SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AN N-BEST LIST INTERFACE

• US 20110161347A1
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: JOHNSTON, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,914,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for providing an N-best list interface. A system practicing the method receives a search query formatted according to a standard language for containing and annotating interpretations of user input, the search query being based on a natural language spoken query from a user and retrieves an N-best list of recognition results based on the search query. The system then transmits the N-best list of recognition results to a user device, receives multimodal disambiguation input from the user, the input indicating an entry in the N-best list, and transmits to the user device additional information associated with the selected entry. The additional information can be a map indicating an address for the selected entry. The standard language can be XML-based Extensible MultiModal Annotation (EMMA) markup language from W3C.

Claims

1. A method for an N-best list interface, the method causing a computing device to perform steps comprising:

receiving a search query formatted according to a standard language for containing and annotating interpretations of user input, the search query being based on a natural language spoken query from a user;

retrieving an N-best list of recognition results based on the search query;

transmitting the N-best list of recognition results to a user device;

receiving multimodal disambiguation input from the user, the input indicating an entry in the N-best list; and

transmitting to the user device additional information associated with the selected entry.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional information is a map indicating an address for the selected entry.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional information is a set of instructions to trigger the user device to perform certain steps.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the standard language is XML-based Extensible MultiModal Annotation (EMMA) markup language from W3C.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional information is retrieved from a corporate personnel directory.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimodal disambiguation input is from a portable computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query is received from two or more users, and transmitting the N-best list of recognition results is transmitted to two or more user devices.

8. A system for providing an N-best list interface, the system comprising:

a processor;

a module controlling the processor to receive a search query formatted according to a standard language for containing and annotating interpretations of user input, the search query being based on a natural language spoken query from a user;

a module controlling the processor to retrieve an N-best list of recognition results based on the search query;

a module controlling the processor to transmit the N-best list of recognition results to a user device;

a module controlling the processor to receive multimodal disambiguation input from the user, the input indicating an entry in the N-best list; and

a module controlling the processor to transmit to the user device additional information associated with the selected entry.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the additional information is a map indicating an address for the selected entry.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the additional information is a set of instructions to trigger the user device to perform certain steps.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the standard language is XML-based Extensible MultiModal Annotation (EMMA) markup language from W3C.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the additional information is retrieved from a corporate personnel directory.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the multimodal disambiguation input is from a portable computing device.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the search query is received from two or more users, and transmitting the N-best list of recognition results is transmitted to two or more user devices.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to provide an N-best list interface, the instructions comprising:

receiving a search query formatted according to a standard language for containing and annotating interpretations of user input, the search query being based on a natural language spoken query from a user;

retrieving an N-best list of recognition results based on the search query;

transmitting the N-best list of recognition results to a user device;

receiving multimodal disambiguation input from the user, the input indicating an entry in the N-best list; and

transmitting to the user device additional information associated with the selected entry.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the additional information is a map indicating an address for the selected entry.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the additional information is a set of instructions to trigger the user device to perform certain steps.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the standard language is XML-based Extensible MultiModal Annotation (EMMA) markup language from W3C.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the additional information is retrieved from a corporate personnel directory.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the multimodal disambiguation input is from a portable computing device.