Multi-phrase Voice Response Generation for Natural Conversation Flow

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional chatbots in full duplex voice conversations typically provide single responses, which limits their interaction to 1:1 parity, failing to replicate the natural, bidirectional communication seen in human-to-human conversations where one party may speak more while the other listens and responds with supplementary thoughts.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a multi-phrase response mechanism that generates a primary response and supplementary responses, allowing for multiple voice outputs, including padding words or follow-up responses, to enhance the conversation flow and user experience by providing additional information during idle times or after primary responses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single response is provided in full duplex voice conversation, then the system complexity is low, but the conversation naturalness and user engagement deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse generation complexityVSAvoidconversation naturalness
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the response into multiple independent voice outputs: a primary voice output containing the main response content, and one or more supplementary voice outputs containing additional information or follow-up thoughts. This segmentation allows the chatbot to replicate natural human conversation patterns where speakers often add supplementary comments or follow-up thoughts, thereby improving conversation naturalness without requiring complete system redesign

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary generation of both primary and supplementary responses in advance before the conversation continues. By pre-generating multiple potential voice outputs and their corresponding text representations, the system prepares multiple response options that can be selectively delivered, improving conversation flow and naturalness while managing complexity through advance preparation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If multiple voice outputs are generated and provided, then the conversation naturalness improves, but the processing time and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconversation naturalnessVSAvoidresponse processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system generates both primary and supplementary text representations in advance during the initial processing phase, before voice conversion. By preparing multiple response texts simultaneously rather than sequentially, and converting them to voice outputs in parallel where possible, the system reduces the total processing time penalty associated with generating multiple voice outputs

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different processing qualities to different response components: the primary voice output receives full processing attention for accuracy and quality, while supplementary voice outputs may use optimized or streamlined processing paths. This local quality differentiation allows the system to maintain high quality for critical responses while reducing processing overhead for supplementary content, thereby managing overall processing time

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Ease of operation

If supplementary responses are provided during idle time, then the user engagement improves, but the information delivery efficiency may deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser engagementVSAvoidinformation delivery efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically determines whether to deliver supplementary voice outputs based on real-time conversation state, user responses, and timing conditions. Rather than always providing supplementary responses, the system adaptively selects when supplementary outputs enhance engagement versus when they might delay critical information delivery, thereby balancing user engagement improvement with information delivery efficiency through dynamic decision-making

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3871213B1Multi-phrase responding in full duplex voice conversation
Publication Date: 2024.12.18 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3871213B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3871213B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3871213B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6

AI summary

The present disclosure provides method and apparatus for responding in a voice conversation by an electronic conversational agent. A voice input may be received in an audio upstream. In response to the voice input, a primary response and at least one supplementary response may be generated. A primary voice output may be generated based on the primary response. At least one supplementary voice output may be generated based on the at least one supplementary response. The primary voice output and the at least one supplementary voice output may be provided in an audio downstream, wherein the at least one supplementary voice output is provided during a time period adjacent to the primary voice output in the audio downstream.