Method for Driving Multiple Applications by a Common Diaglog Management System

• US 20080263451A1
• Filed: 03/21/2005
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Portele, Thomas, Te Vrugt, Jurgen, Streefkerk, Barbertje
• Application Number:
  US10/599,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263451A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

The invention describes a method for driving multiple applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) by a common dialog management system (1). Therein, a unique set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) is assigned to each application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n). The common dialog management system (1) informs a user of the status of an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) by playback, at a specific point in a dialog flow, of a relevant auditory icon (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) selected from the unique set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) of the respective application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) Moreover the invention describes a dialog management system comprising an input detection arrangement (4) for detecting user input (5) to the system, a sound output arrangement (6) for outputting audible sound (7), a core dialog engine (8) for coordinating a dialog flow by interpreting user input (5) and synthesizing audible sound output (7), an application interface (10) for communication between the dialog management system (1) and the applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n), a source of unique sets of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) assigned to the applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n), and an auditory icon management unit (11) for selecting relevant auditory icons (I₁,I₂,I₃, . . . , I_n) corresponding to the applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) for playback at specific points in the dialog flow.

Claims

1. A method for driving multiple applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) by a common dialog management system (1) where a unique set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) is assigned to each application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) , and where the common dialog management system (1) informs a user ( ) of the status of an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . A_n) by playback, at a specific point in a dialog flow, of a relevant auditory icon (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) selected from the unique set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) of the respective application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n).

2. A method according claim 1, where the auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) of an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) are played back to indicate to the user a change in operational status of an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n).

3. A method according to claim 1, where an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) submits a set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) and associated instructions concerning the use thereof to the dialog management system (1).

4. A method according to claim 3, where identifying information for the individual auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) Of an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) and associated instructions are obtained by the dialog management system (1), and the auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) are retrieved by the dialog management system (1), from the application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) upon request.

5. A method according to claim 3, where the complete set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) of an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) is acquired by the dialog management system (1) at the outset of a dialog flow between the user and the application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) or upon activation or installation of the application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n).

6. A method according to claim 1, where the dialog management system (1) supplies an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) with a unique set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) by modifying non-unique auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) in a set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) of the application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) and/or choosing unique auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) for the application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) from a collection (13) of auditory icons.

7. A method according to claim 1, where the set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) for playback in a dialog flow between a user and an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) comprises at least one unique start auditory icon, for playback at commencement of the dialog flow and/or at least one unique end auditory icon, for playback at conclusion of a dialog flow.

8. A method according to claim 1, where the set of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) for playback in a dialog flow between a user and an application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) comprises a number of unique informative auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n), for playback at specific points during the dialog flow where each auditory icon (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) describes a particular type of feedback from the application (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n)

9. A method according to claim 1, where auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) and/or playback characteristics of the auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) are specified for a user in a user profile (3).

13. A computer program product directly loadable into the memory of a programmable dialog management system (1) comprising software code portions for performing the steps of a method according to claim 1 when said product is run on the dialog management system (1).

10. A dialog management system (1) for driving a number of applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n), comprising

an input detection arrangement (4) for detecting user input (5) to the system;

a sound output arrangement (6) for outputting audible prompt (7)

a core dialog engine (8) for coordinating a dialog flow by interpreting user input (5) and generating output prompts ( );

an application interface (10) for communication between the dialog management system (1) and the applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n)

a source of unique sets of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) assigned to the applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n)

and an auditory icon management unit (11) for selecting relevant auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) from the unique sets of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) corresponding to the applications (A₁, A₂, A₃, . . . , A_n) for playback at specific points in the dialog flow.

11. A dialog management system (1) according to claim 11, comprising a means (15) for allowing the user to input auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n).

12. A dialog management system (1) according to claim 11, comprising an interface (14) for obtaining sets of auditory icons (S₁, S₂, S₃, . . . , S_n) or individual auditory icons (I₁, I₂, I₃, . . . , I_n) from an external source (12)