Abstract: A system for displaying information to a user is disclosed. The system comprises a grouping module that organizes data items into groups that are ranked based upon at least one attribute of the data items. Also included is a presentation module that presents the ranked groups of data items to a user along with a group indicator. Methods for using the disclosed system are additionally provided.

Abstract: An interactive communications system is provided in accordance with the present invention. The system includes a component for analyzing sequential communications including speech, gestures and other modalities related to an underlying communicative intention. The component concurrently employs at least two of the communications in determining an action to facilitate achieving the intention.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that effectuate generation of alternative expressions or phrasings for short descriptions, proper nouns or places. The system can include devices that select and associate an item with a prompt, displays the selected item and then obscures the item with the prompt associated with the item, elicits a response from users to the prompt based on a motivational statement constructed to solicit an appropriate response from the user. The response elicited from the user and the item selected associated with one another and then persisted to storage media.

Abstract: A hide and seek style game is utilized to elicit human input for use in improving search. Content (e.g., text, image, audio, video . . . ) is uniquely identified and revealed to users. Queries are then specified by users in an attempt to locate the content. In addition to utilizing these queries to return results for the game, the queries, and/or query-derived information, can also be employed to improve search engine retrieval and relevancy, among other things.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter according to one aspect provides systems and/or methods that effectuate user development, customization, or utilization of dynamically configurable dialogue flow systems. The system can include devices and components that employ data associated with a user to retrieve navigation panes unique with respect to the user, scans the navigation panes and identifies adjustable attributes, utilizes the adjustable attributes to generate voice prompts communicated to the user via handheld devices, the user in reply to the voice prompts utters personalized responses associated with the voice prompts, and based at least on the personalized responses initiates actions associated with the adjustable attributes.

Abstract: Systems and methods allow an on-line game to extract information relevant to a specific need of a game platform or service platform. The specific need relates to management and use of digital content, and is addressed by designing and playing an on-line collaborative game. The rules of the game intend to solve a specific task dictated by the specific need. Players' responses to the game generate a wealth of information related to a specific task objective, such as ranking, sorting, and evaluating a set of digital content items. To compel participation in a game, players can be rewarded with monetary value rewards. As a game illustration, an image selection game (ISG) that exploits human contextual inference is described in detail. The information extracted from ISG is a list of key-image associations, relevant for the task of image sorting and ranking.

Abstract: A service manager manages connection tokens in a network of users. The connection token has a plurality of defined terms and can be representative of a commitment of time for a user in the network. Connection tokens can be used to engage in a real-time communication with another user in exchange for a fee. The service manager manages possession of the connection tokens amongst the users of the network and executes the connection token in accordance with the defined terms. Additionally, the service manager can facilitate real-time communication among users based on the connection tokens.

Abstract: A service manager manages information solicitations in a network of users. An information solicitation is posted that is received from an information consumer. The posted information solicitation is provided to at least a portion of the users of the network for auction. The information solicitation includes a request to engage in a real-time communication with an information provider about a particular subject. Bids are received from a plurality of information providers. The bids are provided to the information consumer for selection. The information consumer is connected with a selected one of the plurality of information providers.

Abstract: A speech application accessible across a network is personalized for a particular user based on preferences for the user. The speech application can be modified based on the preferences.

Abstract: Tasks based on status information are performed based on a voice query across a computer network. Information in the voice query is associated with a particular contact entity and status information is accessed in order to perform the tasks.

Abstract: An interactive communications system is provided in accordance with the present invention. The system includes a component for analyzing sequential communications including speech, gestures and other modalities related to an underlying communicative intention. The component concurrently employs at least two of the communications in determining an action to facilitate achieving the intention.

Abstract: The present invention relates to dynamic policies for transferring people from an automated or user-directed call handling system to a human operator, depending on considerations of the likelihood of the failure of the interaction with the call-handling system, predictions about the expected time or frustration associated with using the system, and the current load on human operators. Systems and methods leverage probabilistic models of system and user behaviors built from logged data. A decision-theoretic analysis and corresponding models of ideal decisions about the transfer of calls from an automated system to a human operator are provided. The methods have application to a spectrum of call-handling systems including touch-tone and speech-recognition-based systems.

Abstract: The use of a goal-understanding abstraction hierarchy in conjunction with Bayesian inference, decision-theoretic analyses of conversational and observational actions is disclosed to provide machinery for incremental refinement of an understanding about a user's goals through conversation with users. A computer-implemented method receives multiple classes of information regarding a user goal including visual and linguistic clues at a specific level of the abstraction hierarchy, to assess the goal. The method then determines a with a value-of-information analysis the utility of acquiring additional information via making additional observations or by explicitly querying the user versus making a decision to change the level of precision of the analysis of a user's goals. Throughout the analysis, a probability distribution is inferred about the goals of a user.