Natural language interface customization

• US 8,417,509 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pineda, George Dante M., Howell, David L., Pszczolkowski, Laura R., FINDLEY, David, DULANEY, Stephen, Hicks, Amy, Jia, Yongmei, KRAUSS, George W.
• Primary Examiner(s): COLUCCI, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US11/761,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20080312903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,128 Days
• Field of Search: 704/10, 704/275, 704/277, 704/8, 704/9, 715/781, 715/779, 715/747, 709/224, 709/202, 709/206, 709/219, 709/223, 379/88.01, 455/432.1, 455/456.1, 455/553.1, 713/182
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/20 Natural language analysis semantic analysis of natural language G06F40/30

Abstract

A predefined interface is presented to a remote user. A natural language inquiry from the remote user is received via the predefined interface. The natural language inquiry is configured for use in an analysis. A customized interface is presented to the remote user based on the analysis of the natural language inquiry. The customized interface includes a customized set of communications options for the remote user to route communications.

Claims

1. A method of an application server interacting with a remote user over a network, the method comprising:

receiving, by the application server, a contact request from the remote user;

transmitting, by the application server to a remote user computing device, a predefined interface in response to the contact request by the remote user, wherein the predefined interface is presented to the remote user, by displaying the predefined interface on the remote user computing device, the predefined interface being customized by the application server based on specified conditions including the location of the remote user computing device, the time of the day, the day of the week, and a type of remote user language in which the contact request is received by the application server;

receiving, at the application server, a natural language inquiry from the remote user via the predefined interface;

text scanning, by the application server, the natural language inquiry received at the application server;

analyzing, by an analysis server in communication with the application server by a communication link different from the network, the natural language inquiry based on the type of remote user language of the contact request, which has been text scanned by the application server, from the remote user;

determining, by the application server, a customized plurality of communication options based on the analyzing of the natural language inquiry that has been text scanned; and

transmitting, by the application server to the remote user computing device, a customized interface, the customized interface being determined based on the analysis of the natural language inquiry by the analysis server that has been text scanned by the application server;

wherein the customized interface is presented to the remote user, the customized interface including the customized plurality of communications options for the remote user to route subsequent communications,

wherein the customized interface comprises customized content that is customized based on the context of the natural language inquiry,

wherein a customized plurality of predefined inquiries are changed based on the remote user selecting one of the customized plurality of communications options, and

wherein the customized interface further includes at least one link to at least one resource.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the predefined interface comprises a webpage.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the remote user is presented the predefined interface over the interne.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the predefined interface includes an inquiry interface for the remote user to input the natural language inquiry.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the customized interface comprises a standardized template.

6. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the customized plurality of communications options comprises a plurality of email addresses.

7. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the customized plurality of communications options are presented in association with context-sensitive information.

8. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the customized plurality of communications options comprises a plurality of telephony addresses.

9. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the customized plurality of communications options comprise an expandable tree menu.

10. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the customized interface further comprises a customized plurality of predefined inquiries.

11. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the customized plurality of predefined inquiries comprises an expandable tree menu.

12. The method according to claim 10,

wherein the customized plurality of predefined inquiries are linked to at least one second predefined interface corresponding to predefined answers to the predefined inquiries.

13. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the customized interface further includes at least one link to at least one second predefined interface corresponding to predefined information.

14. The method according to claim 13,

wherein the at least one link to the at least one second predefined interface is presented via the customized interface in association with context-sensitive information.

15. The method according to claim 13,

wherein the at least one link to the at least one second predefined interface is changed based on the remote user selecting one of the customized plurality of communications options.

16. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the analyzing, by the analysis server, the natural language inquiry that has been text scanned from the remote user includes matching individual keywords and patterns of keywords by an algorithmic model to probable topics according to likelihood.

17. A system for an application server interacting with a remote user over a network, the system comprising:

an application server configured to receive a contact request by the remote user, and transmit a predefined interface in response to the received contact request;

a remote computing device configured to receive the predefined interface that was transmitted by a transmitter at the application server to the remote user computing device over the network, in response to a contact request by the remote user;

a presenter configured to present the received predefined interface to the remote user, by displaying the predefined interface on the remote user computing device, the predefined interface being customized by the application server based on specified conditions including the location of the remote user computing device, the time of the day, the day of the week that the contact request is received by the server, and a type of remote user language in which the contact request is received by the application server;

a receiver, at the application server, configured to receive a natural language inquiry from the remote user via the predefined interface;

a text scanner, at the application server, configured to text scan the natural language inquiry received at the application server;

an analysis server in communication with the application server by a communication link different from the network, configured to analyze the text scanned natural language inquiry based on the type of remote user language of the content request from the remote user,

a determiner, at the application server, configured to determine a customized plurality of communication options based on an analysis of the natural language inquiry by the analysis server;

wherein the transmitter at the application server is configured to transmit a customized interface to the remote user computing device, the customized interface being determined based on the analysis of the natural language inquiry by the analysis server,

wherein the presenter is configured to present the customized interface to the remote user, the customized interface including the customized plurality of communications options for the remote user to route subsequent communications,

wherein the customized interface comprises customized content that is customized based on the context of the natural language inquiry,

wherein a customized plurality of predefined inquiries are changed based on the remote user selecting one of the customized plurality of communications options, and

wherein the customized interface further includes at least one link to at least one resource.

19. The system of claim 17,

wherein the analyzing of the natural language inquiry by the analysis server includes matching individual keywords and patterns of keywords by an algorithmic model to probable topics according to likelihood.

18. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium for storing a computer program that is configured to facilitate an application server to interact with a remote user over a network, comprising:

a contact request receiving segment, for receiving, by the application server, a contact request from the remote user;

a predefined interface transmitting segment, for transmitting, by the application server to a remote computing device, a predefined interface in response to the contact request by the remote user, wherein the predefined interface is presented to the remote user, by displaying the predefined interface on the remote user computing device, the predefined interface being customized by the application server based on specified conditions including the location of the remote user computing device, the time of the day, the day of the week, and a type of remote user language in which the contact request is received by the application server;

a natural language inquiry receiving code segment that receives, at the application server, a natural language inquiry from the remote user via the predefined interface;

text scanning, by the application server, the natural language inquiry received at the application server;

an analyzing segment, that analyzes, by an analysis server in communication with the application server by a communication link different from the network, the natural language inquiry based on the type of remote user language of the contact request, which has been text scanned by the application server, from the remote user;

a determining segment, that determines, by the application server, a customized plurality of communication options based on the analyzing of the natural language inquiry that has been text scanned; and

a transmitting segment, that transmits by the application server to the remote user computing device, a customized interface, the customized interface being determined based on the analysis of the natural language inquiry by the analysis server that has been text scanned by the application server;

wherein the customized interface is presented to the remote user, the customized interface including the customized plurality of communications options for the remote user to route subsequent communications,

wherein the customized interface comprises customized content that is customized based on the context of the natural language inquiry,

wherein a customized plurality of predefined inquiries are changed based on the remote user selecting one of the customized plurality of communications options, and

wherein the customized interface further includes at least one link to at least one resource.