Question urgency in QA system with visual representation in three dimensional space

• US 10,692,498 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Andersen, John J., Erenel, Dogukan, Lyle, Richard O., Santiago, Ajiemar D., Wu, Wilson L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tzeng, Feng-Tzer
• Application Number:
  US15/790,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20190122667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/174 Facial expression recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/14 using statistical models, e.g. Hidden Markov Models [HMMs] G10L15/18 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/63 for estimating an emotional state

Abstract

An approach is provided that identifies a current mood state of a requestor from whom a question has been submitted to a question answering (QA) system. The approach determines, based on the identified mood state, an urgency associated with the requestor. Data pertaining to a number of candidate answers is analyzed with the candidate answers being generated by the QA system. The analysis results in an urgency characteristic that pertains to each of the candidate answers. Scoring of the candidate answers is adjusted based on a comparison of the requestor'"'"'s urgency and the urgency characteristic associated with the candidate answers. Answers are selected from the candidate answers and returned to the requestor with the selected answers based on the adjusted scoring.

Claims

1. A method implemented by an information handling system that includes a memory and a processor, the method comprising:

identifying a current mood state of a requestor from whom a question has been submitted to a question answering (QA) system, wherein the current mood state is based on a current emotion of the requestor, a current language usage of the requestor, and a current socialness of the requestor;

determining a current processing state of the QA system selected from the group consisting of an idle state, a busy state, and a listening state;

displaying an avatar to the requestor at a display device accessible by the requestor, wherein the avatar concurrently exhibits both a first visual characteristic and a second visual characteristic, the first visual characteristic indicating the requestor'"'"'s current mood state and the second visual characteristic indicating to the requestor the current processing state of the QA system; and

in response to displaying the avatar to the requestor at the display device that informs the requestor of the current processing state of the QA system;

determining, based on the identified mood state, an urgency associated with the requestor;

analyzing data pertaining to a plurality of candidate answers generated by the QA system, wherein the analysis results in an urgency characteristic pertaining to each of the candidate answers;

adjusting a scoring associated with each of the candidate answers based on a comparison of the requestor'"'"'s urgency and the urgency characteristic associated with each of the candidate answers; and

returning at least one of the candidate answers to the requestor as one or more answers, wherein the answers are selected from the candidate answers based on the adjusted scoring.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving one or more actions received from the requestor;

retrieving a digital facial image of the requestor; and

identifying a current behavior state of the requestor in response to evaluating the actions and the retrieved facial image, wherein the evaluating also results in one or more factors that contribute to the analysis that results in the urgency characteristic.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

wherein the avatar includes a third visual characteristic that reflects the requestor'"'"'s identified current behavior state.

4. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more data stores accessible by at least one of the processors;

a memory coupled to at least one of the processors; and

a set of computer program instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of;

identifying a current mood state of a requestor from whom a question has been submitted to a question answering (QA) system, wherein the current mood state is based on a current emotion of the requestor, a current language usage of the requestor, and a current socialness of the requestor;

determining a current processing state of the QA system selected from the group consisting of an idle state, a busy state, and a listening state;

displaying an avatar to the requestor at a display device accessible by the requestor, wherein the avatar concurrently exhibits both a first visual characteristic and a second visual characteristic, the first visual characteristic indicating the requestor'"'"'s current mood state and the second visual characteristic indicating to the requestor the current processing state of the QA system; and

in response to displaying the avatar to the requestor at the display device that informs the requestor of the current processing state of the QA system;

indicating the current processing state of the QA system;

determining, based on the identified mood state, an urgency associated with the requestor;

analyzing data pertaining to a plurality of candidate answers generated by the QA system, wherein the analysis results in an urgency characteristic pertaining to each of the candidate answers;

adjusting a scoring associated with each of the candidate answers based on a comparison of the requestor'"'"'s urgency and the urgency characteristic associated with each of the candidate answers; and

returning at least one of the candidate answers to the requestor as one or more answers, wherein the answers are selected from the candidate answers based on the adjusted scoring.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the actions further comprise:

receiving one or more actions received from the requestor;

retrieving a digital facial image of the requestor; and

identifying a current behavior state of the requestor in response to evaluating the actions and the retrieved facial image, wherein the evaluating also results in one or more factors that contribute to the analysis that results in the urgency characteristic.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 wherein the actions further comprise:

wherein the avatar includes a third visual characteristic that reflects the requestor'"'"'s identified current behavior state.

7. A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium, comprising computer program code that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions comprising:

identifying a current mood state of a requestor from whom a question has been submitted to a question answering (QA) system, wherein the current mood state is based on a current emotion of the requestor, a current language usage of the requestor, and a current socialness of the requestor;

determining a current processing state of the QA system selected from the group consisting of an idle state, a busy state, and a listening state;

displaying an avatar to the requestor at a display device accessible by the requestor, wherein the avatar concurrently exhibits both a first visual characteristic and a second visual characteristic, the first visual characteristic indicating the requestor'"'"'s current mood state and the second visual characteristic indicating to the requestor the current processing state of the QA system; and

in response to displaying the avatar to the requestor at the display device that informs the requestor of the current processing state of the QA system;

determining, based on the identified mood state, an urgency associated with the requestor;

analyzing data pertaining to a plurality of candidate answers generated by the QA system, wherein the analysis results in an urgency characteristic pertaining to each of the candidate answers;

adjusting a scoring associated with each of the candidate answers based on a comparison of the requestor'"'"'s urgency and the urgency characteristic associated with each of the candidate answers; and

returning at least one of the candidate answers to the requestor as one or more answers, wherein the answers are selected from the candidate answers based on the adjusted scoring.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the actions further comprise:

receiving one or more actions received from the requestor;

retrieving a digital facial image of the requestor; and

identifying a current behavior state of the requestor in response to evaluating the actions and the retrieved facial image, wherein the evaluating also results in one or more factors that contribute to the analysis that results in the urgency characteristic.