System, method and computer program product for a dynamically configurable voice portal

• US 20020188451A1
• Filed: 03/09/2001
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bevocal Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Womack, Mark D., Fitzpatrick, John E., Guerra, Lisa M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,174,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product are disclosed for dynamically configuring a speech recognition portal. A session with a user is conducted utilizing a speech recognition portal which provides access to a network during the session. Utterances are received from the user during the session via the speech recognition portal. A speech recognition process is performed on the utterances to interpret the utterances. During the session, one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal are dynamically configured.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically configuring a speech recognition portal, comprising:

a) conducting a session with a user utilizing a speech recognition portal, wherein access to a network is provided during the session via the speech recognition portal;

b) receiving utterances from the user during the session via the speech recognition portal;

c) performing a speech recognition process on the utterances to interpret the utterances; and

d) dynamically configuring one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal during the session.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the configuration of the speech recognition portal during the session to ascertain user preferences of the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal, and storing the user preferences in a memory.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user preferences are retrieved from the memory upon initiation of a subsequent session with the user utilizing the speech recognition portal, and wherein at least one aspect of the speech recognition portal is initially configured based on the retrieved user preferences.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal include a set of applications presented in the speech recognition portal during the session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal include a set of commands available for use in the speech recognition portal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal include a set of verbal prompts used in the speech recognition portal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal are dynamically configured based on a locale of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal are dynamically configured based on at least one of the interpreted utterances of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal are dynamically configured based on a credit card account number of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal are dynamically configured based on stock purchases by the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal are dynamically configured based on characteristics of the user.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically configuring one or more back end processes in commnunication with the speech recognition portal via the network.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein information about a gender of the user is ascertained from the utterances, and wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal are dynamically configured based on the ascertained gender of the user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a profile is associated with the user, and wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal are dynamically configured upon change of the profile by a third party authorized to change the profile.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a graphical interface is presented to the user utilizing the network during the session to allow the user to input information via the graphical interface, and wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal are dynamically configured based on the information input by the user via the graphical interface.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising logic for monitoring the configuration of the speech recognition portal during the session to ascertain user preferences of the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal, and logic for storing the user preferences in a memory.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal include a set of commands available for use in the speech recognition portal.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal include a set of verbal prompts used in the speech recognition portal.

16. A system for dynamically configuring a speech recognition portal, comprising:

a) logic for conducting a session with a user utilizing a speech recognition portal, wherein access to a network is provided during the session via the speech recognition portal;

b) logic for receiving utterances from the user during the session via the speech recognition portal;

c) logic for performing a speech recognition process on the utterances to interpret the utterances; and

d) logic for dynamically configuring one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal during the session based on at least one of the interpreted utterances.

20. A computer program product for dynamically configuring a speech recognition portal, comprising:

a) computer code for conducting a session with a user utilizing a speech recognition portal, wherein access to a network is provided during the session via the speech recognition portal;

b) computer code for receiving utterances from the user during the session via the speech recognition portal; and

c) computer code for performing a speech recognition process on the utterances to interpret the utterances; and

d) computer code for dynamically configuring one or more aspects of the speech recognition portal during the session based on at least one of the interpreted utterances.