Computer application text messaging input and output

• US 20080256200A1
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Elliston, David E.
• Application Number:
  US11/786,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256200A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis speech synthesis per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/355 Interactive dialogue design tools, features or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

The subject matter herein relates to computer application input and output and, more particularly, computer application text messaging input and output. Various embodiments provide systems, methods, and software to enable interaction with computer applications utilizing virtually any text-client, such as an instant messaging or text messaging client application or device. Some embodiments provide the ability for text-client interaction with voice applications, such as interactive voice response applications typically available to telephone callers.

Claims

1. A method of processing a text message received from a client, the method comprising:

processing a message to identify a target application session of the message;

extracting text of the message and passing the text to an interpreter process to translate the message to a format of the target application and send the message to the target application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the interpreter process, a response to the message from the target application;

extracting a text portion from the response and forwarding the text to the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is an instant messaging message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target application is an interactive voice response application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the messages exchanged by the interpreter processes and target application are encoded in a voice-application derivative of extensible markup language.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the message to identify a target application session of the message includes:

determining if a sender address and a recipient address of the message match an existing application session; and

starting a new application session if there is no match.

7. A system comprising:

an application server including one or more voice-enabled applications operable on the application server to provide data and services of an interactive voice response system to callers through a voice gateway; and

a text gateway enabled to communicate with the one or more voice-enabled applications of the application server and one or more text-based client types to allow the text-based clients to access the one or more voice-enabled applications in a text message format.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the text gateway and the voice-enabled application of the application server communicate with messages encoded in an extensible markup language format.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the extensible markup language format is VoiceXML.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the text gateway includes:

an interpreter to interpret messages between an adapter format and a voice-enabled application format; and

a text-messaging protocol adapter to adapt messages exchanged between the interpreter and the text-messaging protocol adapter for exchange of messages over a text messaging network encoded according to a specific text messaging protocol.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the text gateway includes two or more text-messaging protocol adapters, each text-messaging protocol adapter configured to communicate according to a specific text-messaging protocol.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the text messaging protocol is Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (“

XMPP”

).

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the text messaging protocol is Session Initiation Protocol (“

SIP”

).

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the text gateway communicates presence data of the one or more voice-enabled applications of the application server to subscribing text-based clients.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the text gateway receives presence data of one or more text-based clients.

16. A computer-readable medium, with encoded instruction to cause one or more suitably configured computers to process a text message received from a client by:

processing a message to identify a target application session of the message;

extracting text of the message and passing the text to an interpreter process to translate the message to a format of the target application and send the message to the target application.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, with further instructions to cause the one or more suitably configured computer to process the text message by:

receiving, by the interpreter process, a response to the message from the target application;

extracting a text portion from the response and forwarding the text to the client.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the message is an instant messaging message.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the target application is an interactive voice response application.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein processing the message to identify a target application session of the message includes:

determining if a sender address and a recipient address of the message match an existing application session; and

starting a new application session if there is no match.