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Patent No. 6397188 Natural language dialogue system automatically continuing conversation on behalf of a user who does not respond (Iwasawa, May 28, 2002)
Abstract
A natural language conversation system is capable of making interaction between the user and the system smooth by continuing conversation with presenting guidance or with making the system to carry out speech for the user when user cannot response to presentation of the system to cause non-response, and can reduce load required for speech of user. The natural language conversation system includes conversation control portion for outputting data in a conversation scenario, and alternative conversation portion for alternatively inputting a preliminarily prepared natural language data to the conversation control means on behalf of a user when the user fails to input within a predetermined period.
Notes:
Natural
language dialogue system automatically continuing conversation on behalf of
a user who does not respond. Filed July 1999, granted May 2002. This one in
the context of the psychotronic weaponry, relates to a torture technique and
should be applied to evoked potentials also. When used with or within a predictability
or probability computer program type scenario it would/could result in the illusion
of so-called psychic phenomena. Might also aid in the illusion of time travel.
Especially when the pre-determined response time is set to zero or close to
it. This one also applies to creating the appearance of schizophrenic and/or
ADD type disorders in that if the memory space allotted for the ?conversation'
was set at a small level thus causing it to jump to a different line of ?conversation'
when limit reached. Same if time limit for ?conversation' was set at a short
limit. Could also be adapted to change ?conversation' direction (open or go
through a different gate) when various words were input.
BACKGROUND
OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a natural language dialogue system.
More particularly, the invention relates to a system for conversation with a
speaker displayed on a display screen of a computer, such as an anthropomorphic
character by a natural language input, which can be via voice or keyboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional technology of a speech conversation using a anthropomorphic
character, such as that disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication
No. Heisei 5-216618, it is a primary system to provide the anthropomophic character
in a system for establishing conversation between the system and a user one-on-one.
In conversation through such conventional system, conversation is progressed
by alternate speech of the system and user.
On the other hand, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Heisei 10-31497,
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Heisei 10-20884 and Japanese Unexamined
Patent Publication No. Heisei 8-166797, there have been proposed systems providing
speech guidance relating to candidates of next speech from the system to the
user in order to make conversation between the system and the user smooth.
In the foregoing prior art, the user is inherently required to respond to the
speech of the system. Therefore, when the user cannot react (respond) to proposal
and inquiry from the system, conversation is inherently stopped. On the contrary,
in the system where guidance messages are constantly spoken by the system side,
speech of the system inherently becomes long for the guidance messages to degrade
smoothness of progress of conversation. On the other hand, concerning application
to perform information retrieval through speech conversation, since speech of
the user is frequently required in the system, in which response of the user
to the inquire of the system is inherent, load on the user becomes significant.
Moreover, it should be difficult to list items for selection and select the
item only by voice in speech conversation system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been worked out in view of the drawbacks in the prior
art set forth above. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a natural language conversation system which can make interaction between
the user and the system smooth by continuing conversation with presenting guidance
or with making the system to carry out speech for the user when user cannot
response to presentation of the system to cause non-response, and can reduce
load required for speech of user.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a natural language conversation
system comprises:
conversation control means for outputting data in a conversation scenario; and
alternative conversation means for alternatively inputting a preliminarily prepared
natural language data to the conversation control means on behalf of a user
when the user fails to input within a predetermined period.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, a storage medium storing
a natural language conversation program operating a computer as conversation
control means for outputting data in a conversation scenario, and alternative
conversation means for alternatively inputting a preliminarily prepared natural
language data to the conversation control means on behalf of a user when the
user fails to input within a predetermined period.
In the preferred construction, the conversation control means may include holding
means for holding a current state data indicative where a current state is in
the conversation scenario, and the alternative conversation means may include
an alternative input list containing a plurality of preliminarily prepared natural
language data corresponding to the conversation scenario and means for selecting
one of the natural language data depending up the current state data held in
the holding means.
In short, the present invention implements presentation of a guide or performs
alternative conversation in the system on behalf of the user for reducing load
on the user for conversation, when the user cannot react on the presentation
made by the system.
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Although
the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to exemplary
embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that
the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and additions may be made
therein and thereto, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be understood as limited
to the specific embodiment set out above but to include all possible embodiments
which can be embodied within a scope encompassed and equivalents thereof with
respect to the feature set out in the appended claims.