Integrated voice access to a variety of personal information services

• US 20030059000A1
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Loveland, Shawn Domenic Domenic, Burton, David Kearney, Becker, Simonie Justine Hodges, Elam, Gayle Ayers
• Granted Patent: US 6,650,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects

Abstract

Facilitating voice access to personal information in a manner that the caller may voice command an action to be performed in response to hearing a particular personal information item. The voice commanded action is then automatically performed even if the action requires access to another personal information item of a different type. A voice access server receives a caller-issued voice command to hear a first item of personal information (such as a calendar item) corresponding to a first personal information type. Then, the voice access server automatically accesses the requested information, and audibly speaks the item to the caller. The caller may then submit a voice request to act on the first item of personal information. The voice access server then automatically accesses any other personal information needed to perform the requested action, even if access to a different personal information type is needed.

Claims

1. In a computing system that has access to personal information of a plurality of personal information types corresponding to a plurality of callers, the computing system capable of receiving telephone calls from a plurality of callers and responding to voice commands received via the telephone calls, a computerized method for allowing a caller to automatically act on an item of personal information via a voice command even though the act requires access to another item of personal information that is of a different personal information type, the method comprising the following:

an act of receiving a first caller-issued voice command to hear a first item of personal information corresponding to a first personal information type;

an act of automatically accessing the first item of personal information without human intervention;

an act of audibly rendering the first item of personal information to the caller;

an act of receiving a second caller-issued voice command that represents an action to perform in response to hearing the first item of personal information; and

an act of automatically accessing a second item of personal information corresponding to a second personal information type without human intervention to further the action.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first item of personal information comprises a calendar item corresponding to a calendar personal information type.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the act of receiving a second caller-issued voice command comprises an act of receiving a caller-issued voice command to send an e-mail to someone associated with the calendar item.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the act of receiving a caller-issued voice command to send an e-mail to someone associate with the calendar item comprises an act of receiving a caller-issued voice command to send an e-mail to an organizer of the calendar item.

5. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the act of automatically accessing a second item of personal information corresponding to a second personal information type comprises an act of automatically accessing an e-mail address of the someone associated with the calendar item.

6. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein the act of receiving a second caller-issued voice command comprises an act of receiving a caller-issued voice command to place a telephone call to someone associated with the calendar item.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the act of receiving a caller-issued voice command to place a telephone call to someone associated with the calendar item comprises an act of receiving a caller-issued voice command to place a telephone call to an organizer of the calendar item.

8. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the act of automatically accessing a second item of personal information corresponding to a second personal information type comprises an act of automatically accessing a telephone number of the someone associated with the calendar item.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first item of personal information comprises an e-mail.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the act of receiving a second caller-issued voice command comprises an act of receiving a caller-issued voice command to place a telephone call to the sender of the e-mail.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the act of automatically accessing a second item of personal information corresponding to a second personal information type comprises an act of automatically accessing a telephone number associated with the sender of the e-mail.

12. A computer program product for use in a computing system that has access to personal information of a plurality of personal information types corresponding to a plurality of callers, the computing system capable of receiving telephone calls from a plurality of callers and responding to voice commands received via the telephone calls, the computer program product for implementing a method for allowing a caller to automatically act on an item of personal information via a voice command even though the act requires access to another item of personal information that is of a different personal information type, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a first caller-issued voice command to hear a first item of personal information corresponding to a first personal information type;

computer-executable instructions for accessing the first item of personal information;

computer-executable instructions for audibly rendering the first item of personal information to the caller;

computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a second caller-issued voice command that represents an action to perform in response to hearing the first item of personal information; and

computer-executable instructions for accessing a second item of personal information corresponding to a second personal information type to further the action.

13. A computer program product in accordance with claim 12, wherein the first item of personal information comprises a calendar item corresponding to a calendar personal information type.

14. A computer program product in accordance with claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a second caller-issued voice command comprise computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a caller-issued voice command to send an e-mail to someone associated with the calendar item.

15. A computer program product in accordance with claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a caller-issued voice command to send an e-mail to someone associate with the calendar item comprise computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a caller-issued voice command to send an e-mail to an organizer of the calendar item.

16. A computer program product in accordance with claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions for accessing a second item of personal information corresponding to a second personal information type comprise computer-executable instructions for accessing an e-mail address of the someone associated with the calendar item.

17. A computer program product in accordance with claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a second caller-issued voice command comprise computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a caller-issued voice command to place a telephone call to someone associated with the calendar item.

18. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a caller-issued voice command to place a telephone call to someone associated with the calendar item comprise computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a caller-issued voice command to place a telephone call to an organizer of the calendar item.

19. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for accessing a second item of personal information corresponding to a second personal information type comprise computer-executable instructions for accessing a telephone number of the someone associated with the calendar item.

20. A computer program product in accordance with claim 12, wherein the first item of personal information comprises an e-mail.

21. A computer program product in accordance with claim 20, wherein the computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a second caller-issued voice command comprise computer-executable instructions for detecting the receipt of a caller-issued voice command to place a telephone call to the sender of the e-mail.

22. A computer program product in accordance with claim 21, wherein the computer-executable instructions for accessing a second item of personal information corresponding to a second personal information type comprise computer-executable instructions for accessing a telephone number associated with the sender of the e-mail.

23. A computer program product in accordance with claim 12, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical storage media.

24. In a computing system that has access to personal information of a plurality of personal information types corresponding to a plurality of callers, the computing system capable of receiving telephone calls from a plurality of callers and responding to voice commands received via the telephone calls, a method for allowing a caller to automatically act on an item of personal information via a voice command even though the act requires access to another item of personal information that is of a different personal information type, the method comprising the following:

an act of receiving a first caller-issued voice command to hear a first item of personal information corresponding to a first personal information type;

an act of automatically accessing the first item of personal information without human intervention;

an act of audibly rendering the first item of personal information to the caller; and

a step for accessing items of personal information of different personal information types in order to allow the caller to flexibly act on the first item of personal information.

25. A method in accordance with claim 24, wherein the step for accessing items of personal information comprise the following corresponding acts:

an act of receiving a second caller-issued voice command that represents an action to perform in response to hearing the first item of personal information; and

an act of automatically accessing a second item of personal information corresponding to a second personal information type without human intervention to further the action.