SOLUTION FOR SHARING SPEECH PROCESSING RESOURCES IN A MULTITASKING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20080140390A1
• Filed: 12/11/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: XIA, MING
• Application Number:
  US11/608,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140390A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/52 Program synchronisation; Mutual exclusion, e.g. by means of semaphores

Abstract

A system for sharing computing resources including a multi-tasking environment within which a multiple of speech-enabled applications concurrently execute. The system can include a speech resource manager configured to receive speech based requests from the applications, to associate these requests with the requesting application, to use a set of speech resources to produce results for the requests, and to deliver the results to a requesting application. The speech resource manager permits each concurrently executing speech-enabled application to utilize the speech resources. In one embodiment, the system can be a mobile communication device that includes a wireless transceiver configured for real-time communications. When implementing the system in a mobile communication device, the multitasking environment can be a virtual machine environment. such a JAVA MICRO EDITION PLATFORM (J2ME) environment.

Claims

1. A system for sharing computing resources comprising:

a multi-tasking environment within which a plurality of speech-enabled applications concurrently execute; and

a speech resource manager configured to receive speech based requests from the applications, to associate these requests with the requesting application, to use a set of speech resources to produce results for the requests, and to deliver the results to a requesting application, and wherein the speech resource manager permits each concurrently executing speech-enabled application to utilize the speech resources.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the speech resource manager comprises:

a resource controller configured to receive allocation and deallocation requests for resources from each of the speech-enabled applications and to selectively obtain and release the requested resources from a shared resource pool.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the speech resource manager comprises:

a grammar/words controller configured to dynamically change a search space used for speech recognition purposes for the plurality of speech-enabled applications, wherein the search space includes at least one entry for each valid entry for any of the speech-enabled applications in accordance with current application states of the speech-enabled applications.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the speech resource manager comprises:

a result/event controller configured to capture results and events associated with the set of speech resources and to convey these results and events to appropriate ones of the speech-enabled applications.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the environment is disposed within a resource-constrained, embedded consumer product, said consumer product including at least one of a mobile telephone, a personal data assistant, a navigation system, a media player, and an entertainment console.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the multitasking environment is an environment of a virtual machine that interprets and executes bytecode.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the virtual machine conforms to standards based upon a JAVA MICRO EDITION PLATFORM, and wherein each of the speech-enabled applications is a MIDlet.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the speech resource manager executes within a virtual machine, wherein at least a portion of the speech resources execute outside the virtual machine.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the speech resources are resources remote from a device upon which the virtual machine executes, said portion being processed via a network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the speech resource manager utilizes a speech application program interface (API) to access the speech resources, wherein said API lacks an inherent capability for permitting the speech-enabled applications to simultaneously access the speech resources.

11. A mobile communication device comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured for real-time communications;

a multi-tasking virtual machine within which a plurality of speech-enabled applications concurrently execute; and

a speech resource manager configured to receive speech based requests from the applications, to associate these requests with the requesting application, to use a set of speech resources to produce results for the requests, and to deliver the results to a requesting application, and wherein the speech resource manager permits each concurrently executing speech-enabled application to utilize the speech resources.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the speech resource manager comprises:

a resource controller configured to receive allocation and deallocation requests for resources from each of the speech-enabled applications and to selectively obtain and release the requested resources from a shared resource pool;

a grammar/words controller configured to dynamically change a search space used for speech recognition purposes for the plurality of speech-enabled applications, wherein the search space includes at least one entry for each valid entry for any of the speech-enabled applications in accordance with current application states of the speech-enabled applications; and

a result/event controller configured to capture results and events associated with the set of speech resources and to convey these results and events to appropriate ones of the speech-enabled applications.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the mobile communication device is a mobile telephone.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the mobile communication device is a navigation system.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein the virtual machine interprets and executes bytecode.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the virtual machine conforms to standards based upon a JAVA MICRO EDITION PLATFORM, and wherein each of tile speech-enabled applications is a MIDlet.

17. A method for sharing speech resources among a plurality of speech-enabled applications comprising:

a plurality of speech-enabled applications conveying resource allocation/deallocation requests to a resource controller;

the resource controller automatically allocating/deallocating a set of shared speech resources based upon requests received from the speech-enabled applications;

performing speech processing operations for the speech-enabled applications using the set of shared speech resources; and

conveying results and events produced by the performing step to applicable ones of the speech-enabled applications.

18. Tile method of claim 17, further comprising:

each of the speech-enabled applications detecting changes in application specific states, which alters a recognition search space, said recognition search space including a set of entries, where each entry matches a valid speech recognition result for which a programmatic action is associated;

each speech-enabled application conveying the search space to a grammar/words controller as the changes occur;

the grammar/words controller altering entries in a recognition vocabulary used by the set of shared speech resources, so that the recognition vocabulary is dynamically updated to include each of the entries.

19. Tile method of claim 17, wherein the speech-enabled applications execute within a virtual machine of a resource-constrained mobile communication device.

20. Tile method of claim 19, wherein the virtual machine conforms to a standard based upon a JAVA MICRO EDITION PLATFORM, and wherein each of the speech-enabled applications is a MIDlet.