Method and system for voice-enabled autofill

• US 20060074652A1
• Filed: 08/09/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cross, Charles W. Jr., McCobb, Gerald M., Ativanichayaphong, Soonthorn
• Granted Patent: US 7,953,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/193 Formal grammars, e.g. finite state automata, context free grammars or word networks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system are provided for filling a graphic-based form field in response to a speech utterance. The computer-implemented method includes generating a grammar corresponding to the form field, the grammar being based on a user profile and comprising a semantic interpretation string. The method further includes creating an auto-fill event based upon the at least one grammar and responsive to the speech utterance, the auto-fill event causing the filling of the form field with data corresponding to the user profile. The system includes a grammar-generating module for generating a grammar corresponding to the form field, the grammar being based on a user profile and comprising a semantic interpretation string. The system also includes an event module for creating an auto-fill event based upon the at least one grammar and responsive to the speech utterance, the event causing the filling of the form field with data corresponding to the user profile.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of automatically filling a form field in response to a speech utterance, the method comprising:

generating at least one grammar corresponding to the form field, the grammar being based on a user profile and comprising a semantic interpretation string; and

creating an auto-fill event based upon the at least one grammar and responsive to the speech utterance, the auto-fill event causing the filling of the form field with data corresponding to the user profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data which fills the form field is retrieved from a record of a table specific to the user profile, the record establishing an association between the data and the speech utterance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data which fills the form field includes information other than that contained within a speech-to-text conversion of the speech utterance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the form field is a synchronized voice form field of a voice markup language document, and wherein the generating step comprises generating at least one grammar defining a form field grammar corresponding to the synchronized voice form field.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising parsing the voice markup language document to determine whether the voice markup language document contains the synchronized voice form field.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the generating step comprises additionally generating an auto-fill grammar based upon a label phrase and a value contained in the semantic interpretation string.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the auto-fill event causes the form field to be filled with the value contained in the semantic interpretation string in response to the speech utterance.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step comprises generating at least one of a voice command and control grammar and a content navigation grammar.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the form field is a form field of a voice markup language document, and wherein the generating step comprises generating at least one grammar defining a link grammar corresponding to the form field.

10. A computer system for automatically filling a form field in response to a speech utterance, the system comprising:

a grammar-generating module for generating at least one grammar corresponding to the form field, the grammar being based on a user profile and comprising a semantic interpretation string; and

an auto-fill event module for creating an auto-fill event based upon the at least one grammar and responsive to the speech utterance, the auto-fill event causing the filling of the form field with data corresponding to the user profile.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the form field is a synchronized voice form field of a voice markup language document, and wherein the grammar-generating module comprises a voice markup language interpreter for generating at least one grammar defining a form field grammar corresponding to the synchronized voice form field.

12. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising a parsing module for parsing the voice markup language document to determine whether the voice markup language document contains a synchronized voice form field in a user profile domain.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the voice markup language interpreter additionally generates an auto-fill grammar based upon a label phrase and a value contained in the semantic interpretation string.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the auto-fill event causes the form field to be filled with the value contained in the semantic interpretation string in response to the speech utterance.

15. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the grammar-generating module comprises a browser configured to generate a voice markup language link grammar.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the auto-fill event is a voice markup language auto-fill event responsive to the link grammar and that causes the browser to fill the form field with data corresponding to the user profile.

17. The computer system of claim 10, further comprising a user-information dialog application for supporting the auto-fill event module.

18. A user-information dialog application for supporting a multimodal auto-fill performed by a user using a device having a web browser that supports multimodal applications, the dialog application comprising:

a grammar generation module that generates grammars based upon user-specific information;

a grammar storage module for storing the grammars generated; and

a grammar conveyance module that conveys at least one of (a) the generated grammars and (b) a data communications network address at which the generated grammars can be accessed by the multimodal application.

19. The dialog application of claim 18, wherein the grammar conveyance module conveys the data communications network address if the device does not have a speech recognition capability.

20. The dialog application of claim 18, wherein the grammar conveyance module conveys the generated grammars to the device if the device has a speech recognition capability.