SPEECH COMMAND INPUT RECOGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERACTIVE COMPUTER DISPLAY WITH INTERPRETATION OF ANCILLARY RELEVANT SPEECH QUERY TERMS INTO COMMANDS

• US 20130041670A1
• Filed: 08/14/2012
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Morgan, Scott Anthony, Swearingen, Craig Ardner, Tannenbaum, Alan Richard, Temple, Anthony Christopher Courtney, Roberts, David John
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• 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

Abstract

In an interactive computer controlled display system with speech command input recognition and visual feedback including means for predetermining a plurality of speech commands for respectively initiating each of a corresponding plurality of system actions in combination with means for providing for each of the plurality of speech commands an associated set of speech terms, each term having relevance to its associated command Also included are means responsive to a detected speech term having relevance to one of the speech commands for displaying a relevant command. The system preferably may display basic speech commands simultaneously along with relevant commands. The means for providing the associated set of speech terms may comprise a stored relevance table of universal speech input commands and universal computer operation terms conventionally associated with system actions initiated by the input commands, and means for relating operation terms of the system with terms in the relevance table.

Claims

1. A method for interactive speech control of a system comprising a microprocessor, the method comprising:

receiving, at an audio input of the system, a first utterance spoken by a user;

performing automatic speech recognition to recognize a non-command speech input in the first utterance;

displaying electronically, on a visual display, the non-command speech input;

identifying, from a relevance data store retained in memory and accessed by the microprocessor, one or more system action commands relevant to the recognized non-command speech input; and

displaying the identified one or more system action commands on the visual display in association with the non-command speech input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of identifying comprises comparing the recognized non-command speech input to entries in the relevance data store.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevance data store comprises operating system terms and software application terms that are representative of executable commands for affecting at least one system action.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevance data store comprises universal speech input commands.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevance data store comprises terms that are synonymous with operating system terms and software application terms that are representative of executable commands for affecting at least one system action.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevance data store comprises terms entered by a user as being relevant to one or more of the system action commands.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the visual display, a control button that includes at least one word representing a system action command and that can be activated by a user; and

executing a system action responsive to the user speaking the at least one word.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the audio input, a second utterance spoken by the user;

recognizing a first system action command in the received second utterance, the first system action command being one of the displayed one or more system action commands; and

executing a first system action associated with the recognized first system action command.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, at the audio input, a third utterance spoken by the user;

recognizing a second system action command in the third utterance; and

executing a second system action corresponding to the recognized second system action command.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying, on the visual display, the recognized second system action command.

11. An interactive speech-controlled system comprising:

a microprocessor adapted to recognize speech input received from an audio input of the speech-controlled system;

a memory containing a relevance data store accessible by the microprocessor that stores one or more system action commands that are relevant to non-command speech inputs;

a display adapter; and

a visual display, wherein the microprocessor is configured to issue instructions to;

display, on the visual display, a non-command speech input responsive to receiving a first utterance spoken by a user at the audio input and recognizing the non-command speech input in the first utterance; and

display, on the visual display, one or more system action commands, retrieved from the relevance data store, that are relevant to the non-command speech input.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is configured to compare the recognized non-command speech input to entries in the relevance data store and return the one or more the system action commands for display responsive to the comparison.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the relevance data store comprises operating system terms and software application terms that are representative of executable commands for affecting at least one system action.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the relevance data store comprises terms that are synonymous with operating system terms and software application terms that are representative of executable commands for affecting at least one system action.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to issue instructions to display, on the visual display, a control button that includes at least one word;

and

to execute a system action responsive to the user speaking the at least one word or the user activating the control button.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to:

receive, from the audio input, a second utterance spoken by the user;

recognize a first system action command in the received second utterance, the first system action command being one of the displayed one or more system action commands; and

execute a first system action associated with the recognized first system action command.

17. An interactive computer controlled display system with speech command input recognition comprising:

a memory containing a relevance data store that stores a plurality of speech commands in association with a set of non-command speech terms, each non-command speech term having relevance to its associated speech command;

an audio input and automatic speech recognizer configured to detect speech commands and non-command speech terms, and

a microprocessor configured to issue instructions to display one or more speech commands for initiating system actions having relevance to a detected non-command speech term.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to display a speech command responsive to detecting the speech command.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a graphical user interface for selecting a displayed speech command to thereby initiate a system action.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the relevance data store comprises terms that are synonymous with operating system terms and software application terms that are representative of executable commands for affecting at least one system action.