Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 11080758, I will examine the patent's cited references. The USPTO's Patent Public Search tool is an appropriate resource for this task. Prior art refers to any evidence that an invention is already known, which can include previously patented inventions, descriptions in printed publications, or public use/sale of the invention before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.

Based on the full patent text of US11080758, the following prior art documents are referenced:

Cited U.S. Patent Documents:

• U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,209

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,209, entitled "Systems and Methods for Responding to Natural Language Speech Utterance," issued July 8, 2008.
  • Filing Date: June 3, 2003 (as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/452,147).
  • Brief Description: This patent describes a system that interprets natural language voice-based inputs and generates responses. It includes a speech recognition engine that recognizes words and phrases in an utterance using dictionary and phrase tables, with fuzzy set possibilities or prior probabilities dynamically updated. This system is foundational for natural language processing in voice user interfaces.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent could potentially anticipate elements of claims related to the core functionality of natural language utterance processing, speech recognition, and context determination (e.g., portions of claims 1 and 23 concerning "providing a natural language utterance as an input to a speech recognition engine," "receiving... words or phrases, recognized from the natural language utterance," and "determining... a context for the natural language utterance based on the recognized words or phrases"). The dynamic updating of probabilities for recognition could also anticipate aspects of how the speech recognition engine functions.

• U.S. Pat. No. 7,693,720

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,693,720, entitled "Mobile Systems and Methods for Responding to Natural Language Speech Utterance," issued April 6, 2010.
  • Filing Date: June 15, 2003 (as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/618,633).
  • Brief Description: This patent describes mobile systems and methods for responding to natural language speech utterances, building upon similar principles as U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,209 but specifically adapted for mobile environments.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,209, this patent could potentially anticipate elements of claims related to natural language utterance processing and speech recognition, particularly in a mobile device context (e.g., portions of claims 1 and 23 involving the initial stages of processing a natural language utterance on an electronic device).

• U.S. Pat. No. 7,634,409

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,634,409, entitled "Dynamic Speech Sharpening," issued December 15, 2009.
  • Filing Date: August 31, 2006 (as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/513,269).
  • Brief Description: This patent focuses on techniques for enhancing the interpretation of a user utterance, specifically "dynamic speech sharpening." This suggests methods for improving the accuracy and understanding of spoken input.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1 and 23 related to the refinement or enhancement of the speech recognition engine's preliminary interpretations, as well as the overall accuracy of interpreting the natural language utterance.

• U.S. Pat. No. 7,640,160

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,640,160, entitled "Systems and Methods for Responding to Natural Language Speech Utterance," issued December 29, 2009.
  • Filing Date: August 5, 2005 (as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/197,504).
  • Brief Description: This patent describes methods for generating context-based interpretations and responses to natural language voice-based inputs, specifically utilizing domain agents to competitively generate interpretations.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent is highly relevant to claims 1 and 23, particularly concerning the determination of context for the natural language utterance and the use of conversational language processors and domain agents for interpretation (e.g., claims 5, 6, 7 in the method and system claims).

• U.S. Pat. No. 7,949,529

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,949,529, entitled "Mobile Systems and Methods of Supporting Natural Language Human-Machine Interactions," issued May 24, 2011.
  • Filing Date: August 29, 2005 (as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/212,693).
  • Brief Description: This patent details mobile systems and methods for supporting natural language human-machine interactions, focusing on conversational interaction and context-based interpretations.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to U.S. Pat. No. 7,640,160, this patent could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1 and 23 related to context determination and conversational interaction, especially in a mobile setting.

• U.S. Pat. No. 7,620,549

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 7,620,549, entitled "System and Method of Supporting Adaptive Misrecognition in Conversational Speech," issued November 17, 2009.
  • Filing Date: August 10, 2005 (as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/200,164).
  • Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for adaptive misrecognition in conversational speech, allowing for reinterpretation of current and previous utterances based on new information. It also mentions accessing an environmental model to determine user location, activity, and actions.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1 and 23 related to the interpretation of natural language utterances, particularly where "adaptive misrecognition" could influence how the system understands and processes speech. Furthermore, the use of an "environmental model" to determine context (user location, activity, action) directly relates to elements in claims 9 and 10.

• U.S. Pat. No. 8,073,681

  • Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 8,073,681, entitled "System and Method for a Cooperative Conversational Voice User Interface," issued December 6, 2011.
  • Filing Date: October 16, 2006 (as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/580,926).
  • Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface, aiming to enhance responses and predict user behavior based on cognitive models.
  • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent could potentially anticipate aspects of claims 1 and 23 related to the conversational nature of the interaction and the system's ability to enhance responses and predict user behavior.

General Application of 35 U.S.C. § 102 (Novelty):

Under 35 U.S.C. § 102, an invention is considered "novel" if no single piece of prior art discloses every element of the claimed invention before its effective filing date. The purpose of prior art analysis is to determine if an invention was already known or obvious at the time of its creation. For a prior art reference to anticipate a claim under § 102, it must disclose, either expressly or inherently, all the limitations of the claim. If a single prior art reference (e.g., one of the patents listed above) contains every element of an independent claim in US11080758, then that claim would not be novel. This analysis focuses on the prior art cited by US11080758 itself, as these are the references the examiner considered most relevant during prosecution.