Method and apparatus for separating processing for language-understanding from an application and its functionality

• US 6,513,010 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2000
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Voxi AB
• Original Assignee: Voxi AB
• Inventors: Adler, Daniel, Stenius, Marten, Lewin, Erland
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOLAN, DANIEL A
• Application Number:
  US09/580,899
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2, 704/9, 704/270.1, 704/270, 704/4, 704/8, 704/200, 704/255, 704/275, 704/10, 707/4, 707/5, 707/2
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• 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 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for separating processing for language understanding from an application and its functionality. The application for example contains functionality within a provided domain, whereby the domain and its functionality belongs to a speech controlled device such as a car-radio, a car-AC, a CD-player or almost any program controlled device.

Claims

1. A method of organizing linguistic data describing linguistic interaction with an application specific linguistic logic and a general linguistic understanding logic containing an application independent grammar description comprising the steps of:

separating said application logic from said general logic, said application logic containing functionality within a predetermined application domain wherein said functionality is provided through a data model;

reflecting said functionality to said general logic for use in linguistic interaction by providing that an application exports information about words and senses to said general logic; and

providing a distributed consistent linguistic interaction model for different applications using the same general logic to interpret applications with different functionality.

2. The method according to claim 1 including the step of:

using senses to associate exported words with objects, attributes and classes that they represent.

3. The method according to claim 1 including the step of:

using information about words, including objects, attributes and classes from said data model.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein:

said objects are nouns, said attributes are adjectives and said classes are verbs.

5. The method according to claim 1 including the step of:

using grammar as provided by an application for specific unusual expressions.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein:

said general linguistic understanding logic belongs to speech-recognition.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein:

an application provides the models required by a speech recognition logic to recognize words specified by said application.

8. The method according to claim 1 including the step of:

building into said general language understanding linguistic logic standard grammar for utterances and phrases in various languages, which are independent of domain.

9. The method according to claim 1 including the steps of:

establishing on-demand connection or presence to determine the need for transferring of the application structure to said general linguistic understanding logic; and

providing said application specific linguistic data from said application to said general linguistic understanding logic.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein:

the step of providing the application specific linguistic data from said application to the general linguistic understanding logic is accomplished by direct transfer or by providing access through a distributed object system.

11. The method according to claim 1 including the step of:

providing a wireless network as interface between said general logic and said application specific logic.

12. An apparatus for organizing linguistic data describing linguistic interaction with an application for specific linguistic logic and a general linguistic understanding logic engine means containing an application independent grammar description comprising:

means for separating said means for specific logic from said engine means, said specific logic means containing functionality within a predetermined application domain;

said functionality being provided with a data model;

means for reflecting said functionality to said logic engine means for use in linguistic interaction by providing that said specific logic means exports information about words and senses to said engine means; and

means for providing a distributed consistent linguistic interaction for a different applications using the same general logic engine means to interpret applications with difference functionality.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

senses are used to associate exported words with objects, attributes and classes that they represent.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein:

said information about words comprises objects, attributes and classes from said data model.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

said objects are nouns, said attributes are adjectives and said classes are verbs.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

grammars are provided by an application for a specific unusual expression.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

said general linguistic understanding logic belongs to speech recognition.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein:

an application provides the models required by the speech recognition logic to recognize words specified by said application.

19. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

standard grammar for utterances and phrases in various language which are independent of a domain, are built into said general language understanding linguistic logic.

20. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

a transfer of words occurs by on-demand establishment of a connection or presence to determine the need of transfer of the application structure to the general linguistic understanding logic and application specific linguistic data from the application is provided to said general linguistic understanding logic.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20 including:

a distributed object system for direct transfer or by providing access to moving application specific linguistic data from said application to said general linguistic understanding logic.

22. The apparatus according to claim 12 including:

a wireless network for interface between said general logic and said application specific logic.