Dialog apparatus, dialog method, and computer program

• US 8,041,574 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Yano, Takehide
• Primary Examiner(s): SKED, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US11/857,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

A dialog apparatus includes a dialog unit configured to perform a dialog with a user and to collect a plurality of items to be referred to in accordance with the dialog as the dialog continues, a dividing unit configured to divide the items into normal items related to any usable application and unusable items related to any usable application deleted, a managing unit configured to manage the items which the dialog unit refers to during the dialog with the user, in the normal items and the unusable items, an applying unit configured to apply a plurality of changes in the items to managing of the normal items and the unusable items, and a referring unit configured to refer to the managing unit in accordance with the items collected by the dialog unit and to determine to output a use-disapproval notice when the collected items include at least one unusable item.

Claims

1. A dialog apparatus comprising:

a dialog unit configured to perform a dialog with a user and to collect a plurality of items to be referred to in accordance with the dialog as the dialog continues;

a dividing unit configured to divide the items into normal items related to any usable application and unusable items related to any unusable application;

a managing unit configured to manage the normal items and the unusable items which the dialog unit refers to during the dialog with the user;

a detecting unit configured to detect whether or not one of the normal items managed by the managing unit is changed to be unusable, and to change the one of the normal items into an unusable item; and

a referring unit configured to refer to the managing unit in accordance with the items collected by the dialog unit and to determine to output a use-disapproval notice when it is determined that the collected items include at least one unusable item related to an unusable application,

wherein the dialog unit outputs the use-disapproval notice based on a result determined by the referring unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit manages a configuration of applications designated during the dialog with the user and the changed one of the managed items results from a change in the configuration of the applications.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the referring unit selects an item for which the use-disapproval notice is to be output, and the referring unit causes a data amount of the use-disapproval notice to fall below a value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the referring unit selects an item for which the use-disapproval notice is to be output in accordance with a state in which the item has been used.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the referring unit determines to output the use-disapproval notice when the items collected by the dialog unit and referred to in accordance with the dialog as the dialog continues are exclusively unusable items.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit deletes, from the managing unit, an item for which the use-disapproval notice has been output.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dialog unit refers to a plurality of states in which the unusable items have been used and designates an item in accordance with the states, and the detecting unit deletes the designated item from the managing unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dialog unit further comprises a receiving unit configured to receive an oral input from the user, the managing unit stores speech-recognition grammars in association with the items, the dialog unit recognizes the oral input from the user in accordance with the speech-recognition grammars, and the referring unit outputs the use-disapproval notice based on recognition results.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the detecting unit deletes a part of the speech-recognition grammars from the managing unit.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the detecting unit deletes a part of the speech-recognition grammars from the managing unit, the part being associated with an item for which the use-disapproval notice has been output.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the dialog unit refers to a plurality of states in which the unusable items have been used and designates, in accordance with the states, an item which is associated with a part of the speech-recognition grammars, and the detecting unit deletes the part from the managing unit.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a formulating unit configured to formulate a plurality of use-histories of users, each use-history being a use-history of each of the items, to extract an unusable item unusable at present in accordance with the formulated use-histories, and to transfer the extracted unusable item to the managing unit, the unusable item being managed in the managing unit.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the managing unit classifies the items into categories, and the referring unit outputs the use-disapproval notice for the items of a category when all items of the category are unusable.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the managing unit further stores a plurality of substitute items managed in association with the items, and the referring unit outputs one of the substitute items associated with an item when a use-disapproval notice is output for the item.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the items are topics.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the items are values.

17. A dialog method comprising:

preparing a dialog apparatus including a managing unit configured to manage normal items and unusable items that are referred to during a dialog with a user and are divided into the normal items related to any usable application and the unusable items related to any unusable application, and a detecting unit configured to detect whether or not one of the normal items managed by the managing unit is changed to be unusable, and to change the one of the normal items into an unusable item;

achieving a plurality of aims concerning the items referred to in accordance with the dialog as the dialog continues;

collecting items to be referred to in accordance with the dialog as the dialog continues;

referring to the managing unit in accordance with the collected items; and

determining to output a use-disapproval notice when it is determined that the collected items include an unusable item related to an unusable application.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions of a computer program for controlling a dialog apparatus including a managing unit configured to manage normal items and unusable items that are referred to during a dialog with a user and are divided into the normal items related to any usable application and the unusable items related to any unusable application, and a detecting unit configured to detect whether or not one of the normal items managed by the managing unit is changed to be unusable, and to change the one of the normal items into an unusable item, the computer program that when executed by a computer results in performance of steps comprising:

achieving a plurality of aims concerning the items referred to in accordance with the dialog as the dialog continues;

collecting items to be referred to in accordance with the dialog as the dialog continues;

referring to the managing unit in accordance with the collected items; and

determining to output a use-disapproval notice when it is determined that the collected items include an unusable item related to an unusable application.