Using web FAQ data for creating self-service speech applications

• US 7,467,090 B1
• Filed: 02/27/2008
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jan, Ea-Ee, Lubensky, David M., Li, Xiang, Stewart, Osamuyimen T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wozniak; James S
• Application Number:
  US12/037,996
• Time in Patent Office: 293 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275, 379/88.01
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

In one example, this invention presents a method of providing the same self-service content that is available on the web interface to users contacting by telephone, knowing that the web and telephone are fundamentally different user interfaces. In one embodiment, this seeks to protect the general idea of how to playback web data in real-time to the user over the speech interface. For this purpose, a method is presented comprising of the general steps through which the web data is initially sent to an automatic transformation module. Then, that transformation module refines or re-structures the web data to make it suitable for the speech interface. The algorithm in the module is predicated on the user interface principles of cognitive complexity and limitations on short term memory based on which FAQ types are classified into one of the following four classes: simple, medium, complex, and complex-complex.

Claims

1. A method of using web data for telephone self-service, via a speech application, said method comprising:

pulling scripts for frequently-asked issues for all problem types from a relevant web domain using a web crawler;

automatically parsing a content of said frequently-asked issues into speech acts relevant to a speech domain, by picking out verbs, verb phrases, nouns, noun phrases, adjective phrases, or adjunct clauses;

reformatting said speech acts;

creating a different number of steps corresponding to said speech acts,

wherein a causality function is preserved, by keeping a sequential order of said verbs associated with said speech acts;

analyzing all said speech acts corresponding to a specific problem;

categorizing all said speech acts corresponding to said specific problem into multiples numbers of classes by counting, corresponding to different ranges of complexity of steps, based on a typical human'"'"'s short-term memory limitations and recollection, wherein the classes comprise simple, medium, complex, and complex-complex;

playing back a script of a content corresponding to said specific problem, according to said categorized classes, problem type of said specific problem, and frequently-asked issue associated with said specific problem; and

providing a user interface for a user, to enable said user control and navigate said play back.