IP Library Granted Patent US 11,817,095
Granted Patent B2
US 11,817,095 · App. 17/592,353 · Granted Nov 14, 2023

Ambient cooperative intelligence system and method

Inventors: Paul Joseph Vozila (Arlington, MA); Neal Snider (Belmont, MA)
Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
G10L15/22G06N20/00G10L15/1815G10L2015/088G10L2015/223
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,817,095
App. No.
17/592,353
Granted
Nov 14, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method, computer program product, and computing system for monitoring a plurality of conversations within a monitored space to generate a conversation data set; processing the conversation data set using machine learning to: define a system-directed command for an ACI system, and associate one or more conversational contexts with the system-directed command; detecting the occurrence of a specific conversational context within the monitored space, wherein the specific conversational context is included in the one or more conversational contexts associated with the system-directed command; and executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context without requiring the utterance of the system-directed command and/or a wake-up word/phrase.

Claims (51)

1. A computer-implemented method, executed on a computing device, comprising:

monitoring a plurality of conversations to generate a conversation data set;

processing the conversation data set to:

define a system-directed command, and

associate one or more conversational contexts with the system-directed command, wherein associating one or more conversational contexts with the system-directed command includes identifying a subject matter of a conversation preceding an occurrence of a wake-up word/phrase and defining at least one of the conversational contexts based, at least in part, upon the subject matter of the conversation preceding the occurrence of the wake-up word/phrase;

detecting the occurrence of a specific conversational context, wherein the specific conversational context is included in the one or more conversational contexts associated with the system-directed command, and wherein the system-directed command is determined based, at least in part, upon the at least one of the conversational contexts defined based, at least in part, upon the subject matter of the conversation preceding the occurrence of the wake-up word/phrase; and

automatically executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context without requiring the utterance of the system-directed command and/or the wake-up word/phrase, including processing the conversational context to yield a confidence level with respect to the system-directed command, and automatically executing functionality associated with the system-directed command when the confidence level exceeds a confidence level threshold.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein defining the system-directed command for the ACI system includes:

monitoring for the occurrence of the wake-up word/phrase;

identifying a command that follows the wake-up word/phrase; and

defining the system-directed command as the command that follows the wake-up word/phrase.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the system-directed command is for an Ambient Cooperative Intelligence (ACI) system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 wherein the system-directed command is a medical-based command from a medical professional.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context includes:

inquiring about execution of the functionality associated with system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context includes:

recommending the execution of one or more supplemental operations in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context.

7. A non-transitory computer program product residing on a computer readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

monitoring a plurality of conversations to generate a conversation data set;

processing the conversation data set to:

define a system-directed command, and

associate one or more conversational contexts with the system-directed command, wherein associating one or more conversational contexts with the system-directed command includes identifying a subject matter of a conversation preceding an occurrence of a wake-up word/phrase and defining at least one of the conversational contexts based, at least in part, upon the subject matter of the conversation preceding the occurrence of the wake-up word/phrase;

detecting the occurrence of a specific conversational context, wherein the specific conversational context is included in the one or more conversational contexts associated with the system-directed command, and wherein the system-directed command is determined based, at least in part, upon the at least one of the conversational contexts defined based, at least in part, upon the subject matter of the conversation preceding the occurrence of the wake-up word/phrase; and

automatically executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context without requiring the utterance of the system-directed command and/or the wake-up word/phrase, including processing the conversational context to yield a confidence level with respect to the system-directed command, and automatically executing functionality associated with the system-directed command when the confidence level exceeds a confidence level threshold.

8. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein defining the system-directed command for the ACI system includes:

monitoring for the occurrence of the wake-up word/phrase;

identifying a command that follows the wake-up word/phrase; and

defining the system-directed command as the command that follows the wake-up word/phrase.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the system-directed command is for an Ambient Cooperative Intelligence (ACI) system.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the system-directed command is a medical-based command from a medical professional.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context includes:

inquiring about execution of the functionality associated with system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context includes:

recommending the execution of one or more supplemental operations in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context.

13. A computing system including a processor and memory configured to perform operations comprising:

monitoring a plurality of conversations to generate a conversation data set;

processing the conversation data set to:

define a system-directed command, and

associate one or more conversational contexts with the system-directed command, wherein associating one or more conversational contexts with the system-directed command includes identifying a subject matter of a conversation preceding an occurrence of a wake-up word/phrase and defining at least one of the conversational contexts based, at least in part, upon the subject matter of the conversation preceding the occurrence of the wake-up word/phrase;

detecting the occurrence of a specific conversational context, wherein the specific conversational context is included in the one or more conversational contexts associated with the system-directed command, and wherein the system-directed command is determined based, at least in part, upon the at least one of the conversational contexts defined based, at least in part, upon the subj ect matter of the conversation preceding the occurrence of the wake-up word/phrase; and

automatically executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context without requiring the utterance of the system-directed command and/or the wake-up word/phrase, including processing the conversational context to yield a confidence level with respect to the system-directed command, and automatically executing functionality associated with the system-directed command when the confidence level exceeds a confidence level threshold.

14. The computing system of claim 13 wherein defining the system-directed command for the ACI system includes:

monitoring for the occurrence of the wake-up word/phrase;

identifying a command that follows the wake-up word/phrase; and

defining the system-directed command as the command that follows the wake-up word/phrase.

15. The computing system of claim 13 wherein the system-directed command is for an Ambient Cooperative Intelligence (ACI) system.

16. The computing system of claim 15 wherein the system-directed command is a medical-based command from a medical professional.

17. The computing system of claim 13 wherein executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context includes:

inquiring about execution of the functionality associated with system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context.

18. The computing system of claim 13 wherein executing, in whole or in part, functionality associated with the system-directed command in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context includes:

recommending the execution of one or more supplemental operations in response to detecting the occurrence of the specific conversational context.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 14, 2023
From: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 065578/0676 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 21, 2022
From: VOZILA, PAUL JOSEPH; SNIDER, NEAL
To: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 059320/0815 →