US 6,587,818 B2 · System and method for resolving decoding ambiguity via dialog

Abstract

A method of language recognition wherein decoding ambiguities are identified and at least partially resolved intermediate to the language decoding procedures to reduce the subsequent number of final decoding alternatives. The user is questioned about identified decoding ambiguities as they are being decoded. There are two language decoding levels: fast match and detailed match. During the fast match decoding level a large potential candidate list is generated, very quickly. Then, during the more comprehensive (and slower) detailed match decoding level, the fast match candidate list is applied to the ambiguity to reduce the potential selections for final recognition. During the detailed match decoding level a unique candidate is selected for decoding. Decoding may be interactive and, as each ambiguity is encountered, recognition suspended to present questions to the user that will discriminate between potential response classes. Thus, recognition performance and accuracy is improved by interrupting recognition, intermediate to the decoding process, and allowing the user to select appropriate response classes to narrow the number of final decoding alternatives.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A language recognition system for recognizing language input, said language input including ambiguous statements, said system being capable of recognizing and resolving certain ones of said ambiguous statements, said ambiguous statements being recognized as acceptable answers to two or more of who, what, when and where questions, said system comprising:

a decoder system receiving language input checking sentences in said language input for ambiguities and transcribing unambiguous language input;
an intermediate decoding module identifying a set of decoding alternatives corresponding to an ambiguity in an identified ambiguous sentence;
a classifier classifying each of said set of decoding alternatives as belonging to one ox a set of classes;
a questioner module constructing optimal questions responsive to said set of classes, said optimal questions being constructed to reduce the number of classes;
and
an assistant interactive system providing constructed said optimal questions and receiving corresponding responses.

3 more elements

A language recognition method, said method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving language input and checking said language input for sentences recognized as acceptable answers to two or more of who, what, when and where questions, each recognized of said sentences being identified as an ambiguous sentence;
b) converting said language input to an output when an ambiguity is not found in said language input and returning to step (a);
otherwise,
c) identifying a set of intermediate decoding alternatives for an identified said ambiguous sentence;
d) identifying a plurality of final decoding class alternatives from said set of intermediate decoding alternatives;
e) identifying a final decoding class from said plurality of identified final decoding class alternatives;
f) presenting questions distinguishing features of members of said identified final decoding class;
and
g) resolving any ambiguity in said ambiguous sentence responsive to responses to said questions and returning to step (b).

6 more elements

A computer program product for language recognition, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code means for checking language input for ambiguous statements, ambiguous statements being recognized as acceptable answers to two or more of who, what, when and where questions;
computer readable program code means for converting said language input to an output;
computer readable program code means for identifying a set of intermediate decoding alternatives for an identified ambiguous statement;
computer readable program code means for identifying final decoding class alternatives for each said identified ambiguous statement from said set of intermediate decoding alternatives;
computer readable program code means for identifying a final decoding class from said identified final decoding class alternatives;
computer readable program code means for presenting questions about features of members of said identified final decoding class;
and
computer readable program code means for using final decoding class member features to resolve ambiguities in identified ambiguous statements.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for resolving decoding ambiguity via dialog

Life of this patent

System and method for resolving decoding ambiguity via dialog

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23