Using speech processing technologies for verification sequence instances

• US 20070213988A1
• Filed: 03/10/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hanson, Gary
• Application Number:
  US11/372,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20070213988A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for verifying sequential steps using speech processing technologies can include a step of initializing a verification sequence instance. The instance sequence can include one or more sequentially linked verification points. A computer produced speech prompt can be presented for one of the verification points. A speech response can be received from a verifier for the verification point. The speech response can be automatically converted to a text response. The text response can be stored in a response log for the verification sequence instance. The next verification point in the verification sequence instance can be determined. The presenting, receiving, converting, and storing steps can be performed for the new verification point. This method can be repeated until the verification sequence instance is complete.

Claims

1. A method for verifying a sequential sequence comprising:

initializing a verification sequence instance, said instance sequence comprising a plurality of sequentially linked verification points;

presenting a computer produced speech prompt for one of the verification points;

receiving a speech response for the verification point from a verifier;

automatically converting the speech response to text response;

storing the text response in a response log for the verification sequence instance;

determining a next verification point in the verification sequence instance; and

repeating the presenting, receiving, converting, and storing steps until the verification sequence instance is complete.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the received speech response is a barge-in response.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a speech command from the verifier; and

automatically responding to the speech command.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the speech command is at least one of a command to repeat a speech prompt, a command to receive additional details associated with the speech prompt, and a command to receive sample answers for the speech prompt.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the speech command is at least one of a pause command, a resume command, and a command to configure user playback options.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing at least a portion of the speech response to later confirm a completion of the verification point by the verifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the verification sequence instance comprises a software test.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a computing device presents the speech prompts and receives the speech responses, wherein the computing device is a computing device executing software that the verifier is testing as part of the software test, whereby the speech prompts and speech responses do not visually interfere with GUI aspects of the software test being conducted on the same computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the verification sequence instance comprises an equipment checklist.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the verification points, requires the verifier to visually examine an item other than a visual rendering of a verification point prompt.

11. The software method of claim 1, wherein said steps of claim 1 are performed by at least one machine in accordance with at least one computer program having a plurality of code sections that are executable by the at least one machine.

12. A software method comprising the step of:

audibly presenting a plurality of speech prompts corresponding to a plurality of sequenced verification points, for each verification point, said speech prompts specifying an action that a verifier is to take for that verification point;

for each verification point, receiving a speech response corresponding to a status of the action; and

generating a log recording status information for each verification point.

13. The software method of claim 12, wherein the sequence of verification points are each testing steps of a software test plan.

14. The software method of claim 12, wherein the sequence of verification points are each validations steps associated with an equipment checklist.

15. The software method of claim 12, further comprising:

visually presenting content of the speech prompts to the verifier; and

visually presenting content of the speech responses to the verifier.

16. The software method of claim 12, wherein each verification point comprises an identifier, a description, a precondition, an action, and an expected response.

17. The software method of claim 16, wherein each verification point comprises an expected response list, and a recording.

18. The software method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a spoken user command selected from a repeat command, a details command, a verification point identifier command, a setup command, a description command, a record a note command, a configure command, a pause command, and a resume command.

19. The software method of claim 12, wherein said steps of claim 12 are performed by at least one machine in accordance with at least one computer program having a plurality of code sections that are executable by the at least one machine.

20. A system for verification sequence instances comprising:

a sequence server configured to manage a plurality of verification sequence instances and configured to store a plurality of instance logs, wherein each verification sequence instance comprises a plurality of verification points, each verification point having an associated action that a verifier is to take for that verification point;

a sequence client communicatively linked to the sequence server, said sequence client including a speech interface through which a speech prompts specifying the associated actions are presented to a verifier and through which speech responses corresponding to a status for each action are received; and

at least one speech processing engine configured to speech-to-text convert the speech responses, wherein for each completed verification sequence instance speech responses are received for each verification point for which a speech prompt was generated, wherein for each completed verification sequence instance, a textually converted form of the speech responses is stored within a data store accessible by the sequence server as part of an instance log.