Managing voice commands in speech applications

• US 6,182,046 B1
• Filed: 03/26/1998
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ballard, Barbara E., Lewis, James R., Ortega, Kerry A., Boyer, Linda M., Keller, Arthur, Kist, Thomas A., VanBuskirk, Ronald
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Application Number:
  US09/048,714
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/270, 704/272, 704/200
• US Class Current: 704/275
• 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

A method for managing a What Can I Say (WCIS) function in an application having a plurality of commands which can be voice activated comprises the steps of: storing a set of substantially all voice activatable commands associated with the application; identifying those of the commands in the set which are displayable by the application; and, in response to a user input, displaying in a graphical user interface (GUI) a subset of the voice activatable commands which are not displayable by the application. Moreover, the method includes displaying in the GUI, in response to a user input, a list of the stored set of substantially all voice activatable commands associated with the application; displaying in the GUI a pull down menu identifying different categories by which the commands can be viewed in the list; and, displaying the GUI with a pull down menu identifying commands that can be performed against a voice command.

Claims

1. A method for managing a What Can I Say (WCIS) function in a first application having a plurality of commands each of which can be voice activated by a command word, comprising the steps of:

storing a set of substantially all voice activatable commands associated with said first application;

identifying those of said commands in said set which are displayable by said first application; and

,

in response to a user input, displaying in a graphical user interface of a second application a subset of said command words not displayable by said first application.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of continuously tracking those of said commands in said set which are displayable by said first application.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of identifying those of said commands in said set which are displayable by said first application in response to said user input, prior to said displaying step.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of arranging said subset of said commands by category.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying in said GUI a list of said stored set of substantially all voice activatable commands associated with said first application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing said GUI with a pull down menu identifying different categories by which said commands can be viewed in said GUI.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing said GUI with a pull down menu identifying commands that can be performed against a voice command.

8. A method for managing a What Can I Say (WCIS) function in a first application having a plurality of commands each of which can be voice activated by a command word, comprising the steps of:

storing a set of substantially all voice activatable commands associated with said first application;

identifying those of said commands in said set which are displayable by said first application;

in response to a first user input, displaying in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a second application a subset of said command words not displayable by said first application;

displaying in said GUI, in response to a second user input, a list of said stored set of substantially all voice activatable commands associated with said first application;

displaying in said GUI a first pull down menu identifying different categories by which said commands can be viewed in said list; and

,

displaying said GUI with a second pull down menu identifying commands that can be performed against a voice command.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising the step of continuously tracking those of said commands in said set which are displayable by said first application.

10. The method of claim 8, comprising the step of identifying those of said commands in said set which are displayable by said first application in response to said user input, prior to said displaying step.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of arranging said subset of said commands by category.