Abstract: A method for authoring a conversational bot including: receiving conversation data; receiving seed intent data that comprises seed intents having a seed intent label and sample intent-bearing utterances; using an intent mining algorithm to mine the conversation data to determine new utterances to associate with the seed intent; augmenting the seed intent data to include the mined new utterances associated with the seed intents; and uploading the augmented seed intent data into the conversation bot. The intent mining algorithm may include: identifying intent-bearing utterances; identifying candidate intents; for each of the seed intents, identifying seed intent alternatives from the sample intent-bearing utterances; associating the intent-bearing utterances from the conversation data with the seed intents via determining a degree of semantic similarity between the candidate intents of the intent-bearing utterances and the seed intent alternatives.

Abstract: A method for mining topics discussed in conversations that includes: receiving conversation data; and using a topic mining algorithm to mine topics from the conversation data. The topic mining algorithm includes identifying candidate topics in each of the conversations. The topic mining algorithm further includes identifying the topics of the conversations by: compiling a list of the candidate topics; pruning the list of candidate topics by discarding certain of the candidate topics per a cross-conversation factor that factors usage across all conversations; and identifying the candidate topics remaining on the pruned list of candidate topics as the topics. The topic mining algorithm further includes determining topic groups by grouping the topics according to a degree of semantic similarity between the topics; and associating a list of utterances with the topic groups.

Abstract: A method of leveraging a global confidence classifier for information retrieval in contact centers according to an embodiment includes receiving, by a computing system, a user query from a contact center client communication with a knowledge-only bot of the computing system, performing, by the computing system, feature extraction on the user query by converting query words of the user query into a numerical vector representation of the user query, identifying, by the computing system, a subset of documents most likely to be responsive to the user query, and re-ranking, by the computing system, the subset of documents most likely to be responsive to the user query based on a global confidence classifier model.

Abstract: A method for intent mining that includes: receiving conversation data; using an intent mining algorithm to automatically mine intents from the conversation data; and uploading the mined intents into the conversational bot. The intent mining algorithm may include: analyzing utterances of the conversation data to identify intent-bearing utterances; analyzing the identified intent-bearing utterances to identify candidate intents; selecting salient intents from the candidate intents; grouping the selected salient intents into salient intent groups in accordance with a degree of semantic similarity; for each of the salient intent groups, selecting one of the salient intents as the intent label and designating the others as the intent alternatives; and associating the intent-bearing utterances with the salient intent groups via determining a degree of semantic similarity between the candidate intents present in the intent-bearing utterance and the intent alternatives within each group.

Abstract: A method for intent mining that includes: receiving conversation data; using an intent mining algorithm to automatically mine intents from the conversation data; and uploading the mined intents into the conversational bot. The intent mining algorithm may include: analyzing utterances of the conversation data to identify intent-bearing utterances; analyzing the identified intent-bearing utterances to identify candidate intents; selecting salient intents from the candidate intents; grouping the selected salient intents into salient intent groups in accordance with a degree of semantic similarity; for each of the salient intent groups, selecting one of the salient intents as the intent label and designating the others as the intent alternatives; and associating the intent-bearing utterances with the salient intent groups via determining a degree of semantic similarity between the candidate intents present in the intent-bearing utterance and the intent alternatives within each group.

Abstract: A method for authoring a conversational bot including: receiving conversation data; receiving seed intent data that comprises seed intents having a seed intent label and sample intent-bearing utterances; using an intent mining algorithm to mine the conversation data to determine new utterances to associate with the seed intent; augmenting the seed intent data to include the mined new utterances associated with the seed intents; and uploading the augmented seed intent data into the conversation bot. The intent mining algorithm may include: identifying intent-bearing utterances; identifying candidate intents; for each of the seed intents, identifying seed intent alternatives from the sample intent-bearing utterances; associating the intent-bearing utterances from the conversation data with the seed intents via determining a degree of semantic similarity between the candidate intents of the intent-bearing utterances and the seed intent alternatives.

Abstract: A tactile warning surface has an array of tactile elements made of a composite material formed on the surface of an existing substrate. The preferred composite material is a mixture of a dry powder aggregate and a liquid SBR latex. The tactile elements are in the form of truncated cones or flattened domes having a height of about 0.20 inch and a diameter of about 1.0 inch. A method for installing the tactile warning surface includes the steps of placing a mold sheet having an array of mold apertures with shapes corresponding to the tactile elements over the substrate area, injecting the composite material in a semi-liquid state under pressure into the apertures of the mold sheet, allowing the injected composite material to cure and harden, then removing the mold sheet. For increased durability in traffic-bearing applications, a pigment/aggregate mixture can be applied as a coating over the tactile elements and substrate area.