Hierarchical Methods and Apparatus for Extracting User Intent from Spoken Utterances

a user intent and hierarchical technology, applied in the field of hierarchical extraction of user intent from spoken utterances, can solve the problems of human operator required, people do not talk or think in terms of specific machine-based, forget precise predetermined commands,
US20080221903A1Inactive Publication Date: 2008-09-11NUANCE COMM INC
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
NUANCE COMM INC
Publication Date
2008-09-11
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

Improved techniques are disclosed for permitting a user to employ more human-based grammar (i.e., free form or conversational input) while addressing a target system via a voice system. For example, a technique for determining intent associated with a spoken utterance of a user comprises the following steps / operations. Decoded speech uttered by the user is obtained. An intent is then extracted from the decoded speech uttered by the user. The intent is extracted in an iterative manner such that a first class is determined after a first iteration and a sub-class of the first class is determined after a second iteration. The first class and the sub-class of the first class are hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user, e.g., a target and data that may be associated with the target. The multi-stage intent extraction approach may have more than two iterations. By way of example only, the user intent extracting step may further determine a sub-class of the sub-class of the first class after a third iteration, such that the first class, the sub-class of the first class, and the sub-class of the sub-class of the first class are hierarchically indicative of the intent of the user.
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Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 216,483 filed on Aug. 31, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to speech processing systems and, more particularly, to systems for hierarchically extracting user intent from spoken utterances, such as spoken instructions or commands.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The use of a speech recognition system (or a voice system) to translate a user's spoken command to a precise text command that the target system can input and process is well known. For example, in a conventional voice system based in a vehicle, a user (e.g., driver) interacts with the voice system by uttering very specific commands that must be consistent with machine-based grammar that is understood by the target system.

[0004] By way of example, assume that the climate control system in the vehicle is the target syste...

Claims

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