Word training interface

• US 20030158731A1
• Filed: 02/15/2002
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yip, Clement Chun Pong, Falcon, Stephen Russell, Miller, David Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,587,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/231
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/06 Creation of reference templates; Training of speech recognition systems, e.g. adaptation to the characteristics of the speaker's voice G10L15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A method for exposing speech engine features to one or more independent applications wherein the features relate to word training and/or wherein the method optionally exposes the speech engine features without invoking a user interface. A word training interface to expose speech engine features to one or more independent applications wherein the interface is optionally an application programming interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

exposing speech engine features to one or more independent applications wherein the speech engine features relate to word training.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposing exposes the speech engine features without invoking a user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises receiving a call issued by one of the independent applications, the call having a parameter;

parsing the call to retrieve the parameter; and

communicating the parameter to a speech engine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises receiving a call from a speech server, the call issued by one of the independent applications and having a parameter;

parsing the call to retrieve the parameter; and

communicating the parameter to a speech engine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises receiving a call for a callable method wherein the callable method comprises at least one method selected from the group consisting of a method to begin word training, a method to start audio recording, a method to get audio data, a method to acknowledge a recording, a method to commit a word training, a method to cancel a word training, a method to remove a word, a method to get a number of utterances, and a method to query whether a word is trained.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposing comprises providing a word training interface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the word training interface is an application programming interface.

8. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a programmable device, perform the method of claim 1.

9. An application programming interface for exposing speech engine features to one or more independent applications, comprising:

one or more methods callable by one of the independent applications, the one or more callable methods having parameters, and the parameters passable to a speech engine wherein the speech engine features relate to word training.

10. A method for training a word without invoking a user interface, comprising:

issuing an instruction from an application to a word training interface to commence word training;

issuing an instruction from the word training interface to the speech engine;

receiving audio data wherein the audio data are associated with the word;

processing the audio data using the speech engine to produce a training associated with the word; and

issuing an instruction from the application to the word training interface to commit the training.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the instruction to commence word training is a call to a method of the word training interface.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the instruction to commit the training is a call to a method of the word training interface.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the issuing an instruction from an application to a word training interface to commence word training further comprises communication with a speech server.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the issuing an instruction from the application to the word training interface to commit word training further comprises communication with a speech server.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a user interface associated with the application.

16. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a programmable device, perform the method of claim 10.

17. A word training interface comprising callable methods related to word training wherein the callable methods are callable through instructions issued by at least two applications and wherein the callable methods, when called, cause at least one communication with at least one speech engine without invoking a user interface.

18. The word training interface of claim 17 comprising an application programming interface.

19. The word training interface of claim 17 wherein the callable methods comprise at least one method selected from the group consisting of a method to begin word training, a method to start audio recording, a method to get audio data, a method to acknowledge a recording, a method to commit a word training, a method to cancel a word training, a method to remove a word, a method to get a number of utterances, and a method to query whether a word is trained.

20. A speech recognition system comprising:

user interaction means for allowing a user to initiate interactions from any of a plurality of applications;

word training interface means for providing methods, the methods callable through the plurality of applications; and

speech engine means for communicating with the word training interface means.

21. The speech recognition system of claim 22, wherein the methods callable through the plurality of applications execute without invoking a user interface.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising server means for prioritizing the interactions from any of the plurality of applications.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the word training interface means comprises an application programming interface.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the speech engine means comprises a speech engine.

25. A method for word training comprising:

initiating interactions from any of a plurality of applications;

issuing an interaction to a word training interface; and

communicating with a speech engine based on the interaction to the word training interface without invoking a user interface.

26. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a programmable device, perform the method of claim 25.

27. A method of exposing speech engine features related to word training to one or more independent applications, comprising:

issuing an instruction to a word training interface having word training interface features that correspond with the speech engine features related to word training wherein receipt of the instruction results in a call to one of the word training interface features, which, in turn, results in a call to one of the speech engine features.

28. A computing system configured to execute a word training procedure, comprising:

a speech engine;

an application configured to receive a user instruction through an associated user interface, wherein the associated user interface is not associated directly with the speech engine, and to issue an instruction related to training of a word; and

a word training interface configured to receive the instruction related to training of the word, issue an instruction to the speech engine for training of the word, to thereby produce a new training, and to issue an instruction to commit the new training.

29. The computing system of claim 28, wherein the word training interface is an application programming interface.

30. The computing system of claim 28, wherein the word training interface comprises callable methods.

31. The computing system of claim 28, wherein the word training interface is configured as an engine extension.