Computer apparatus with dialogue-based input system

摘要

An automatic telephone answering system uses fuzzy set combinations to generate a command signal which causes switching of a caller to a telephone receiver associated with a person most likely to give the information required by the caller or to generate automatically an audio message signal containing information useful to the caller. The system produces, as part of a telephone dialogue with the caller, linguistic outputs which are dynamically variable, each output being assembled according to real-time processing of dialogue history data based on a plurality of the previous caller responses in the dialogue. The system progressively generates a user interest structure representing a model of the caller's goals. The use of fuzzy logic operations results in a system which is capable of connecting the caller to a suitable information source more quickly and with a greater possbility of avoiding human intervention than with prior automated answering systems.