Method and computer program product for providing a response to a statement of a user

A method of operating a computer to provide a response to a received user input, the method comprising:

• automatically with the computer:
• (a) in response to receiving, from a user's device, a partial user input signifying a portion of an answerable statement, before receiving a full user input representing the entire answerable statement, calculating for each of a plurality of predefined answerable statements, a match metric denoting a degree to which the partial user input matches the predefined answerable statement;
• and
• (b) (1) if the match metric for one of the predefined answerable statements exceeds a first threshold, sending, to the user's device, information representing a response associated with said one of the predefined answerable statements, and
• (2) if part (b)(1) does not apply but the match metric for at least one of the predefined answerable statements exceeds a second threshold, which second threshold is lower than the first threshold, sending, to the user's device, information representing the corresponding at least one of the predefined answerable statements.

A data processing system having at least one processor capable of providing an automatic response to a received user input, the system being programmed to automatically:

• (a) in response to receiving, from a user's device, a partial user input signifying a portion of an answerable statement, before receiving a full user input representing the entire answerable statement, calculate for each of a plurality of predefined answerable statements, a match metric denoting a degree to which the partial user input matches the predefined answerable statement;
• and
• (b) (1) if the match metric for one of the predefined answerable statements exceeds a first threshold, send, to the user's device, information representing a response associated with said one of the predefined answerable statements, and
• (2) if part (b)(1) does not apply but the match metric for at least one of the predefined answerable statements exceeds a second threshold, which second threshold is lower than the first threshold, send, to the user's device, information representing the corresponding at least one of the predefined answerable statements.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of computer instructions to provide a response to a received user input, wherein the set of computer instructions, when executed on a computer, causes the computer, automatically:

• (a) in response to receiving, from a user's device, a partial user input signifying a portion of an answerable statement, before receiving a full user input representing the entire answerable statement, to calculate for each of a plurality of predefined answerable statements, a match metric denoting a degree to which the partial user input matches the predefined answerable statement;
• and
• (b) (1) if the match metric for one of the predefined answerable statements exceeds a first threshold, to send, to the user's device, information representing a response associated with said one of the predefined answerable statements, and
• (2) if part (b)(1) does not apply but the match metric for at least one of the predefined answerable statements exceeds a second threshold, which second threshold is lower than the first threshold, to send, to the user's device, information representing the corresponding at least one of the predefined answerable statements.