System and method for obtaining supplemental information in group communication using artificial intelligence

• US 9,961,516 B1
• Filed: 12/27/2016
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Proctor, Lee M
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Tan H
• Application Number:
  US15/390,797
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 455518, 455519, 455509, 455458, 455411, 455 15, 455450, 455436, 455515, 4554141, 706 45, 706 11, 706 54, 709223, 370241, 370338, 345173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/18 using natural language modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0091 Signaling for the administration of the divided path
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/16 Half-duplex systems; Simplex/duplex switching; Transmission of break signals non-automatically inverting the direction of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services

Abstract

Efficient use of channel bandwidth response, response timing, along with the ability to acquire the most accurate and up to date response are provided for management of virtual assistant search queries within a communication system (100, 200). Improved management is obtained using an artificial intelligence (AI) server (104) controlling response activity to a query communication device (102) by incorporating one or more of: adjusting verbosity of responses (158), redirecting queries from the AI server to alternate resources (412), and/or prioritizing of a response (506) based on wait time.

Claims

1. A method of receiving information, comprising:

forming a talkgroup from a plurality of radios;

initiating a query at one of the radios via the push-to-talk (PTT) button;

transmitting the query to an AI artificial intelligence server, the AI server having natural language processing and response capability;

in response to receiving the query, the AI server determining that an alternate response resource is capable of responding to the query;

requesting floor control for the alternate response resource;

redirecting the query from the AI server to the alternate response resource; and

providing floor control to the alternate response resource to respond to the query, the alternate response resource being a resource other than the AI server or the radio initiating the query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

triggering the AI server via an input of the radio prior to initiating the query.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the input to the radio comprises:

a PTT verbal pre-command.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the input to the radio comprises:

a non-PTT out of band out of band text message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating query is a verbal query and when redirected the verbal query is converted to text format for sending to a dispatcher.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

researching the query, by the dispatcher, and transmitting a verbal researched response to the initiating radio from the dispatcher.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is a verbal query and the verbal query is redirected from the AI server via the floor control to another radio of the talkgroup.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein redirecting further comprises:

redirecting the query, from the AI server, to a dispatcher in text format inquiring if the dispatcher has resources to answer the query based on context parameters available to the dispatcher;

automatically providing floor control to the dispatcher upon confirmation that the dispatcher has resources to respond to the initiating query; and

sending a verbal response, by the dispatcher, to the initiating radio.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an alternate response source further comprises:

verbally inquiring, by the AI server, whether any other members of the talkgroup, have information with which to respond to the query;

receiving a response from a radio member of the talkgroup;

redirecting the query, from the AI server, to that radio member of the talkgroup; and

providing floor control for the radio member to respond to the query of the initiating radio.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

playing out the response at the radio initiating the query; and

sending an alert to other talkgroup members that the query has been responded to.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein entering a verbal query to a one of the radios of the talkgroup, further comprises:

pressing a push-to-talk (PTT) button.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the talkgroup comprise half-duplex radios operating in a narrowband network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the talkgroup comprises half-duplex radios operating in a broadband network.

14. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of radios having half-duplex functionality, the plurality of radios forming one or more talkgroups;

an artificial intelligence (AI) server providing a natural language processing query and response database;

a floor controller for scheduling query and response operation;

the AI server intelligently interacting with the floor controller to provide responses to queries sent out by one or more radios from the one or more talkgroups; and

at least one of the AI queries being redirected by the floor controller to an alternate resource for response, in response to at least one of;

the AI server being unable to respond to the query;

the AI server seeking additional information to the query.

15. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the communication system comprises a public safety communication system.

16. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the queries are verbal queries.

17. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the responses are verbal responses.

18. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the redirected query is a text query and the response is at least one of:

a verbal response and a streaming video response based on the query type and based on a determination of operating frequency and channel bandwidth of the communication system.

19. The communication system of claim 14, wherein the redirected query is a text query to a dispatcher which returns a videostreaming response to the initiating query radio.

20. A method of receiving information, comprising:

forming a talkgroup from a plurality of radios;

sending a verbal query to members of the talkgroup and an artificial intelligence server, the artificial intelligence server having natural language processing engagement;

receiving a response to the query from the AI server after a predetermined time in which the members of the talkgroup have not responded; and

redirecting the query to an alternate resource for response in response to at least one of;

the AI server being unable to respond to the query;

the AI server seeking additional information to the query.

21. A communication system, comprising,

a plurality of push-to-talk communication devices forming one or more talkgroups;

an artificial intelligence (AI) server communicatively coupled through a floor controller to the one or more talkgroups, the AI server for generating a response to a query from the one or more talkgroups; and

the query being redirected, by the floor controller, to an alternate resource for response other than the one or more talkgroups that sent out the query and the AI server in response to at least one of;

the AI server being unable to respond to the query;

the AI server seeking additional information to the query.

22. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the floor controller is configured to:

request lock for a required response time or lock the floor for a required response time;

determine if incoming request is a regular request or a priority request;

assign priority to incoming requests to the AI server; and

lock the floor.