Dialog component re-use in recognition systems

• US 20050203747A1
• Filed: 01/10/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lecoeuche, Renaud J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,552,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/36 Creation of semantic tools, e.g. ontology or thesauri
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/19 Grammatical context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word sequence rules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/303 Marking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

Controls are provided for a web server to generate client side markups that include recognition and/or audible prompting. The controls comprise elements of a dialog such as a question, answer, confirmation, command or statement. A module forms a dialog by making use of the information carried in the controls. The dialog follows a selected order of prompting and receiving input from a user as related to the order of the controls, and departs from the selected order as a function of responses from the user. The speech controls are adapted such that elements of the speech controls can be combined or re-used.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium having instructions, which when executed on a computer generate client side markup for a client in a client/server system, the instructions comprising:

a set of controls for defining a dialog, the controls comprising at least a control for generating markup related to audible prompting of a question and for generating markup related to a grammar for recognition, said control having means for referring to another control of the same type in order to duplicate at least a portion of the dialog of said another control; and

a module, when executed on the client, creates a dialog as a function of the controls.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said control includes a prompt property for defining a prompt, an answer property defining the processing of responses by the user to the prompt, and wherein said means for referring to another control includes an imported answer property for identifying said another control.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2 wherein said control is adapted to combine the processing of responses in the answer property with the processing of responses in the answer property of said another control identified in the imported answer property.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3 wherein said control includes an extra answer property defining processing of responses by the user which were unsolicited in the prompt, and wherein said means for referring to another control includes an imported extra answer property for identifying said another control.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4 wherein said control is adapted to combine the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the extra answer property of said another control identified in the imported answer property.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein said control _[RL6] is adapted to combine the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the extra answer property of said another control identified in the imported extra answer property.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein said control is adapted to combine the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the answer property of said another control identified in the imported extra answer property.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1 and further comprising a second set of controls for generating markup related to visual rendering on a client, wherein at least one of the first-mentioned set of controls is associated with at least one of the controls of the second set of controls.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the first-mentioned set of controls includes means for maintaining a recognized result apart from the associated control of the second set of controls, said means for maintaining associating the recognized result with the control of the second set of controls.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein said control includes a prompt property for defining a prompt, an answer property defining the processing of responses by the user to the prompt, and wherein said means for referring to another control includes an imported answer property for identifying said another control.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein said control is adapted to combine the processing of responses in the answer property with the processing of responses in the answer property of said another control identified in the imported answer property.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said control includes an extra answer property defining processing of responses by the user which were unsolicited in the prompt, and wherein said means for referring to another control includes an imported extra answer property for identifying said another control.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein said control is adapted to combine the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the extra answer property of said another control identified in the imported answer property.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein said control is adapted to combine the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the extra answer property of said another control identified in the imported extra answer property.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein said control is adapted to combine the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the answer property of said another control identified in the imported extra answer property.

16. A computer-implemented method for generating client side markup for a client in a client/server system comprising:

specifying an application from a set of controls for defining a dialog, the controls comprising at least a control for generating markup related to audible prompting of a question and for generating markup related to a grammar for recognition, said control having means for referring to another control of the same type in order to duplicate at least a portion of the dialog of said another control; and

generating client side markup from the specified application.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 wherein said control includes a prompt property for defining a prompt, an answer property defining the processing of responses by the user to the prompt, and wherein said means for referring to another control includes an imported answer property for identifying said another control.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 wherein generating client side markup includes combining the processing of responses in the answer property with the processing of responses in the answer property of said another control identified in the imported answer property.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 wherein said control includes an extra answer property defining processing of responses by the user which were unsolicited in the prompt, and wherein said means for referring to another control includes an imported extra answer property for identifying said another control.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19 wherein generating client side markup includes combining the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the extra answer property of said another control identified in the imported answer property.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20 wherein generating client side markup includes combining the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the extra answer property of said another control identified in the imported extra answer property.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21 wherein generating client side markup includes combining the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the answer property of said another control identified in the imported extra answer property.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 wherein combining the processing of responses in the answer property with the processing of responses in the answer property of said another control identified in the imported answer property includes associating a grammar for the processing of responses in the answer property of said another control identified in the imported answer property, said grammar being differentiated from a grammar for processing other responses associated with the answer property.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 23 wherein associating a grammar for the processing of responses in the answer property of said another control identified in the imported answer property includes using a unique identifier for each of the answers_[RL7].

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 20 wherein combining the processing of responses in the extra answer property with the processing of responses in the extra answer property of said another control identified in the imported extra answer property includes associating a grammar for the processing of responses in the extra answer property of said another control identified in the imported extra answer property, said grammar being differentiated from a grammar for processing other responses associated with the extra answer property.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 wherein associating a grammar for the processing of responses in the extra answer property of said another control identified in the imported extra answer property includes using a unique identifier for each of the extra answers_[RL8].

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 wherein specifying an application includes specifying re-use of a grammar by reference to a control_[RL9].

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27 wherein specifying an application includes specifying re-use of only a portion of a grammar by reference to a control.

29. The computer-implemented method of claim 28 wherein specifying an application includes specifying re-use of only a portion of a grammar by reference to a control, said portion not having carrier phrases.