Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Keith Coleman Herold

Oz Solomon

Christopher Brian Quirk

Han Yee Mimi Fung

Jonathan E Hamaker

Erich-Soren Finkelstein

Christian Liensberger

Henrik Frystyk Nielsen

Julian James Odell

Hen Fitoussi

Michael D Plumpe

Harris Syed

Michael P Wilson

Erez Altus

Jon Hamaker

David Notario

Sandeep Manocha

Pauline Chao

Tom Millet

Tom Millett

Paul S Bloom

A method for natural language interaction includes recording speech provided by a human user. The recorded speech is translated into a machine-readable natural language input relating to an interaction topic. An interaction timer is maintained that tracks a length of time since a last machine-readable natural language input referring to the interaction topic was translated. Based on a current value of the interaction timer being greater than an interaction engagement threshold, a message relating to the interaction topic is delivered with a first natural language phrasing that includes an interaction topic reminder. Based on the current value of the interaction timer being less than the interaction engagement threshold, the message relating to the interaction topic is delivered with a second natural language phrasing that lacks the interaction topic reminder.

Natural language interaction for smart assistant

Techniques are described herein that are capable of providing extensibility with regard to a context-aware digital personal assistant. For instance, a description of a capability of a target (e.g., a software target) may be received. Examples of a target include but are not limited to an application (e.g., a software application), a service, a bot, and a website. In a first example, a digital personal assistant may be caused to perform operation(s) based at least in part on a context of a user. In a second example, whether the digital personal assistant performs operation(s) that are configured to be triggered by first aspect(s) of the context of the user is controlled based at least in part on second aspect(s) of the context of the user. The operation(s) include notifying the user of the capability and/or implementing the capability on behalf of the user.

Extensibility for context-aware digital personal assistant

A method for use with a computing device is provided. The method may include executing one or more programs of an intelligent digital assistant system at a processor and presenting a user interface to a user. At the processor, the method may include receiving natural language user input from the user, parsing the user input at an intent handler to determine an intent template with slots, populating the slots in the intent template with information from user input, and performing resolution on the intent template to partially resolve unresolved information. If a slot with missing slot information exists in the partially resolved intent template, a loop may be executed at the processor to fill the slots. The method may include, at the processor, determining that all required information is available and resolved and generating a rule based upon the intent template with all required information being available and resolved.

Intelligent assistant with intent-based information resolution

To address the issues of handling conversations with multiple users, an intelligent digital assistant system is provided. The system may include at least one microphone configured to receive an audio input, a speaker configured to emit an audio output, and a processor. The processor may be configured engage in a conversation with a first user, and, concurrent with the first user being engaged in the conversation with the system, recognize speech of one or more additional users in the audio input. The processor may process the recognized speech of the one or more additional users to determine a context for each additional user, and execute a conversation disentanglement module to select and perform one or more predetermined conversation disentanglement actions according to the context of the recognized speech of each additional user.

Intelligent digital assistant system

Intelligent assistant systems, methods and computing devices are disclosed for training a machine learning-based parser to derive user intents. A method comprises analyzing with a feeder parser a surface form of a user input. A user intent underlying the surface form is derived by the feeder parser. The surface form and the user intent are provided to a machine learning-based parser and used to enhance a training set of the machine learning-based parser.

Parsers for deriving user intents

Textual transcription of speech is generated and formatted according to user-specified transformation and behavior requirements for a speech recognition system having input grammars and transformations. An apparatus may include a speech recognition platform configured to receive a user-specified transformation requirement, recognize speech in speech data into recognized speech according to a set of recognition grammars; and apply transformations to the recognized speech according to the user-specified transformation requirement. The apparatus may further be configured to receive a user-specified behavior requirement and transform the recognized speech according to the behavior requirement. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Application of user-specified transformations to automatic speech recognition results

Architecture for integrating application-dependent information into a constraints component at deployment time or when available. In terms of a general grammar, the constraints component can include or be a general grammar that comprises application-independent information and is structured in such a way that application-dependent information can be integrated into the general grammar without loss of fidelity. The general grammar includes a probability space and reserves a section of the probability space for the integration of application-dependent information. An integration component integrates the application-dependent information into the reserved section of the probability space for recognition processing. The application-dependent information is integrated into the reserved section of the probability space at deployment time or when available. The general grammar is structured to support the integration and improve the overall system.

Application-dependent information for recognition processing

Textual preview of a voicemail is generated and provided through email or similar media to users along with the audio version. Transcription of the textual version, as well as additional capabilities such as actionable terms, playback-jump, switching between text and audio versions, direct or metadata based searchability, and enhanced response capabilities are provided based on contextual data obtained from voicemail metadata and user associated data stores such as contact list, email history.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Keith Coleman Herold