System and method for automatic generation of dialog run time systems

• US 20050228668A1
• Filed: 03/31/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Castillo, Cecilia Marie, Roycraft, Theodore J., Wilson, James M.
• Application Number:
  US10/812,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20050228668A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/256
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/193 Formal grammars, e.g. finite state automata, context free grammars or word networks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A system and method for automatically generating a spoken dialog application is disclosed. In one embodiment, a graphical representation of a call flow is converted into a context free grammar representation, which is then converted into a finite state machine, which is then used as the basis for the spoken dialog application.

Claims

1. A method for generating a spoken dialog application, comprising:

generating a finite state machine from a context free grammar representation of a call flow for a spoken dialog system; and

generating application code for functions to be executed upon state transitions in said generated finite state machine, wherein said generated application code for said functions are executable during runtime of said spoken dialog system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a graphical representation of a call flow; and

generating the context free grammar representation of said call flow using said graphical representation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said graphical representation is generated using standardized graphical elements.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said graphical representation is generated using VISIO.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said context free grammar representation is in a Backus-Naur Form format.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said context free grammar representation is in an augmented Backus-Naur Form format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a function is associated with a node in said finite state machine.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising customizing generated application code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generated application code associated with an output function performs a table lookup for prompt information.

10. A computer-readable medium that stores a program for controlling a computer device to perform a method for generating a spoken dialog application, the method comprising:

generating a finite state machine from a context free grammar representation of a call flow of a spoken dialog system; and

generating application code for functions to be executed upon state transitions in said generated finite state machine, wherein said generated application code for said functions are executable during runtime of said spoken dialog system.

11. A system for generating a spoken dialog application using a method that comprises:

generating a finite state machine from a context free grammar representation of a call flow for a spoken dialog system; and

generating application code for functions to be executed upon state transitions in said generated finite state machine, wherein said generated application code for said functions are executable during runtime of said spoken dialog system.

12. A spoken dialog application method, comprising:

traversing a finite state machine, said finite state machine being generated from a context free grammar representation of a call flow for a spoken dialog system; and

invoking generated application code for functions associated with nodes in said finite state machine, wherein each node of said finite state machine is mapped to a corresponding function.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said context free grammar representation is generated from a graphical representation of said call flow.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said context free grammar representation is in a Backus-Naur Form format.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said context free grammar representation is in an augmented Backus-Naur Form format.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein generated application code performs a table lookup for prompt information.

17. A spoken dialog system, comprising:

means for traversing a finite state machine, said finite state machine being generated from a context free grammar representation of a call flow for a spoken dialog system; and

means for invoking generated application code for functions associated with nodes in said finite state machine, wherein each node of said finite state machine is mapped to a corresponding function.