# US 10,503,747 B2 · Method and apparatus for operating a user interface > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,503,747 B2 - Document ID: US10503747B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/280,145 - Filed: 2016-09-29 - Published: 2017-01-19 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2010-05-04 - Assignees: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft - Applicants: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Peter Oel; Moritz Neugebauer; Michael Mischke; Christoph Waeller; Lorenz Bohrer; Jens Ehrke; Gordon Seitz; Stefan Schulz; Imke Gaus; Oliver Meyer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10503747B2 ## CPC - G06F 16/25: Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems - G01C 21/3608: {using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition} - G01C 21/3611: {using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs (character input methods in general G06F3/0233)} - G01C 21/3617: {using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement} - G06F 3/016: {Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user} - G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text - G06F 3/167: {Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback} - G06F 16/24: Querying - G10L 15/22: Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING ## Abstract A method and apparatus for operating a user interface is provided, in which a first user input is detected, and a confidence analysis is carried out. Different kinds of system responses are generated depending on the result of the confidence analysis, wherein a first kind of system response comprises a system output which requires a second user input, and a second kind of system response comprises the automatic selection of a database entry. A third kind of system response comprises the first and second features, wherein the third kind of system response automatically changes into the first or second kind of system response after the expiry of a period of time. In this case, one of the two first kinds can be set as a standard or “default,” into which the automatic change then takes place after expiry of the period of time without further user interaction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for operating a user interface, comprising: detecting a first user input; performing a confidence analysis, during which the first user input is compared with a plurality of stored database entries and each compared database entry is assigned a value of a confidence measure, which assesses a correspondence between the first user input and a database entry; and generating different kinds of system responses, which differ from one another in at least one feature, depending on a result of the confidence analysis, the system responses comprising: a first kind of system response comprising, as a distinguishing first feature, a system output which requests a second user input; a second kind of system response comprising, as a distinguishing second feature, an automatic selection of the database entry; and a third kind of system response comprising the distinguishing first feature and the distinguishing second feature, wherein the third kind of system response automatically changes into the first kind of system response or the second kind of system response after a period of time has elapsed, wherein with a sufficiently unambiguous result of the confidence analysis, a function on the basis of a selected database entry of the first input is immediately activated, whereas with a less unambiguous result of the confidence analysis, the function on the basis of the selected database entry of the first input is activated after a further period of time has elapsed, and wherein the result of the confidence analysis is based on categorized values of a matrix table associated with two threshold values. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first kind of system response is generated based on database entries with assigned values of the confidence measure above a first threshold value of the two threshold values. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the database entries are assigned positions on a map. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein an area around the selected database entry is zoomed in automatically. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the result of the confidence analysis comprises whether a highest value of the value of the confidence measure exceeds a first threshold value of the two threshold values. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the system output occurs on different display surfaces or at different positions on a display surface based on a result of the confidence analysis. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of system responses further comprises an acoustic signal or a haptic signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the function is activated when the second user input occurs before the period of time has elapsed during the third type of system response. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the categorized values of the matrix table are determined by testing two criteria for exceeding or falling below the two threshold values. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising assigning the system responses according to ranges of the categorized values of the matrix table.