a second search for the second component using the first solution space, the second search being performed simultaneous to parsing the search string into the first component and the second component and simultaneous to outputting at least a portion of the first solution space,

output a second solution space based on performing the second search using the first solution space, the second solution space being a dynamically-limited subset of the first solution space and the second solution space being output after outputting the first solution space, and

perform, at least partially in parallel with performing the second search, a third search on a combination of the first component and the second component using the second solution space, the third search being performed simultaneous to outputting at least a portion of the second solution space; and

an output module configured to output a third solution space based on performing the third search, the third solution space being a dynamically-limited subset of the first solution space and the second solution space, and the third solution space being output after outputting the second solution space.

21. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions that, when read by a machine, operate to cause a data processing apparatus to:

access a search string that includes a first component and a second component;

parse the search string into the first component and the second component;

perform a first search for the first component using a global search space, simultaneous to parsing the search string into the first component and the second component;

output a first solution space based on performing the first search using the global search space, the first solution space being a dynamically-limited subset of the search space;

perform, at least partially in parallel with performing the first search using the global search space, a second search for the second component using the first solution space, the second search being performed simultaneous to parsing the search string into the first component and the second component and simultaneous to outputting at least a portion of the first solution space;

output a second solution space based on performing the second search using the first solution space, the second solution space being a dynamically-limited subset of the first solution space and the second solution space being output after outputting the first solution space;

perform, at least partially in parallel with performing the second search, a third search on a combination of the first component and the second component using the second solution space, the third search being performed simultaneous to outputting at least a portion of the second solution space; and

output a third solution space based on performing the third search, the third solution space being a dynamically-limited subset of the first solution space and the second solution space, and the third solution space being output after outputting the second solution space.