Method for dialog management

• US 7,403,899 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2006
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Abella, Alicia, Gorin, Allen Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ng, Eunice
• Application Number:
  US11/548,899
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00

Abstract

A spoken dialog system and method having a dialog management module are disclosed. The dialog management module includes a plurality of dialog motivators for handling various operations during a spoken dialog. The dialog motivators comprise an error handling, disambiguation, assumption, confirmation, missing information, and continuation. The spoken dialog system uses the assumption dialog motivator in either a-priori or a-posteriori modes. A-priori assumption is based on predefined requirements for the call flow and a-posteriori assumption can work with the confirmation dialog motivator to assume the content of received user input and confirm received user input.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with a user via a spoken dialog system, the method comprising:

selecting a dialog motivator from a plurality of dialog motivators based at least in part on user input, the plurality of dialog motivators including an assumption dialog motivator and a confirmation dialog motivator; and

when the spoken dialog system requests further user input and invokes the confirmation dialog motivator to confirm the further user input, the method comprises;

receiving the further user input; and

if a confidence value associated with understanding the further user input is below a threshold value, invoking the assumption dialog motivator to present assumed further user input during a confirmation dialog.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dialog motivators comprises at least an a-priori assumption dialog motivator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dialog motivators further comprises an a-posteriori assumption dialog motivator.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is processed by a dialog manager module within the spoken dialog system.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the a-priori assumption dialog motivator is governed by predefined rules governing call flow.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein an a-priori assumption by the assumption dialog motivator requires the system to transfer the user to a main menu of an interactive voice response system if the system cannot classify the user as wanting a concrete call type.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein an a-priori assumption by the a-priori assumption dialog motivator requires the system to transfer the user to a customer service representative if the system cannot classify the user as wanting a concrete call type.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein an a-priori assumption by the a-priori assumption dialog motivator requires the system to transfer the user to an interactive voice response system if the call type is a vague call.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein before the spoken dialog system transfers the user to the main menu, the spoken dialog system requests the user'"'"'s telephone number.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein before the spoken dialog system transfers the user to the customer service representative:

the spoken dialog system requests the user'"'"'s telephone number.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein before the spoken dialog system transfers the user to the interactive voice response system the spoken dialog system requests the user'"'"'s telephone number.

12. A computer readable medium storing instructions for controlling a computing device for communicating with a user via a spoken dialog, wherein the instructions comprise:

selecting a dialog motivator from a plurality of dialog motivators based at least in part on user input, the plurality of motivators including an assumption dialog motivator and a confirmation dialog motivator; and

when the computing device requests further user input and invokes the confirmation dialog motivator to confirm the further use;

input, the instructions further comprise;

receiving the further user input; and

if a confidence value associated with understanding the further user input is below a threshold value, invoking the assumption dialog motivator to present assumed further user input during a confirmation dialog.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of dialog motivators comprises at least an a-priori assumption dialog motivator.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of dialog motivators further comprises an a-posteriori assumption dialog motivator.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the a-priori assumption dialog motivator is governed by predefined rules governing call flow.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein an a-priori assumption by the assumption dialog motivator requires the system to transfer the user to a main menu of an interactive voice response system if the system cannot classify the user as wanting a concrete call type.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein an a-priori assumption by the a-priori assumption dialog motivator require the system to transfer the user to a consumer service representative if the system cannot classify the user as wanting a concrete call type.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein an a-priori assumption by the a-priori assumption dialog motivator requires the system to transfer the user to an interactive voice response system if the call type is a vague call.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein before the computing device transfers the user to the main menu, the computing device requests the user'"'"'s telephone number.