Combining use of a stepwise markup language and an object oriented development tool

• US 20050004800A1
• Filed: 07/03/2003
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Kuansan
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• 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

The present invention provides a system and method for combining VoiceXML with an speech application development tool such as SALT. In one aspect of the present invention, a VoiceXML module includes VoiceXML executable instructions. A SALT module includes speech application language tags to execute instructions associated with the VoiceXML module.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium having instructions that, when implemented on a computer cause the computer to process information, the instructions comprising:

a stepwise module including instructions executed in a defined order based on an execution algorithm; and

an object oriented module including at least one object having a temporal trigger for initializing an operation associated with the instructions.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the execution algorithm automatically invokes the temporal trigger when at least one object is encountered.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the stepwise module is a VoiceXML module executing a form interpretation algorithm.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the object oriented module is a SALT module having speech application language tags.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the temporal trigger initializes a speech recognition event.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the temporal trigger initializes a DTMF recognition event.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the temporal trigger initializes a messaging event.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the stepwise module declares a first field and a second and wherein the object oriented module initializes a recognition event to obtain speech input from a user and fills the first field with a first portion of the speech input and fills the second field with a second portion of the speech input.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein a first grammar is associated with the first field and a second grammar is associated with the second field.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the object oriented module initializes a recognition event having a plurality of grammars to obtain a recognition result and associates the recognition result with at least one of the plurality of grammars.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the stepwise module declares a first field and a second field and wherein the object oriented module initializes a recognition event to obtain an utterance having speech and DTMF input from a user and associates the speech input with the first field and the DTMF input with the second field.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the stepwise module declares a field and wherein the object oriented module declares initializes a recognition event to obtain a recognition result from the user to fill the field and executes a prompt to render the field to the user.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the object oriented module executes a messaging event to connect to a remote application.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the object oriented module receives the result based on the messaging event and renders the result to a user.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the execution algorithm automatically advances to a subsequent instruction after completion of the operation.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the trigger is one of an indication of error, exception, recognition and no recognition.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the trigger is completion of a playback instruction.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the trigger is receipt of a message.

19. A computer readable medium having a markup page executable by a computer, that, when implemented, causes the computer to process information, the markup page comprising:

a VoiceXML module having VoiceXML executable instructions; and

a SALT module having speech application language tags to execute instructions associated with the VoiceXML module.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the VoiceXML module declares a first field and a second field and wherein the SALT module initializes a recognition event to obtain speech input from a user and fills the first VoiceXML field with a first portion of the speech input and fills the second VoiceXML field with a second portion of the speech input.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein a first grammar is associated with the first VoiceXML field and a second grammar is associated with the second VoiceXML field.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the SALT module initializes a recognition event having a plurality of grammars to obtain a recognition result and associates the recognition result with at least one of the plurality of grammars.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the VoiceXML module declares a first field and a second field and wherein the SALT module initializes a recognition event to obtain an utterance having speech and DTMF input from a user and associates the speech input with the first field and the DTMF input with the second field.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the VoiceXML module declares a field and wherein the SALT module initializes a recognition event to obtain a recognition result from a user to fill the field and executes a prompt in the markup page to render the field to the user.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the SALT module executes a messaging event to connect to a remote application.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25 wherein the SALT module receives a result based on the messaging event and renders the result to a user.

27. A method for providing an interactive user interface comprising:

establishing a stepwise dialog executing instructions in a defined order, the instructions including objects for processing events associated with at least one of recognition, prompting and messaging; and

performing an object oriented operation upon encountering an object associated with the instructions to provide at least one of but not all events in the dialog associated with recognition, prompting and messaging.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the object oriented operation is a speech recognition event.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the object oriented operation is a DTMF recognition event.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the stepwise dialog is embodied in a VoiceXML module.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the object oriented operation is embodied in a SALT module.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein establishing the stepwise dialog declares a first field and a second field and performing the object oriented operation includes a recognition event that obtains speech input from a user and fills the field with a first portion of the speech input and fills the second field with the second portion of the speech input.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein performing the operation further initiates a first grammar associated with the first field and a second field grammar associated with the second field.

34. The method of claim 27 wherein the operation initializes a recognition event having a plurality of grammars to obtain a recognition result and associates the recognition result with at least one of the plurality of grammars.

35. The method of claim 27 wherein establishing the stepwise dialog declares a first field and a second field and wherein performing the object oriented operation includes initializing a recognition event to obtain an utterance having speech and DTMF input from a user and associates the speech input with the first field and the DTMF input with the second field.

36. The method of claim 27 wherein establishing the stepwise dialog declares a field and wherein performing the object oriented operation includes initializing a recognition event to obtain a recognition result from a user to fill the field and execute a prompt to render the field to the user.

37. The method of claim 27 wherein the operation is a messaging event to connect to a remote application.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the operation further receives a result based on the messaging event and renders the result to a user.