METHOD, SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT PROVIDING FOR MULTIMODAL CONTENT MANAGEMENT

• US 20080155672A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharma, Rajesh
• Granted Patent: US 7,680,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are provided for providing a user with access to information stored in a datastore. A multimodal system operatively coupled to the datastore is configured to communicate with the user via a user device. The multimodal system is configured to receive a request from the user to communicate with the user through a user interface of the user device. In response to the received request, the multimodal system generates a multimodal document. The generated multimodal document includes instructions allowing for communication with the user using a plurality of different user interface modalities that may be available on a user device. The multimodal system then serves the multimodal document to the user device using a communication interface. The multimodal system is configured to only publish one multimodal document at a time for a given user session so that the user may seamlessly switch between user interface modalities that may be available on the user device or on another user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first request to communicate with a first user having access to a first user interface modality;

receiving a second request to communicate with a second user having access to a second different user interface modality;

generating a multimodal document having instructions for providing a dialog with a user using at least the first user interface modality and the second user interface modality; and

serving the multimodal document to the first user and the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user and the second user are the same user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first user interface modality is supported by a first user device and the second user interface modality is supported by a second different user device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a multimodal document comprises:

providing a multimodal extensible markup language specification; and

generating the multimodal document in accordance with the multimodal extensible markup language specification.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

creating grammar specifications;

receiving a response from at least one of the first or second users; and

interpreting the response based on the grammar specifications.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information from the first or the second user, the information generated using a first user output modality of a user device; and

interpreting the information received using a modality specific interpretation system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating the identity of a user, wherein the authenticating comprises;

generating a multimodal document requesting that a user provide authentication information using one of a plurality of user output modalities of a user device;

receiving authentication information from the user in a format based on the user output modality used by the user to provide the authentication information;

interpreting the authentication information from the user based on the format; and

comparing the received authentication information with information stored in a datastore.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method is embodied in a project management system and wherein the method further comprises:

using the authentication information received from the user and information stored in the datastore to determine the user'"'"'s projects, the user'"'"'s roles in the project, and the project management functions available to the user; and

generating a multimodal document providing the user with a list of the available projects and command options.

4. The method of claim 4, wherein the generating the multimodal document follows the receiving of the first request, wherein the receiving of the second request follows the generating of the multimodal document, and wherein the method further comprises:

serving the multimodal document to the first user device prior to receiving the second request; and

serving the multimodal document to the second user device prior to processing a response received from the first device in response to the last served multimodal document such that the communication between the first user device and the second user device are substantially synchronized.

10. A system comprising:

a first communication interface configured to provide access to a datastore;

a second communication interface configured to provide access to a first user device operated by a user; and

a multimodal system configured to;

receive a first request to communicate with the user through a user interface of the first user device;

generate a multimodal document in response to a received request, the multimodal document comprising instructions allowing for communication with the user using a plurality of different user interface modalities; and

serve the multimodal document to the user device using the first communication interface.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the multimodal system is configured to receive the first request to communicate with the user from the first user device over a first network using a first communication protocol, and wherein the multimodal system is further configured to serve the multimodal document to the first user device using the first network and the first communication protocol.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the multimodal system is configured to receive a communication from the first user device in response to the multimodal document, the communication comprising user information in a format consistent with at least a first user interface modality of the plurality of user interface modalities, and wherein the multimodal system is further configured to:

interpret at least a portion of the communication;

generate a new multimodal document in response to the communication; and

serve the new multimodal document to the first user device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the multimodal system is further configured to manipulate information stored in the datastore based on the communication from the first user device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the multimodal system is configured to receive a second request to communicate with the user from a second user device over a second network using a second communication protocol, and wherein the multimodal system is further configured to take the same multimodal document that was last served to the first user device and serve it to the second user device using the second network and the second communication protocol.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the multimodal system is configured to receive a communication from the second user device in response to the multimodal document, the communication comprising user information in a format consistent with at least a second user interface modality of the plurality of user interface modalities, and wherein the multimodal system is further configured to:

interpret at least a portion of the communication;

generate a new multimodal document in response to the communication; and

serve the new multimodal document to the first user device and the second user device.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising an outbound notification system configured to generate the first request and communicate the first request to the multimodal system.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system comprises a project management system, wherein the project management system comprises a critical state data retrieval system configured to determine when a project stored in the datastore reaches a critical state, wherein the outbound notification system is configured to generate the first request in response to the critical state data retrieval system determining that a project has reached a critical state.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising a user authentication system configured to authenticate the identity of the user by generating a multimodal document requesting that a user provide authentication information using one of a plurality of user output modalities of a user device, receiving authentication information from the user in a format based on the user output modality used by the user to provide the authentication information, interpreting the authentication information from the user based on the format;

and comparing the received authentication information with information stored in the datastore.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the system comprises a project management system and wherein the system further comprises:

a user role and accessibility system configured to use the authentication information received from the user and information stored in the datastore to determine the user'"'"'s projects, the user'"'"'s roles in the projects, and the project management functions available to the user, wherein the multimodal system is configured to generate a multimodal document providing the user with a list of the available projects and project management functions determined by the user role and accessibility system.

20. A computer program product for providing a multimodal content management application, the computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for providing the content management application with access to a first user device operated by a user;

a second executable portion for receiving a first request to communicate with the user through a user interface of the first user device;

a third executable portion for generating a multimodal document in response to a received request, the multimodal document comprising instructions allowing for communication with the user using a plurality of different user interface modalities; and

a fourth executable portion for serving the multimodal document to the user device using the first executable portion.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

a fifth executable portion for receiving a communication from the first user device in response to the multimodal document, the communication comprising user information in a format consistent with at least a first user interface modality of the plurality of user interface modalities;

a sixth executable portion for interpreting at least a portion of the communication;

a seventh executable portion for generating a new multimodal document in response to the communication; and

an eighth executable portion for serving the new multimodal document to the first user device.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

a ninth executable portion for manipulating information stored in the datastore based on the communication from the first user device.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising

a ninth executable portion configured to receive a second request to communicate with the user from a second user device over a second network using a second communication protocol;

and

a tenth executable portion for taking the same multimodal document that was last served to the first user device and serving it to the second user device using the second network and the second communication protocol.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

an eleventh executable portion configured to receive a communication from the second user device in response to the multimodal document, the communication comprising user information in a format consistent with at least a second user interface modality of the plurality of user interface modalities;

a twelfth executable portion for interpreting at least a portion of the communication;

a thirteenth executable portion for generating a new multimodal document in response to the communication; and

a fourteenth executable portion for serving the new multimodal document to the first user device and the second user device.

25. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

a fifth executable portion for accessing a datastore comprising information about at least one project;

a sixth executable portion for determining when a project stored in the datastore reaches a critical state; and

a seventh executable portion for generating the first request in response to the sixth executable portion determining that a project has reached a critical state.