1: Introduction -- 2: Fundamentals of Dialogue Systems -- 3: First Order Logic -- 4: Logic Based Domain Modelling -- 5: Interactive Model Generation -- 6: A Prototype Based on VoiceXML -- 7: Information State Based Dialogue Management -- 8: Revised Prototype and System Architecture -- 9: Conclusions and Future Directions.

Domain-Level Reasoning for Spoken Dialogue Systems provides a logic-based reasoning component for spoken language dialogue systems. This component, called the Problem Assistant is responsible for processing constraints on a possible solution obtained from various sources, namely user and the system's domain-specific information.The authors present findings on the implementation of a dialogue management interface to the Problem Assistant. The dialogue system supports simple mixed-initiative planning interactions in the TRAINS domain, which is still a relatively complex domain involving a number of logical constraints and relations forming the basis for the collaborative problem-solving behavior that drives the dialogue. The book also:Presents novel methods for enabling spoken dialogue systems to construct and manage complex tasks and interdependencies with different applicationsDescribes late-breaking research on next-generation spoken dialogue systemsInvestigates how spoken dialogue systems may be improved in terms of usability and user friendliness