At&t Intellectual Property I, LP

At+t Corp.

Marilyn Ann Walker

Allen Louis Gorin

Jeremy Huntley Wright

Irene Langkilde Geary

Owen Christopher Rambow

Monica Rogati

Diane Judith Litman

Disclosed is a task classification system that interacts with a user. The task classification system may include a recognizer that may recognize symbols in the user's input communication, and a natural language understanding unit that may determine whether the user's input communication can be understood. If the user's input communication can be understood, the natural language understanding unit may generate understanding data. The system may also include a communicative goal generator that may generate communicative goals based on the symbols recognized by the recognizer and understanding data from the natural language understanding unit. The generated communicative goals may be related to information needed to be obtained from the user. The system may further include a sentence planning unit that may automatically plan one or more sentences based on the communicative goals generated by the communicative goal generator with at least one of the sentences plans being output to the user.

Automated sentence planning in a task classification system

The invention relates to a method for sentence planning () in a task classification system that interacts with a user. The method may include recognizing symbols in the user's input communication and determining whether the user's input communication can be understood. If the user's communication can be understood, understanding data may be generated (). The method may further include generating communicative goals () based on the recognized symbols and understanding data. The generated communicative goals () may be related to information needed to be obtained form the user. The method may also include automatically planning one or more sentences () based on the generated communicative goals and outputting at least one of the sentence plans to the user ().

Method for automated sentence planning in a task classification system

The invention relates to a system that interacts with a user in an automated dialog system (). The system may include a communicative goal generator () that generates communicative goals based on a first communication received from the user. The generated communicative goals () may be related to information needed to be obtained from the user. The system may further include a sentence planning unit () that automatically plans one or more sentences based on the communicative goals generated by the communicative goal generator (). At least one of the planned sentences may be then output to the user ().

The invention relates to a task classification system () that interacts with a user. The task classification system () may include a recognizer () that may recognize symbols in the user's input communication, and a natural language understanding unit () that may determine whether the user's input communication can be understood. If the user's input communication can be understood, the natural language understanding unit () may generate understanding data. The system may also include a communicative goal generator that may generate communicative goals based on the symbols recognized by the recognizer () and understanding data from the natural language understanding unit (). The generated communicative goals may be related to information needed to be obtained from the user. The system may further include a sentence planning unit () that may automatically plan one or more sentences based on the communicative goals generated by the communicative goal generator with at least one of the sentences plans being output to the user.

A method and system for monitoring an automated dialog system for the automatic recognition of language understanding errors based on a user's input communications in a task classification system. If the user's input communication cannot be understood and a task classification decision cannot be made, then further dialog may be conducted with the user if a probability of understanding the user's input communication exceeds a first threshold. Otherwise, the user may be directed to a human for assistance. In another possible embodiment, the method operates as above except that if the probability exceeds a second threshold, then further dialog may be conducted with the user using the current dialog strategy. However, if the probability falls between a first threshold and a second threshold, the dialog strategy may be adapted in order to improve the chances of conducting a successful dialog with the user.

Method and system for predicting understanding errors in a task classification system

The invention concerns a system and method of predicting problematic dialogs in an automated dialog system based on the user's input communications. The method may include determining whether a probability of conducting a successful dialog with the user exceeds a first threshold. The successful dialog may be defined as a dialog exchange between an automated dialog system and the user that results in at least one of processing of the user's input communication and routing the user's input communication. The method may further operate such that if the first threshold is exceeded, further dialog is conducted with the user. Otherwise, the user may be directed to a human for assistance. In another possible embodiment, the method operates as above except that if the probability exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold being higher than the first, then further dialog is conducted with the user using the current dialog strategy. However, if the probability falls between a first threshold and a second threshold, the dialog strategy may be adapted in order to improve the chances of conducting a successful dialog with the user. This process may be cumulative. In particular, the first dialog exchange may be stored in a database. Then, a second dialog exchange is conducted with the user. As a result, a second determination is made as whether successful dialog can be conducted based on the stored first exchange and the current second exchanges. This cumulative process may continue using a third and fourth exchange, if necessary.

Method and system for predicting problematic situations in automated dialog

A natural language understanding monitoring system adapted to conduct an automated dialog with a user. If the system is unable to identify from the automated dialog, to at least a predetermined level of confidence, any one of a plurality of predetermined tasks as being a particular task that the user wants to have performed, the system makes a determination of the value of a probability that further automated dialog will enable the system to identify the particular task, and determines whether or not to conduct further automated dialog with the user, in an attempt to identify the particular task, based on the relative values of the determined probability and a predetermined threshold value. The probability value determination is based on inputs from the user during the automated dialog.

Natural language understanding monitoring system for identifying a task

Trainable sentence planning system

This invention concerns a method and system for monitoring an automated dialog system for the automatic recognition of language understanding errors based on a user's input communications. The method illustratively determines whether a probability of understanding the user's input communication exceeds a first threshold. If the first threshold is exceeded, further dialog is conducted with the user. Otherwise, the user may be directed to a human for assistance. The method also illustratively determines whether the probability also exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold being higher than the first. If so, then further dialog is conducted with the user using the current dialog strategy. However, if the probability falls between a first threshold and a second threshold, the dialog strategy may be adapted in order to improve the chances of conducting a successful dialog with the user. Conducting further automated dialog with the user in an attempt to identify a particular task that the user wants the system to perform is carried out only upon a determination that there is at least a predetermined probability that further automated dialog will enable the system to identify the particular task.

Automated dialog system and method

This invention concerns a method and system for monitoring an automated dialog system for the automatic recognition of language understanding errors based on a user's input communications. The method may include determining whether a probability of understanding the user's input communication exceeds a first threshold. If the first threshold is exceeded, further dialog is conducted with the user. Otherwise, the user may be directed to a human for assistance. The method also illustratively determines whether the probability also exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold being higher than the first. If so, then further dialog is conducted with the user using the current dialog strategy. However, if the probability falls between a first threshold and a second threshold, the dialog strategy may be adapted in order to improve the chances of conducting a successful dialog with the user.

This invention concerns a method and system for monitoring an automated dialog system for the automatic recognition of language understanding errors based on a user's input communications in a dialog with the user. The probability of conducting a successful dialog with the user is determined based, at least in part, on understanding data from at least one prior dialog exchange of the dialog.

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Morristown, NJ, United States of America

Marilyn Ann Walker