US 2016/0078868 A1Published application

Suggesting intent frame(s) for user request(s)

AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC

InventorsShane J. Landry, Anne K. Sullivan, Lisa J. Stifelman, Adam D. Elman, Larry Paul Heck, Sarangarajan Parthasarathy

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Techniques are described herein that are capable of suggesting intent frame(s) for user request(s). For instance, the intent frame(s) may be suggested to elicit a request from a user. An intent frame is a natural language phrase (e.g., a sentence) that includes at least one carrier phrase and at least one slot. A slot in an intent frame is a placeholder that is identified as being replaceable by one or more words that identify an entity and/or an action to indicate an intent of the user. A carrier phrase in an intent frame includes one or more words that suggest a type of entity and/or action that is to be identified by the one or more words that may replace the corresponding slot. In accordance with these techniques, the intent frame(s) are suggested in response to determining that natural language functionality of a processing system is activated.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A processing system comprising:

at least one element including at least one of (a) one or more processors or (b) hardware logic/electrical circuitry;
activation logic, implemented using the at least one element, configured to determine whether natural language functionality of the processing system is activated, the natural language functionality for enabling the processing system to interpret natural language requests;
suggestion logic, implemented using the at least one element, configured to generate one or more intent frames in response to a determination that the natural language functionality of the processing system is activated, each of the one or more intent frames including at least one carrier phrase and at least one slot;
an interface configured to provide the one or more intent frames for perception by a user;
assignment logic, implemented using the at least one element, configured to assign a plurality of probabilities to a plurality of respective possible intent frames, each probability indicating a likelihood that the user is to select the corresponding possible intent frame if the corresponding possible intent frame is suggested to the user;
and
identification logic, implemented using the at least one element, configured to identify a high-probability intent frame from the plurality of possible intent frames, the high-probability intent frame being assigned a probability that is not less than a probability that is assigned to each other possible intent frame in the plurality of possible intent frames,
the suggestion logic configured to include the high-probability intent frame in the one or more intent frames based on the high-probability intent frame being assigned a probability that is not less than a probability that is assigned to each other possible intent frame in the plurality of possible intent frames.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/953,377Filed 29 Nov 2015
Priority: 15 Dec 2011
Published: 17 Mar 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G06F 40/20
Handling natural language data: natural language analysis
G06F 3/0482
Based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like…:…
G06F 3/167
Sound input; Sound output: audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
G06F 16/3329
Query formulation: natural language query formulation

Family

Application13/327,305Continuation · filed 15 Dec 2011
Application14/953,377Continuation
US 2013/0158980 A1Published application
US 9,201,859 B2Related patent
US 9,583,104 B2Related patent
US 2016/0078868 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.