Context-aware conversational user interface

• US 8,594,997 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2010
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Soltani, Anoshirwan, Latzina, Markus, Kaiser, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): SPOONER, LAMONT M
• Application Number:
  US12/891,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/9, 704/10, 704/257, 704/275, 707706-708
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/183 using context dependencies, e.g. language models

Abstract

An input handler may receive natural language input associated with a command from a user through a user interface, and a language parser may parse the natural language input to determine parsed natural language input. A context monitor may receive context information associated with the user, and a context parser may parse the context information to obtain parsed context information associated with the natural language input and with the command. A command interpreter may interpret the parsed natural language input, using the parsed context information, to thereby determine the command.

Claims

1. A computer system including instructions recorded on a computer-readable storage medium and readable by at least one processor, the system comprising:

an input handler configured to cause the at least one processor to receive natural language input associated with a command, over a network, from a user through a graphical user interface;

a language parser configured to cause the at least one processor to parse the natural language input to determine parsed natural language input;

a context monitor configured to cause the at least one processor to receive context information associated with the user over the network, the context information including an interaction history of the user with respect to graphical elements of the graphical user interface, the interaction history including a selected graphical element;

a context parser configured to cause the at least one processor to parse the context information to obtain parsed context information associated with the natural language input and with the command; and

a command interpreter configured to cause the at least one processor to interpret the parsed natural language input, using the parsed context information, to thereby determine the command,

the command interpreter configured to output, over the network, the selected graphical element and at least one graphical element implied by the natural language input, based on the determined command, for display on an output section of the graphical user interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the natural language input is received as text entry through the graphical user interface.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the language parser is configured to determine that the natural language input, by itself, is insufficient to determine the command.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the language parser is configured to cause the at least one processor to analyze a semantics, syntax, or grammar of the natural language input to obtain the parsed natural language input.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the language parser and the context parser are configured to cause the at least one processor to express the parsed natural language input and the parsed context information, respectively, in a common format that is compatible with the command interpreter.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the context parser is configured to parse the context information including filtering the context information based on a temporal proximity thereof to receipt of the natural language input.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the context parser is configured to parse the context information including filtering the context information based on content of the natural language input.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the command interpreter is configured to interpret the parsed natural language input using the parsed context information, and including performing a comparison with a plurality of commands which includes the command.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of commands are expressed as templates, and wherein the command interpreter is configured to instantiate the command template associated with the determined command, based on the interpretation of the parsed natural language input with the parsed context information.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the command interpreter is configured to provide the determined command using the user interface, including providing a complete version of the command for validation by the user.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the command interpreter is configured to provide an indication of execution of an action associated with the command.

12. A computer-implemented method for causing at least one processor to execute instructions recorded on a computer-readable storage medium, the method comprising:

receiving natural language input associated with a command, over a network, from a user through a graphical user interface;

parsing the natural language input to determine parsed natural language input;

receiving context information associated with the user over the network, the context information including an interaction history of the user with respect to graphical elements of the graphical user interface, the interaction history including a selected graphical element;

parsing the context information to obtain parsed context information associated with the natural language input and with the command;

interpreting the parsed natural language input, using the parsed context information, to thereby determine the command; and

outputting, over the network, the selected graphical element and at least one graphical element implied by the natural language input, based on the command, for display on an output section of the graphical user interface.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the parsed natural language input and the parsed context information, respectively, are expressed in a common format for execution of the interpreting of the parsed natural language input, using the parsed context information.

14. A computer program product, the computer program product being tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause at least one processor to:

receive natural language input associated with a command, over a network, from a user through a graphical user interface;

parse the natural language input to determine parsed natural language input;

receive context information associated with the user over the network, the context information including an interaction history of the user with respect to graphical elements of the graphical user interface, the interaction history including a selected graphical element;

parse the context information to obtain parsed context information associated with the natural language input and with the command;

interpret the parsed natural language input, using the parsed context information, to thereby determine the command; and

output, over the network, the selected graphical element and at least one graphical element implied by the natural language input, based on the determined command, for display on an output section of the graphical user interface.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the parsed natural language input and the parsed context information, respectively, are expressed in a common format for execution of the interpretation of the parsed natural language input, using the parsed context information.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, are configured to cause the at least one processor to provide the determined command using the graphical user interface, including providing a complete version of the command for validation by the user.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions include instructions to analyze a semantics, syntax, or grammar of the natural language input to obtain the parsed natural language input.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the natural language input is received as text entry through the graphical user interface.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions to parse the context information includes filtering the context information based on a temporal proximity thereof to receipt of the natural language input.

20. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions include instructions to interpret the parsed natural language input using the parsed context information, and perform a comparison with a plurality of commands which includes the command.