Method and system for voice recognition menu navigation

• US 7,502,742 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2006
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Knott, Benjamin Anthony, Martin, John Mills, Smart, Tracy Leigh, Bushey, Robert Randal
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US11/419,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/246, 704/257, 715/727, 379/88.01, 379/88.18
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A method and system for error prevention and recovery of voice activated navigation through a menu having plural nodes provides situation dependent utterance verification by relating confirmation to utterance determination confidence levels. In one embodiment, a high confidence level results in implicit confirmation, a medium confidence level results in explicit confirmation and a low confidence level results in a concise interrogative prompt of a single word that requests the user to repeat the utterance. In situations where voice recognition is difficult, dual modality with DTMF navigation is provided as an option for menu selections.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating navigation of a voice recognition menu, the method comprising:

in a voice recognition service having plural nodes, receiving from a user a user utterance associated with a particular one of the plural nodes;

electronically attempting to recognize the user utterance;

electronically determining a statistical likelihood that the attempt to recognize the user utterance is correct; and

evaluating the determined statistical likelihood with respect to one or more predetermined confidence levels;

if the user utterance is classified into a particular confidence level, requesting the user to restate the user utterance and attempting to recognize the restated user utterance;

counting the number of attempts to recognize the user utterance; and

automatically directing the user to a DTMF menu after a predetermined number of attempts;

wherein evaluating the determined statistical likelihood with respect to one or more predetermined confidence levels comprises electronically classifying the user utterance into one of a plurality of confidence levels based at least on the determined statistical likelihood and a set of quantitative confidence level ranges corresponding with the particular node, wherein different ones of the plural nodes have different confidence level ranges.

2. A claim according to claim 1, wherein classifying the user utterance into one of a plurality of confidence levels comprises classifying the user utterance as a high confidence utterance, a medium confidence utterance, or a low confidence utterance.

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

if the user utterance is classified as a high confidence utterance, advancing the user to a menu node determined to be associated with the high confidence utterance;

if the user utterance is classified as a medium confidence utterance, prompting the user for confirmation of a menu node determined to be associated with the medium confidence utterance; and

if the user utterance is classified as a low confidence utterance, requesting the user to restate the user utterance.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising obtaining implicit confirmation of the high confidence utterance before advancing to the associated menu node.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein obtaining implicit confirmation further comprises:

stating to the user the menu node determined to be associated with the high confidence utterance;

advancing to the determined menu node if the user either fails to respond or confirms the menu node; and

requesting the user to restate the user utterance if the user refutes the determined menu node.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein prompting the user for confirmation of a menu node determined to be associated with the medium confidence utterance comprises:

stating to the user the menu node determined to be associated with the medium confidence utterance;

advancing to the determined menu node if the user responds with affirmation; and

requesting the user to restate the user utterance if the user refutes the determined menu node.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein attempting to recognize the user utterance comprises attempting to identify a node selection intended by the user.

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

selecting a prompt to communicate to the user based at least on the classification of the user utterance; and

communicating the selected prompt to the user.