VOICE CONTROL OF APPLICATIONS BY ASSOCIATING USER INPUT WITH ACTION-CONTEXT IDENTIFIER PAIRS

• US 20130246050A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Benko, John, Mallya, Satya, Yu, Dachuan
• Granted Patent: US 9,437,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence

Abstract

A method is provided for enabling or enhancing a use of voice control in a voice controlled application (VCA) via a development framework. The method includes: providing in the framework a plurality of action-context pairs—also called framework action-context pairs—usable in a memory of an application development device, which includes a processor, that serve to direct execution of the VCA, wherein the framework context defines a list of parameters related to the action and their respective value types; providing at least one of a voice recognition engine (VRE) and a natural language library to match each action-context pair with semantically related vocabulary; providing in the framework a registration mechanism that permits an association to be formed between an action-context pair and a handler in the voice controlled application. An associated development system for developing the VCA and user equipment that executes the VCA are provided as well.

Claims

1. A method for enabling or enhancing a use of voice control in a voice controlled application (VCA) via a development framework, the method comprising:

providing in the framework a plurality of action-context pairs—

also called framework action-context pairs—

usable in a memory of an application development device comprising a processor, that serve to direct execution of the VCA, wherein the framework context defines a list of parameters related to the action and their respective value types;

providing at least one of a voice recognition engine (VRE) or a natural language library to match each action-context pair with semantically related vocabulary;

providing in the framework a registration mechanism that permits an association to be formed between an action-context pair and a handler in the voice controlled application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing in the framework:

a handler definition mechanism comprising types, classes, and interfaces or utilities that are usable to define the actions and the contests of the action-context pairs, and associated VCA handlers; and

a dispatching mechanism comprising interfaces or utilities that are usable to look up a registration at runtime;

wherein the registration mechanism comprises interfaces or utilities that are usable to define a registration element to hold registrations at runtime.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the registration element comprises a table, a hash, or registration mapping.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the framework is additionally provided with further utility mechanisms selected from the group consisting of:

setup and configuration mechanisms;

start and stop listening to voice command mechanisms used to customize a triggering of voice control;

custom semantic mappings;

special handlers, in the action handler registration, for error and exception handling;

lightweight voice control;

stage setup and transitioning;

a text-to-speech API for voice interaction; and

a mechanism for interrupting a current task with specific voice commands.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, by an application developer, for a VCA, a plurality of action-context pairs—

also called application action-context pairs—

from the framework action-context pairs, that define voice control of the VCA, wherein the application context defines a list of parameters related to the action and their respective value types;

associating an application handler of the VCA with each of the application action-context pairs; and

producing the VCA that uses the action-context pairs and associated application handler.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

defining, by an application developer, a new application action-context pair not present in the framework action-context pairs;

defining an application grammar for the new application action-context pair using the natural language library to match the new application action-context pair with new semantically related vocabulary;

registering the new application action-context pair and associated grammar with the application action-context pairs; and

associating a new application handler with the new application action-context pair.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

defining a new application grammar for a specific application action-context pair using the natural language library to match the specific application action-context pair with new semantically related vocabulary; and

registering the new application grammar with the specific application action-context pair.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

executing the VCA on a user equipment (UE);

assigning VCA handler execution addresses to each of the application action-context pairs at run-time;

providing a voice input to the UE comprising verbal commands;

performing voice recognition (VR) and language parsing on the voice input by the device or on a networked cloud;

translating the voice input into a run-time action-context pair, wherein the run-time context contains a list of parameter values related to the action; and

executing the VCA handler at the VCA handler execution address associated with the run-time action-context pair from among the assigned VCA handler addresses.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

dynamically assigning a new VCA handler execution address with a previously assigned application action-context pair.

10. A non-transitory computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code being executable by a processor to implement a method for enabling or enhancing a use of voice control in a voice controlled application (VCA) via a development framework, the method comprising:

providing in the framework a plurality of action-context pairs—

also called framework action-context pairs—

usable in a memory of an application development device comprising a processor, that serve to direct execution of the VCA, wherein the framework context defines a list of parameters related to the action and their respective value types;

providing at least one of a voice recognition engine (VRE) or a natural language library to match each action-context pair with semantically related vocabulary; and

providing in the framework a registration mechanism that permits an association to be formed between an action-context pair and a handler in the voice controlled application.

11. A voice controlled application (VCA) development system, comprising:

a processor;

a storage device accessible by the processor;

a voice controlled application development framework comprising;

a plurality of action-context pairs—

also called framework action-context pairs—

that serve to direct execution of the VCA, wherein the framework context defines a list of parameters related to the action and their respective value types;

at least one of a voice recognition engine (VRE) and a natural language library to match each action-context pair with semantically related vocabulary; and

a registration mechanism that permits an association to be formed between an action-context pair and a handler in the voice controlled application.

12. The development system of claim 11, wherein the framework further comprises:

a handler definition mechanism comprising types, classes, and interfaces or utilities that are usable to define actions, contexts, and handlers; and

a dispatching mechanism comprising interfaces or utilities that are usable to look up a registration at runtime;

wherein the registration mechanism comprises interfaces or utilities that are usable to define a registration element to hold registrations at runtime.

13. The development system of claim 12, wherein the registration element comprises a table, a hash, or registration mapping.

14. The development system of claim 12, wherein the framework is additionally provided with further utility mechanisms selected from the group consisting of:

setup and configuration mechanisms;

start and stop listening to voice command mechanisms used to customize a triggering of voice control;

custom semantic mappings;

special handlers, in the action handler registration, for error and exception handling;

lightweight voice control;

stage setup and transitioning;

a text-to-speech API for voice interaction; and

a mechanism for interrupting a current task with specific voice commands.

15. The development system of claim 11, further comprising a data store comprising:

an application action-context pair that holds a plurality of action-context pairs—

also called application action-context pairs—

selected by an application developer for a VCA from the framework action-context pairs, that define voice control of the VCA, wherein the application context defines a list of parameters related to the action and their respective value types;

an application handler of the VCA associated with each of the application action-context pairs; and

a VCA executable file that uses the action-context pairs and associated application handler.

16. The development system of claim 15, wherein the data store further comprises:

a new application action-context pair defined by an application developer that is not present in the framework action-context pairs;

an application grammar for the new application action-context pair that uses the natural language library to match the new application action-context pair with new semantically related vocabulary;

a registration mechanism that registers the new application action-context pair and associated grammar with the application action-context pairs; and

a new application handler association link that links the new application action-context pair.

17. The development system of claim 15, wherein the data store further comprises:

a new application grammar defined for a specific application action-context pair using the natural language library to match the specific application action-context pair with new semantically related vocabulary, wherein the new application grammar is registered with the specific application action-context pair.

18. User equipment (UE), comprising:

a microphone;

a storage area;

a VCA executable file that uses action-context pairs and associated VCA application handlers associated with each action-context pair;

an assignment element that assigns VCA handler execution addresses to each of the application action-context pairs at run-time;

an access element for accessing at least one of a voice recognition engine (VRE) and a natural language library on the UE or on a networked cloud and translating voice input into a run-time action-context pair, wherein the run-time context contains a list of parameter values related to the action;

an execution element that executes a specific VCA handler at the VCA handler execution address associated with the run-time action-context pair.

19. The UE of claim 18, further comprising:

a utility that dynamically assigns a new VCA handler execution address with a previously assigned application action-context pair.