IP Library Granted Patent US 8,498,384
Granted Patent B2
US 8,498,384 · App. 13/633,571 · Granted Jul 30, 2013

System, method and software for a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,498,384
App. No.
13/633,571
Granted
Jul 30, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system, method and software for facilitating a speech-enabled call routing application using an action-object matrix is disclosed. In operation, a natural language user utterance may be evaluated to identify an action and object available in an action-object matrix indicating transactions or operations available to a user. Depending upon the contents of the natural language user utterance, additional prompts and/or a disambiguation dialogue may be effected to elicit an available action-object combination selection from the user. Following identification of an action-object combination from the natural language user utterance, the action-object matrix may cooperate with a look-up table to identify an appropriate use routing destination. Following identification of an appropriate routing destination, the user connection may be routed to a service agent or module configured to facilitate the user selected transaction as indicated by the action-object combination.

Claims (53)

1. A method for routing a call, the method comprising:

prompting a caller to convey a request;

searching an utterance from the caller for actions and objects;

responsive to the searching detecting an action-object pair in the utterance:

identifying a routing destination based upon the action-object pair detected; and

routing the caller to the routing destination; and

responsive to the searching detecting an action and failing to detect an action-object pair in the utterance:

querying an action-object matrix to identify objects related to the action detected; and

prompting the caller to select an identified related object.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to the searching failing to detect an action-object pair, initiating a disambiguation dialog with the caller.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

using a statistical language modeling speech recognition utility to detect at least one action-object pair in the action-object matrix.

4. A system for routing a call, the system comprising:

a processor having access to a computer readable medium storing program instructions, executable by the processor, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, perform operations comprising:

searching a caller utterance for an action and an object;

responsive to identifying the action and the object:

identifying a task to be performed based on a plurality of action-object pairs including an action-object pair corresponding to the action identified and the object identified; and

directing the caller to a service center agent selected based on the task identified;

responsive to identifying the object, but not identifying the action:

identifying, from a task matrix, a set of actions related to the object identified; and

directing the caller to indicate a selected action from the set of actions; and

responsive to identifying the action, but not identifying the object:

identifying from the task matrix a set of objects related to the action identified; and

directing the caller to indicate a selected object from the set of objects.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the method includes:

responsive to the caller indicating the selected action, locating the service center agent based on the selected action and the object identified.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the method includes providing automated assistance to the caller.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the method includes providing technician assistance to the caller.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein directing the caller to the service center agent includes:

determining a routing destination for the service center agent from a look-up table containing service center agent routing destinations.

9. The system of claim 4 , wherein the operations include:

indicating a task to the caller; and

prompting the caller to confirm the task indicated as the task identified.

10. The system of claim 4 , wherein the searching of the caller utterance includes:

identifying at least one of the action, the object, and the action-object pair with a statistical language modeling speech recognition utility.

11. A tangible computer-readable medium including stored program instructions, executable by a processor, the program instructions, when executed by the processor, performing operations comprising:

searching a natural language utterance associated with a natural language caller request for an action and an object;

responsive to identifying the action and the object:

identifying, from a task matrix that includes action-object pairs, a task to be performed; and

directing the caller to a service center agent based on the task;

responsive to identifying the object, but not identifying the action:

identifying, from the task matrix, a set of actions related to the object identified; and

directing the caller to indicate a selected action; and

responsive to identifying the action, but not identifying the object:

identifying, from the task matrix, a set of objects related to the action identified; and

directing the caller to indicate a selected object from the set of objects.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the method includes:

responsive to the caller indicating the selected action, locating the service center agent based on an action-object pair, in the task matrix, corresponding to the selected action and the object identified.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the method includes providing automated assistance to the caller.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the method includes providing technician assistance to the caller.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein directing the caller to the service center agent includes:

determining a routing destination using a look-up table containing service center agent routing destinations.

Assignments (5)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 13, 2023
From: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 065552/0934 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 26, 2017
From: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
To: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 041504/0952 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 029541 FRAME 0531. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jun 7, 2016
From: BUSHEY, ROBERT R.; MARTIN, JOHN M.; KNOTT, BENJAMIN A.
To: SBC KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
Reel/Frame 038897/0364 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 7, 2016
From: SBC KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
To: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
Reel/Frame 038897/0428 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 7, 2016
From: AT&T KNOWLEDGE VENTURES, L.P.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
Reel/Frame 038898/0023 →