Context aware voice interface for computing devices

• US 10,095,471 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2014
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Dwivedi, Vinay, Stafford, Seth, Milanes, Daniel Valdivia, Lopez, Fernando Jimenez, White, Brent-Kaan William
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US14/475,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20150089373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating user access to software functionality, such as enterprise-related software applications and associated data. An example method includes receiving language input responsive to one or more prompts; determining, based on the language input, a subject category associated with a computing object, such as a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) opportunity object; identifying an action category pertaining to a software action to be perform pertaining to the computing object; employing identification of the software action to obtain action context information pertaining to the action category; and implementing a software action in accordance with the action context information. Context information pertaining to a software flow and a particular computing object may guide efficient implementation of voice-guided software tasks corresponding to the software flows.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating user interaction with enterprise software via a mobile computing device, the mobile computing device including a runtime memory, the mobile computing device further coupled to a server memory via a network connection, the method comprising:

receiving language input responsive to one or more prompts;

determining, based on the language input, a subject category;

determining that an opportunity object including enterprise information is associated with the subject category;

checking whether the opportunity object is in the runtime memory and, if not, then retrieving the opportunity object from the server memory and storing it in the runtime memory;

maintaining the opportunity object in the runtime memory and using the enterprise information in one or more of the following acts;

obtaining subject context information;

identifying an action category;

employing identification of the action category to obtain action context information pertaining to the action category; and

implementing a software action in accordance with the action context information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes receiving as input, identity information identifying a user of software used to implement the method.

3. The method of claim 2, further including employing the identity information to determine information associated with the user, including cloud-based enterprise data accessible to the user via the software and maintained via one or more computing objects.

4. The method of claim 2, further including employing a computing object to represent the subject category, such that user selection of the subject category results in user selection of the computing object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the enterprise data includes data specific to a user logged in to software employed to facilitate implementing the method, and wherein the enterprise data includes sales data accessible via a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database.

6. The method of claim 4, further including employing the language input to determine the action category and action context information, wherein the action context information is characterized, at least in part, by a software flow.

7. The method of claim 6, further including indicating, via visual encoding in a user interface display screen, a software flow that is currently being implemented, wherein the software flow includes one or more sequences of steps that are adapted to facilitate implementation of the software action.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the software action includes one or more of the following:

displaying contacts associated with the user;

editing an opportunity object;

viewing data pertaining to one or more opportunity objects;

viewing data pertaining to a task;

viewing a note;

creating a note;

creating an appointment;

adding contact information to a database;

facilitating editing data maintained via one or more computing objects.

9. The method of claim 1, further including employing the language input to determine one or more data parameters to be associated with a computing object and a software action pertaining to a software flow, wherein the software flow identifies, at least in part, action context information.

10. The method of claim 1, further including employing the subject context and the action context to interpret language input provided after determination of the subject context and action context.

11. The method of claim 10, further including partitioning language input into one or more categories, including the action category or a parameter category.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a portion of language input characterizing an action category includes a specification of a software action applicable to the computing object associated with the subject category.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a portion of language input characterizing one or more parameters associated with the parameter category includes a specification of information to be stored in association with the computing object.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the software action includes activation of software functionality to facilitate creation of a note to be associated with the subject category, wherein details of the note include the one or more parameters.

15. The method of claim 1, further including employing visual coding in a user interface display screen to illustrate context information characterizing a state of underlying software used to implement the method.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the visual coding includes color coding of a voice widget, wherein the color coding indicates whether voice is being detected and received.

17. The method of claim 15, further including providing one or more user options to access, change, or perform an action on enterprise data associated with the subject category, wherein the one or more user options include a user option to provide manual selection of user options, in addition to voice selection, and providing representations of the user selections in a representation of a conversation flow illustrated via the user interface.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile computing device, the mobile computing device including a runtime memory, the mobile computing device further coupled to a server memory via a network connection;

the mobile computing device further including a digital processor coupled to a display and to a processor-readable storage device, wherein the processor-readable storage device includes one or more instructions executable by the digital processor to perform the following acts;

receiving language input responsive to one or more prompts;

determining, based on the language input, a subject category;

determining that an opportunity object including enterprise information is associated with the subject category;

checking whether the opportunity object is in the runtime memory and, if not, then retrieving the opportunity object from the server memory and storing it in the runtime memory;

maintaining the opportunity object in the runtime memory and using the enterprise information in one or more of the following acts;

obtaining subject context information;

identifying an action category;

employing identification of the action category to obtain action context information pertaining to the action category; and

implementing a software action in accordance with the action context information.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions executable by a processor in a mobile computing device, the mobile computing device including a runtime memory, the mobile computing device further coupled to a server memory via a network connection, the computer-readable storage medium including one or more instructions for:

receiving language input responsive to one or more prompts;

determining, based on the language input, a subject category;

determining that an opportunity object including enterprise information is associated with the subject category;

checking whether the opportunity object is in the runtime memory and, if not, then retrieving the opportunity object from the server memory and storing it in the runtime memory;

maintaining the opportunity object in the runtime memory and using the enterprise information in one or more of the following acts;

obtaining subject context information;

identifying an action category;

employing identification of the action category to obtain action context information pertaining to the action category; and

implementing a software action in accordance with the action context information.