System and method to use text-to-speech to prompt whether text-to-speech output should be added during installation of a program on a computer system normally controlled through a user interactive display

• US 20070100638A1
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lu, Anh, Brunet, Peter, Weiss, Lawrence, Nosewicz, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/277
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

An auditory user interactive interface to an application program being installed in the computer controlled system. A routine in an object, in an application program being installed in the computer controlled system for providing an auditory user interface to the program in combination with auditory means for offering the user of the computer controlled system the auditory user interface during installation of said application program, and responsive to the selection of the auditory interface provides the auditory user interface during said installation of the application program. The functional object in the application program being installed includes the routine for providing the auditory interface preferably implemented in Text to Speech (TTS) functions together with an implementation for determining whether the computer controlled system receiving the application program includes a TTS engine compatible with the TTS functions in the application program and a routine for installing a TTS engine compatible with the routine when the computer controlled system does not include the TTS engine.

Claims

1. In a computer controlled system interfaced through a user interactive display, a system providing an auditory user interactive interface to an application program being installed in the computer controlled system comprising:

a routine in an application program being installed in said computer controlled system for providing a Text to Speech (TTS) user interface to said program;

TTS means for offering the user of the computer controlled system said TTS user interface during the installation of said application program; and

means, responsive to the selection of said TTS interface for installation, for providing said TTS user interface during said installation of said application program.

2. The computer controlled system of claim 1 further including means for determining whether said computer controlled system includes a TTS engine compatible with said routine.

3. The computer controlled system of claim 2 further including means associated with said application program, responsive to said means for determining whether said computer controlled system includes a TTS engine, for installing a TTS engine compatible with said routine when the computer controlled system does not include said TTS engine.

4. The computer controlled system of claim 2 further including:

means associated with said application program, responsive to said determining means determining that the computer controlled system does not include a compatible TTS engine, for seeking another compatible TTS system from another computer controlled system operatively associated with the computer controlled system; and

means for installing said another compatible TTS system in said computer controlled system.

5. The computer controlled system of claim 3 further including means, responsive to said TTS means for offering the user of the computer controlled system said auditory user interface, for uninstalling said installed TTS engine compatible with said routine when said user rejects said offered TTS user interface or when said TTS user declines an offer to accept a license agreement or when said TTS user cancels said installation of said application program during installation of said application program.

6. The computer controlled system of claim 4 further including means, responsive to said TTS means for offering the user of the computer controlled system said auditory user interface, for uninstalling said installed TTS engine compatible with said routine when said user rejects said offered TTS user interface or when said TTS user declines an offer to accept a license agreement or when said TTS user cancels said installation of said application program during installation of said application program.

7. The computer controlled system of claim 1 wherein said means, responsive to the selection of said TTS interface for installation, for providing said TTS user interface during said installation of said application program comprises:

means for providing textual data representative of a sequence of displayable user interactive dialog panels; and

TTS means for translating each of said sequence of dialog panels into each of a corresponding sequence of interactive auditory instruction and prompt panels.

8. In a computer controlled system interfaced through a user interactive display, a method providing an auditory user interactive interface to an application program being installed in the computer controlled system comprising:

including in an application program being installed in said computer controlled system, a method for providing a TTS user interface to said program;

TTS offering, to the user of the computer controlled system, said TTS user interface during installation of said application program; and

providing said TTS user interface during said installation of said application program responsive to the selection of said interface for installation.

9. The method for providing said auditory user interface of claim 8 further including the step of determining whether said computer controlled system includes a TTS engine compatible with said method.

10. The method for providing said auditory user interface of claim 9 further including the step associated with said application program, responsive to said determination of whether said computer controlled system includes a TTS engine, for installing a TTS engine compatible with said method when the computer controlled system does not include said TTS engine.

11. The method for providing said auditory user interface of claim 9 further including the steps, responsive to a determination that the system does not include a TTS engine, of:

seeking another compatible TTS system from another computer controlled system operatively associated with the computer controlled system; and

for installing said another compatible TTS system in said computer controlled system.

12. The method for providing said auditory user interface of claim 10 further including the step responsive to said aurally offering the user of the computer controlled system said TTS user interface, for uninstalling said installed TTS engine compatible with said routine when said user rejects said offered auditory user interface or when said TTS user declines an offer to accept a license agreement or when said TTS user cancels said installation of said application program during installation of said application program.

13. The method for providing said auditory user interface of claim 11 further including the step responsive to said aurally offering the user of the computer controlled system said TTS user interface, for uninstalling said installed TTS engine compatible with said routine when said user rejects said offered auditory user interface or when said TTS user declines an offer to accept a license agreement or when said TTS user cancels said installation of said application program during installation of said application program.

14. The method for providing said auditory user interface of claim 8 wherein said step, responsive to the selection of said TTS interface for installation, for providing said TTS user interface during said installation of said application program comprises the steps of:

providing textual data representative of a sequence of displayable user interactive dialog panels; and

translating each of said sequence of dialog panels into each of a corresponding sequence of interactive auditory instruction and prompt panels.

15. A computer program having code recorded on a computer readable medium for providing an auditory user interactive interface to an application program being installed in the computer controlled system normally interfaced through a user interactive display comprising:

a routine in an application program being installed in said computer controlled system for providing a TTS user interface to said program;

TTS means for offering the user of the computer controlled system said TTS user interface during installation of said application program; and

means, responsive to the selection of said TTS interface for installation, for providing said TTS user interface during said installation of said application program.

16. The computer program of claim 15 further including means for determining whether said computer controlled system includes a TTS engine compatible with said routine.

17. The computer program of claim 16 further including means associated with said application program, responsive to said means for determining whether said computer controlled system includes a TTS engine, for installing a TTS engine compatible with said routine when the computer controlled system does not include said TTS engine.

18. The computer program of claim 16 further including

means associated with said application program, responsive to said determining means determining that the computer controlled system does not include a compatible TTS engine, for seeking another compatible TTS system from another computer controlled system operatively associated with the computer controlled system;

and

means for installing said another compatible TTS system in said computer controlled system.

19. The computer program of claim 17 further including means, responsive to said TTS means for offering the user of the computer controlled system said auditory user interface, for uninstalling said installed TTS engine compatible with said routine when said user rejects said offered TTS user interface or when said TTS user declines an offer to accept a license agreement or when said TTS user cancels said installation of said application program during installation of said application program.

20. The computer program of claim 15 wherein said means, responsive to the selection of said TTS interface for installation, for providing said TTS user interface during said installation of said application program comprises:

means for providing textual data representative of a sequence of displayable user interactive dialog panels; and

TTS means for translating each of said sequence of dialog panels into each of a corresponding sequence of interactive auditory instruction and prompt panels.