Offline delivery of content available in voice applications

• US 10,013,688 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2012
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Agarwal, Sheetal, Kumar, Arun
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Rutao
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pouncil, Darnell A
• Application Number:
  US13/598,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20130030816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,134 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 79, 7042701
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1058 Shopping and product ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

Methods and arrangements for facilitating offline delivery of content available in voice applications. User access to a voice application is permitted, and the user is accorded a capability to select content in the voice application for offline delivery. The selected content is stored in a holding arrangement, and the selected content is availed for delivery to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

utilizing a processor to execute computer code configured to perform the steps of;

accepting voice input of a user during user access to a spoken web application comprising audio content arranged as a voice application site, wherein the user access comprises use of a telephone, and the spoken web application is hosted by a voice application platform interfacing with a plurality of voice application sites;

wherein the voice application platform provides programmatic application program interfaces (APIs) for use with a voice activated user interface to forward content collection commands to one or more of the plurality of voice application sites;

accepting user voice input to select, using the voice activated user interface, a voice application site for non-voice delivery;

providing, using the voice application platform, a voice command of the voice input selecting the voice application site to the voice application site;

generating, using the voice activated user interface, one or more spoken annotation tags for the voice application site, wherein the one or more spoken annotation tags are associated with a location in the voice application site;

saving and storing the selected voice application site and the one or more spoken annotation tags in a content wallet, wherein the content wallet is accessible both when the user accesses the voice application site and after the user has disconnected from the voice application site and wherein the user can access one or more spoken annotation tags and the associated location in the voice application site using the content wallet; and

availing the content wallet for delivery to the user subsequent to storage;

wherein said storing comprises accumulating more than one selected voice application site with respect to at least two sessions of user access to the voice application platform.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said availing comprises copying the content wallet and storing the copied content wallet on an electronic medium accessible via the Internet for electronic delivery to the user.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said accepting comprises according the user a capability to select content from at least two voice application sites.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content wallet comprises a repository for holding content specific to the user.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the content wallet further comprises a repository for holding content specific to other users.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the content wallet comprises a repository for collective use by at least two users.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising accessing a payment gateway to process charging for offline delivery of selected content.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content wallet comprises a repository for holding content specific to a dedicated voice application site.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising accessing a payment gateway to process charging for offline delivery of selected content associated with the dedicated voice application site.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said storing comprises storing the selected content solely with respect to a single session of user access to the voice application.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising appending meta-information to selected content.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the meta-information comprises at least one taken from the group consisting of:

identifying information for a voice application site from which the selected content derives;

time of collection of the selected content;

a user-generated annotation.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the meta-information comprises a user-generated annotation.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content wallet comprises a repository for collective use by at least two users.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content wallet comprises a repository for holding content specific to two or more voice application sites.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the content wallet comprises at least one application programming interface configured for supporting commands for content collection at a voice application site.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein said availing comprises copying and storing the content wallet to a secondary media for delivery to the user outside of the voice application site.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the secondary media comprises a physical media selected from the group consisting of:

compact disc, audio tape, and universal serial bus stick.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the secondary media comprises an electronic medium selected from the group consisting of:

MP3, email, multimedia messaging service (MMS), internet based file and content sharing account.

20. The method according to claim 2, wherein the electronic medium is selected from the group consisting of:

MP3, email, multimedia messaging service (MMS), internet based file and content sharing account.