System and dialog manager developed using modular spoken-dialog components

• US 8,725,517 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Di Fabbrizio, Giuseppe, Lewis, Charles Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Desir, Pierre-Louis
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOVACEK, DAVID M
• Application Number:
  US13/926,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20130289990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 704/231, 704/246, 704251-257, 704270-278, 706/11, 706 45- 51, 706 54- 62, 379 671- 72, 379 87- 8806, 379/88.13, 379 8816- 8826, 379 9001- 9303
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/00 Handling natural language data speech analysis or synthesis, speech recognition G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/191 Automatic line break hyphenation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/35 Discourse or dialogue representation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/06 Creation of reference templates; Training of speech recognition systems, e.g. adaptation to the characteristics of the speaker's voice G10L15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/28 Constructional details of speech recognition systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

A dialog manager and spoken dialog service having a dialog manager generated according to a method comprising selecting a top level flow controller based on application type, selecting available reusable subdialogs for each application part, developing a subdialog for each application part not having an available subdialog and testing and deploying the spoken dialog service using the selected top level flow controller, selected reusable subdialogs and developed subdialogs. The dialog manager capable of handling context shifts in a spoken dialog with a user. Application dependencies are established in the top level flow controller thus enabling the subdialogs to be reusable and to be capable of managing context shifts and mixed initiative dialogs.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting a recursive transition network flow controller from a database, to yield a selected top level flow controller;

selecting an available reusable subdialog for an application part below the selected top level flow controller;

developing, via a processor, a subdialog for each application part not associated with the available reusable subdialog, to yield developed subdialogs; and

deploying a spoken dialog service using the selected top level flow controller, the available reusable subdialog, and the developed subdialogs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the available reusable subdialog is isolated from application dependencies.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein application dependencies are declared outside of the available reusable subdialog.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected top level flow controller interacts independent of an associated decision model.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the available reusable subdialog and the developed subdialog manage mixed-initiative conversations with a user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein available reusable subdialog provides information to a user without receiving input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the available reusable subdialog is selected from a group related to a dialog to obtain:

a telephone number, a social security number, an account number, an address, and a mixed initiative.

8. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, result in the processor performing operations comprising;

selecting a recursive transition network flow controller from a database, to yield a selected top level flow controller;

selecting an available reusable subdialog for an application part below the selected top level flow controller;

developing a subdialog for each application part not associated with the available reusable subdialog, to yield developed subdialogs; and

deploying a spoken dialog service using the selected top level flow controller, the available reusable subdialog, and the developed subdialogs.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the available reusable subdialog is isolated from application dependencies.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein application dependencies are declared outside of the available reusable subdialog.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the selected top level flow controller interacts independent of an associated decision model.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the available reusable subdialog and the developed subdialog manage mixed-initiative conversations with a user.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein available reusable subdialog provides information to a user without receiving input.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the available reusable subdialog is selected from a group related to a dialog to obtain:

a telephone number, a social security number, an account number, an address, and a mixed initiative.

15. A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, result in the computing device performing operations comprising:

selecting a recursive transition network flow controller from a database, to yield a selected top level flow controller;

selecting an available reusable subdialog for an application part below the selected top level flow controller;

developing a subdialog for each application part not associated with the available reusable subdialog, to yield developed subdialogs; and

deploying a spoken dialog service using the selected top level flow controller, the available reusable subdialog, and the developed subdialogs.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the available reusable subdialog is isolated from application dependencies.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein application dependencies are declared outside of the available reusable subdialog.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the selected top level flow controller interacts independent of an associated decision model.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the available reusable subdialog and the developed subdialog manage mixed-initiative conversations with a user.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein available reusable subdialog provides information to a user without receiving input.