Documents having executable attributes for active mail and digitized speech to text conversion

• US 5,528,739 A
• Filed: 09/17/1993
• Issued: 06/18/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Equipment Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Fisher, Carolanne, Lucas, Peter, Senn, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURWELL, JOSEPH RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US08/123,405
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 395/144, 395/145, 395/146, 395/148, 395/153, 395/161, 364/419.1, 364/419.19
• US Class Current: 715/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components

Abstract

An information processing system is disclosed, having documents consisting of attributes. Each attribute contains a name and a value. The value of an attribute may be executable script. When a specified event occurs, an interpreter evaluates the script and executes the resulting object code on a microprocessor. Examples of the specified event are the document being referenced by a user or the document being received by a remote node. The script itself within the value of an attribute may be written by the user, or selected by the user from a pre-packaged system library of script routines. When the script is executed, it causes certain events to occur. Example events include sending an acknowledgement message when the document is received or read, sending digitized speech data from within the document to a digital to analog converter to be played through a loudspeaker, and sending digitized speech data from within the document to a speech recognition engine which converts the digitized speech data into text, and displays the text on a display device.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

a microprocessor;

an interpreter, coupled with said microprocessor, for interpreting an executable script language;

a memory, coupled with said microprocessor;

a document, stored within said memory, said document consisting of one or more attributes, each said attribute consisting of a list, said list consisting of a name and a value, where the value of one of said one or more attributes is an executable script, and where said executable script is interpreted by said interpreter, and said executable script is executed on said microprocessor when said document is referenced by a user of said information processing system;

said executable script including digitized speech information;

a display device;

a speech recognition engine, coupled with said first memory and said display device, for translating said digitized speech information into text and displaying said text onto said display device; and

said executable script including instructions which when interpreted by said interpreter and executed on said microprocessor pass said digitized speech information to said speech recognition engine.

2. An information processing system comprising:

a first user system;

a first memory, within said first user system;

a first microprocessor, within said first user system, and coupled with said first memory;

a script interpreter, within said first user system, and coupled with said first microprocessor;

a first client module, within said first user system, and coupled with said first microprocessor and said first memory;

a local area network, coupled with said first client module;

a second user system;

a second memory within said second user system;

a second client module, within said second user system, and coupled with said local area network and said second memory, for transmitting documents from said second memory onto said local area network; and

a document, stored within said second memory, having a set of attributes, each one of said set of attributes having a NAME and a VALUE, a value of a first one of said one or more attributes being an executable script, said document being transmitted from said first user system to said second user system via said local area network, and said executable script being interpreted by said interpreter and executed on said first microprocessor when said document is received by said first user system, said executable script containing instructions which create and send an acknowledgement message to said second user system when said document is received by said first user system.

3. An information processing system comprising:

a first user system;

a first memory, within said first user system;

a first microprocessor, within said first user system, and coupled with said first memory;

a script interpreter, within said first user system, and coupled with said first microprocessor;

a first client module, within said first user system, and coupled with said first microprocessor and said first memory;

a local area network, coupled with said first client module;

a second user system;

a second memory within said second user system;

a second client module, within said second user system, and coupled with said local area network and said second memory, for transmitting documents from said second memory onto said local area network;

a document, stored within said second memory, having a set of attributes, each one of said set of attributes having a NAME and a VALUE, a value of a first one of said one or more attributes being an executable script, said document being transmitted from said first user system to said second user system via said local area network, and said executable script being interpreted by said interpreter and executed on said first microprocessor when said document is received by said first user system;

said executable script containing digitized speech information;

a speech recognition engine, coupled with said first memory and said first microprocessor, for converting said digitized speech information into text and displaying said text on a display device; and

said executable script being interpreted by said interpreter and executed on said first microprocessor when said document is received by said first user system, said executable script containing instructions, which when interpreted and executed, instruct said speech recognition engine to convert said digitized speech information into text and to display said text on said display device.

4. An active mail system, comprising:

a Local Area Network;

a first user system including a first microprocessor, a first memory, a speech recognition engine, a digital to analog converter, a loudspeaker, an interpreter process for interpreting an executable script, and a first communications adapter coupled with said Local Area Network;

a second user system including a second microprocessor, a second memory, and a second communications adapter coupled with said Local Area Network;

a document in said second memory, said document having an executable attribute, said executable attribute having a name and a value, said value of said executable attribute equal to executable script capable of being interpreted by said interpreter process in said first user system;

transmitting means, in said second communications adapter, for transmitting said document onto said Local Area Network;

receiving means, in said first communications adapter, for receiving said document from said Local Area Network and copying said document into said first memory; and

said interpreter process interpreting said executable attribute and producing object code responsive to said interpreting of said executable attribute in said document, said interpreter further executing said object code on said first microprocessor, and said execution of said object code causing said first communications adapter to transmit an acknowledgement message onto said Local Area Network.