IP Library Granted Patent US 11,817,086
Granted Patent B2
US 11,817,086 · App. 16/817,944 · Granted Nov 14, 2023

Machine learning used to detect alignment and misalignment in conversation

Inventors: Evgeniy Bart (Santa Clara, CA); Margaret H. Szymanski (Santa Clara, CA)
Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
G10L15/144G06N3/08G06N20/00G06F16/285G06F2203/011G10L17/26G10L2015/0631
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,817,086
App. No.
16/817,944
Granted
Nov 14, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Digitized media is received that records a conversation between individuals. Cues are extracted from the digitized media that indicate properties of the conversation. The cues are entered as training data into a machine learning module to create a trained machine learning model. The trained machine learning model is used in a processor to detect other misalignments in subsequent digitized conversations.

Claims (36)

1. A method comprising:

receiving digitized media that represents a conversation between individuals;

extracting cues from the digitized media that indicate properties of the conversation;

entering the cues as training data into a machine learning module to create a trained machine learning model that detects misalignments in subsequent conversations between individuals, wherein misalignment is a lack of agreement and mutual understanding between the individuals of content and context of the content of the subsequent conversations; and

using the trained machine learning model in a processor to detect other misalignments in subsequent digitized conversations;

wherein the trained machine learning model detects misalignments in subsequent digitized conversations between individuals by determining a probability of each cue occurring in the subsequent digitized conversations under a normalcy model.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein extracting the cues comprises:

extracting lower-level cues from the digitized media; and

constructing higher-level cues based on the lower level cues, wherein the higher-level cues comprise latent topics associated with the conversation.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein constructing the higher-level cues comprises processing the lower-level cues using at least one of a latent Dirichlet allocation and a hidden Markov model.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the machine learning module comprises a support vector machine.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cues comprise prosodic cues.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein extracting the cues is performed by a deep neural network.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conversation is a customer support session, and wherein using the trained machine learning model to detect the other misalignments comprises using the trained machine learning model to evaluate call performance of customer service agents based on the other misalignments.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein evaluating the call performance comprises displaying a real time dashboard that displays call performance of an agent relative to a baseline.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein evaluating the call performance comprises providing statistics of a plurality of agents in a call center, the statistics used to evaluate a call center policy.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digitized media includes one or more of audio and video streams.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the training data further comprises any combination of the digitized media and an external source of training data.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising fine-tuning the machine learning module using any combination of the subsequent digitized conversations and human-supplied ground truth labels.

13. A system comprising:

a circuit operable to receive digitized media that represents a conversation between at least two people; and

a first processor coupled to the circuit and operable to:

extract cues from the digitized media that indicate properties of the conversation; and

enter the cues as training data into a machine learning module to create a trained machine learning model; and

a second processor configured to:

receive the trained machine learning model from the first processor; and

use the trained machine learning model in a processor to detect other misalignments in subsequent digitized conversations between individuals, wherein misalignment is a lack of agreement and mutual understanding between the individuals of content and context of the content of the subsequent digitized conversations;

wherein the trained machine learning model detects misalignments in subsequent digitized conversations between individuals by determining a probability of each cue occurring in the subsequent digitized conversations under a normalcy model.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein extracting the cues comprises:

extracting lower-level cues from the digitized media; and

constructing higher-level cues based on the lower level cues, wherein the higher-level cues comprise latent topics associated with the conversation.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the digitized media comprises a textual transcript of the conversation, the lower level cues further comprising textual cues obtained from the textual transcript.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein constructing the higher-level cues comprises processing the lower-level cues using at least one of a latent Dirichlet allocation and a hidden Markov model.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the training data further comprises any combination of the digitized media and an external source of training data.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first processor is further operable to fine tune the machine learning module using any combination of the subsequent digitized conversations and human-supplied ground truth labels.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the conversation is a customer support session, and wherein using the trained machine learning model to detect the other misalignments comprises using the trained machine learning model to evaluate call performance of customer service agents based on the other misalignments.

Assignments (8)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 14, 2025
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: GENESEE VALLEY INNOVATIONS, LLC
Reel/Frame 073562/0677 →
SECOND LIEN NOTES PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 2, 2025
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071785/0550 →
FIRST LIEN NOTES PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 11, 2025
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 070824/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 13, 2024
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 066741/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2023
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 065628/0019 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE REMOVAL OF US PATENTS 9356603, 10026651, 10626048 AND INCLUSION OF US PATENT 7167871 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 064038 FRAME 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jun 28, 2023
From: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
To: XEROX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064161/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 20, 2023
From: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
To: XEROX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064038/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 13, 2020
From: BART, EVGENIY; SZYMANSKI, MARGARET H.
To: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 052111/0103 →
Continuity (1)
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