Method and apparatus for multiple value confirmation and correction in spoken dialog systems

• US 20060247931A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pieraccini, Roberto, Huerta, Juan Manuel, Caskey, Sasha Porto
• Granted Patent: US 7,684,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A method for multiple value confirmation and correction in spoken dialog systems. A user is allowed to correct errors in values captured by the spoken dialog system, such that the interaction necessary for error correction between the system and the user is reduced. When the spoken dialog system collects a set of values from a user, the system provides a spoken confirmation of the set of values to the user. The spoken confirmation comprises the set of values and possibly pause associated with each value. Upon hearing an incorrect value, the user may react and barge-in the spoken confirmation and provide a corrected value. Responsive to detecting the user interruption during the pause or after the system speaking of a value, the system halts the spoken confirmation and collects the corrected value. The system then provides a new spoken confirmation to the user, wherein the new spoken confirmation includes the corrected value.

Claims

1. A method for multiple value confirmation and correction in a spoken dialog system, the method comprising:

responsive to collecting a set of values from a user, presenting a spoken confirmation of the set of values to the user;

detecting a user interruption of a value in the spoken confirmation, wherein the user interruption comprises an indication that the value is incorrect;

responsive to detecting the user interruption, halting the spoken confirmation and collecting a corrected value from the user; and

providing a new spoken confirmation to the user, wherein the new spoken confirmation includes the corrected value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a user interruption comprises using one or more correction grammars to allow for stating a value correction in multiple ways.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a time stamp is used to determine the value after which the user interruption occurred.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the spoken confirmation and the new spoken confirmation comprise at least one carrier phrase.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a pause is inserted after one or more values in the spoken confirmation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating the detecting, halting, and providing steps until the set of values in the new spoken confirmation are correct.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the new spoken confirmation is dynamically tuned based on the spoken dialog system'"'"'s confidence in accuracy of the set of values.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

modifying the duration of the pause based on the spoken dialog system'"'"'s confidence in an accuracy of the value.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the intonation of the new spoken confirmation based on the spoken dialog system'"'"'s confidence in an accuracy of the value.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interruption for the value is detected within a predetermined time interval after the value is spoken.

11. A spoken dialog system for multiple value confirmation and correction, comprising:

presenting means for presenting a spoken confirmation of the set of values to the user in response to collecting a set of values from a user;

detecting means for detecting a user interruption of a value in the spoken confirmation, wherein the user interruption comprises an indication that the value is incorrect;

halting means for halting the spoken confirmation in response to detecting the user interruption;

collecting means for collecting a corrected value from the user in response to detecting the user interruption; and

providing means for providing a new spoken confirmation to the user, wherein the new spoken confirmation includes the corrected value.

12. The spoken dialog system of claim 11, wherein the detecting means comprises using one or more correction grammars to allow for stating a value correction in multiple ways.

13. The spoken dialog system of claim 11, wherein a time stamp is used to determine the value after which the user interruption occurred.

14. The spoken dialog system of claim 11, wherein the spoken confirmation and the new spoken confirmation comprise at least one carrier phrase.

15. The spoken dialog system of claim 11, wherein a pause is inserted after one or more values in the spoken confirmation.

16. The spoken dialog system of claim 11, further comprising:

repeating means for repeating the detecting, halting, and providing steps until the set of values in the new spoken confirmation are correct.

17. The spoken dialog system of claim 11, wherein the new spoken confirmation is dynamically tuned based on the spoken dialog system'"'"'s confidence in accuracy of the set of values.

18. The spoken dialog system of claim 15, further comprising:

modifying the duration of the pause based on the spoken dialog system'"'"'s confidence in an accuracy of the value.

19. The spoken dialog system of claim 11, further comprising:

modifying an intonation of the new spoken confirmation based on the spoken dialog system'"'"'s confidence in an accuracy of the value.

20. A computer program product for multiple value confirmation and correction in a spoken dialog system, comprising:

first instructions for presenting a spoken confirmation of the set of values to the user in response to collecting a set of values from a user;

second instructions for detecting a user interruption of a value in the spoken confirmation, wherein the user interruption comprises an indication that the value is incorrect;

third instructions for halting the spoken confirmation and collecting a corrected value from the user in response to detecting the user interruption; and

fourth instructions for providing a new spoken confirmation to the user, wherein the new spoken confirmation includes the corrected value.