System, method and software for a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix

• US 7,415,101 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bushey, Robert R., Martin, John M., Knott, Benjamin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Neway, Samuel G
• Application Number:
  US10/736,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20050132262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 379/88.04
• US Class Current: 379/88.04
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/197 Probabilistic grammars, e.g. word n-grams
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1215 where a cable TV network is used as an access to the PSTN/ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1255 where the switching fabric and the switching logic are decomposed such as in Media Gateway Control

Abstract

A system, method and software for facilitating a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix is disclosed. In operation, a natural language user utterance may be evaluated to identify an action and object available in an action-object matrix indicating transactions or operations available to a user. Depending upon the contents of the natural language user utterance, additional prompts and/or a disambiguation dialogue may be effected to elicit an available action-object combination selection from the user. Following identification of an action-object combination from the natural language user utterance, the action-object matrix may cooperate with a look-up table to identify an appropriate use routing destination. Following identification of an appropriate routing destination, the user connection may be routed to a service agent or module configured to facilitate the user selected transaction as indicated by the action-object combination.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a routing destination in a service center, comprising:

prompting a user to convey a request;

receiving a natural language utterance from the user;

comparing the natural language utterance to an action-object matrix;

identifying a routing destination based upon results of the natural language utterance to action-object matrix comparison;

routing the user to the routing destination; and

performing an action selected from the group consisting of;

a first action comprising;

querying the action-object matrix to identify related objects if only an action and not an object is included in the natural language utterance; and

prompting the user for selection of a related object; and

a second action comprising;

querying the action-object matrix to identify related actions if an object and not an action is included in the natural language utterance; and

prompting the user for selection of a related action.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a disambiguation dialog with the user where an action-object combination cannot be found in the action-object matrix.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying at least one of an action, an object and an action-object combination using a statistical language modeling speech recognition utility.

4. A system for routing a service center user based on a natural language request, comprising:

at least one processor;

memory operably associated with the at least one processor; and

a program of instructions storable in the memory and executable by the processor, the program of instructions operable to identify a task to be performed from a natural language user request and a task matrix, to direct the user to a service center agent for performance of the task, and to identify an action-object combination from the natural language user request; and

locate a service agent to perform the task based on the identified action-object combination and the task matrix;

wherein the task matrix includes a plurality of available service center actions each cross-referenced with one or more objects creating action-object combinations and where the action-object combinations define tasks available from a service center agent.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising the service center agent operable to provide automated user assistance in performance of the task.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising the service center agent operable to provide technician assisted performance of the task.

7. The system of claim 4, further comprising the program of instructions operable to reference a look-up table containing service center agent routing destinations in response to a match between an action and an object in the natural language utterance and an action-object combination in the action-object matrix.

8. The system of claim 4, further comprising the program of instructions operable to identify at least one of an action or an object in the natural language utterance to identify the task to be performed.

9. The system of claim 4, further comprising the program of instructions operable to prompt the user for at least one additional natural language user request in response to identifying an action and no object in the natural language user utterance.

10. The system of claim 4, further comprising the program of instructions operable to prompt the user for at least one additional natural language user request in response to identifying an object and no action in the natural language user utterance.

11. The system of claim 4, further comprising the program of instructions operable to prompt the user for confirmation of the identified task requested.