IP Library Granted Patent US 11,455,983
Granted Patent B2
US 11,455,983 · App. 16/687,434 · Granted Sep 27, 2022

Output provision using query syntax

Inventors: Russell Speight VanBlon (Raleigh, NC); Roderick Echols (Chapel Hill, NC); Ryan Charles Knudson (Durham, NC); Bradley Park Strazisar (Cary, NC)
Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
G10L15/183G06F16/634G06F16/65H04L51/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,455,983
App. No.
16/687,434
Granted
Sep 27, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving, at an audio input device associated with an information handling device, an audible user query; identifying, using a processor, syntactic aspects of the audible user query; determining, based at least in part on the syntactic aspects and regardless of whether a trained answer to the audible user query is available, an answer responsive to the audible user query; and providing, using an output device associated with the information handling device, the answer. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims (40)

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an audio input device associated with an information handling device, an audible user query at a digital assistant of the information handling device;

identifying, using a processor, syntactic aspects of the audible user query;

determining, based at least in part on the syntactic aspects and regardless of whether a trained answer to the audible user query is available, an answer responsive to the audible user query, wherein the determining the answer comprises determining a length of the answer based on additional context data, wherein the additional context data corresponds to a number of previously provided answers responsive to the audible user query and wherein the determining further comprises shortening the length of the answer responsive to detecting that the number of previously provided answers exceeds a predetermined threshold number; and

providing, using an output device associated with the information handling device, the answer by the digital assistant.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the answer comprises one or more words utilized in the audible user query.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the additional context data corresponds to a volume level of ambient sound and wherein the determining further comprises shortening the length of the answer responsive to detecting that the volume level of the ambient sound is greater than a predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying the syntactic aspects comprise identifying a part of speech associated with each word in the audible user query.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the determining comprises predicting at least one word utilized in the answer based on the identified part of speech for each word in the audible user query.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the determining the answer comprises:

identifying a list of potential answers based on the part of speech associated with each word in the audible user query; and

determining, using a ranking technique, the answer from the potential answers.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising identifying, based on the identified part of speech associated with each word, a class associated with the audible user query.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the determining comprises determining words utilized in the answer based at least in part on the identified class.

9. An information handling device, comprising:

an audio input device;

an output device;

a digital assistant;

a processor operatively coupled to the audio input device, the output device, and the digital assistant;

a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to:

receive, at the audio input device, an audible user query at the digital assistant;

identify syntactic aspects of the audible user query;

determine, based at least in part on the syntactic aspects and regardless of whether a trained answer to the audible user query is available, an answer responsive to the audible user query, wherein to determine the answer comprises determining a length of the answer based on additional context data, wherein the additional context data corresponds to a number of previously provided answers responsive to the audible user query and wherein the determining further comprises shortening the length of the answer responsive to detecting that the number of previously provided answers exceeds a predetermined threshold number; and

provide, using the output device, the answer by the digital assistant.

10. The information handling device of claim 9 , wherein the answer comprises one or more words utilized in the audible user query.

11. The information handling device of claim 7 , wherein the additional context data corresponds to a volume level of ambient sound and wherein the instructions executable by the processor to determine further comprise instructions executable by the processor to shorten the length of the answer responsive to detecting that the volume level of the ambient sound is greater than a predetermined threshold.

12. The information handling device of claim 9 , wherein the instructions executable by the processor to identify the syntactic aspects comprise instructions executable by the processor to identify a part of speech associated with each word in the audible user query.

13. The information handling device of claim 12 , wherein the instructions executable by the processor to determine comprise instructions executable by the processor to predict at least one word utilized in the answer based on the identified part of speech for each word in the audible user query.

14. The information handling device of claim 12 , wherein the instructions executable by the processor to determine the answer comprise instructions executable by the processor to:

identify a list of potential answers based on the part of speech associated with each word in the audible user query; and

determine, using a ranking technique, the answer from the potential answers.

15. The information handling device of claim 12 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

identify, based on the identified part of speech associated with each word, a class associated with the audible user query; and

determine words utilized in the answer based at least in part on the identified class.

16. A product, comprising:

a storage device that stores code, the code being executable by a processor and comprising:

code that receives, at an audio input device associated with an information handling device, an audible user query at a digital assistant of the information handling device;

code that identifies syntactic aspects of the audible user query;

code that determines, based at least in part on the syntactic aspects and regardless of whether a trained answer to the audible user query is available, an answer responsive to the audible user query, wherein the code that determines the answer comprises code that determines a length of the answer based on additional context data, wherein the additional context data corresponds to a number of previously provided answers responsive to the audible user query and wherein the determining further comprises shortening the length of the answer responsive to detecting that the number of previously provided answers exceeds a predetermined threshold number; and

code that provides, using an output device, the answer by the digital assistant.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2025
From: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 070269/0092 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 19, 2025
From: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD.
To: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Reel/Frame 070269/0028 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 22, 2022
From: VANBLON, RUSSELL SPEIGHT; ECHOLS, RODERICK; KNUDSON, RYAN CHARLES; STRAZISAR, BRADLEY PARK
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 060392/0728 →