Method and system for voice control enabling device in a service discovery network

• US 6,654,720 B1
• Filed: 05/09/2000
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Steven Michael, Graham, Stephen Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US09/567,489
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275, 704/270.1, 709/250, 709/310, 709/210
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/193 Formal grammars, e.g. finite state automata, context free grammars or word networks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

Devices are registered within a zone using a service discovery protocol. At the time of registration, a device sends a grammar and a set of help sequences to a control unit in the zone to be merged into a composite grammar and composite set of help sequences. If the voice command iddued by a user is recognized, an appropriate method invocation is sent to the device to perform the desired operation. If the device in the voice command is recognized but the operation is not recognized, then the user is provided with a help sequence on how to properly perform operations with the device. If the device is not recognized, the command is forwarded to another zone within a set of zones until either the device is found or no such device is located.

Claims

1. Method in a distributed data processing system for controlling, through voice commands, a device located in one zone of a plurality of zones, the method comprising the steps of:

registering the device with the distributed data processing system at a time the device is linked to the distributed data processing system;

receiving a set of grammar sequences and a corresponding set of device commands from the device at a time of registration;

receiving a voice command for the device in the distributed data processing system;

converting the voice command into a grammar sequence; and

if the grammar sequence matches a grammar sequence in the set of grammar sequences, issuing a corresponding device command to the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of grammar sequences and the corresponding set of device commands are received from the device via a wired connection by one of a power line based systems, a universal serial bus, a firewire, and a proprietary wiring system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding device command is sent to the device via a wired connection by one of a power line based system, a universal serial bus, a firewire, and a proprietary wiring system.

4. The method or claim 1, wherein the set of grammar sequences and the corresponding set of device commands are received from the device via a wireless connection by one of an infrared data transfer, a 900 MHz cordless phone transfer, a 2.4 GHz cordless phone transfer, and a proprietary wireless system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding device command is sent to the device via a wireless connection by one of an infrared data transfer, a 900 MHz cordless phone transfer, a 2.4 GHz cordless phone transfer, and a proprietary wireless system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is registered via a service discovery protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the grammar sequences and the corresponding device commands received from the device are merged into a composite set of grammar sequences and corresponding device commands based on grammar sequence and corresponding device commands received from a plurality of device in the zone.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein when a link between the device and the distributed data processing system is no longer established, the grammar sequences and the corresponding device commands uniquely associated with the device are removed from the composite set of grammar sequences and corresponding device commands.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed data processing system includes voice recognition hardware and software for a zone in the plurality of zones and wherein the voice recognition hardware and software is shared by a plurality of devices in the zone.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed data processing system includes voice generation hardware and software for a zone in the plurality of zones and wherein the voice generation hardware and software is shared by a plurality of devices in the zone.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting a voice command into a grammar sequence includes determining if a device name in a grammar sequence is recognized and, if the device name is not recognized, the grammar sequence is forwarded to a second zone from the plurality of zones.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein converting a voice command into a grammar sequence includes determining in a device name in a grammar sequence is recognized and, if the device name is recognized but the grammar sequence is incomplete, help messages are output to provide the alternative choices available to complete the voice command.

13. A distributed data processing system for controlling, through voice commands, a device located in one zone of a plurality of zones, the distributed data processing system comprising:

registering means for registering the device with the distributed data processing system at a time the device is linked to the distributed data processing system;

receiving means for receiving a set of grammar sequences and a corresponding set of device commands from the device at a lime of registration;

detecting means for detecting a voice command for the device in the distributed data processing system;

converting means for converting the voice command into a grammar sequence; and

if the grammar sequence matches a grammar sequence in the set of grammar sequences, a issuing means for issuing a corresponding device command to the device.

14. The distributed data processing system of claim 13, wherein the set of grammar sequences and the corresponding set of device commands are received from the device via a wired connection by one of a power line based system, a universal serial bus, a firewire, and a proprietary wiring system.

15. The distributed data processing system of claim 13, wherein the corresponding device command is sent to the device via a wired connection by one of a power line based system, a universal serial bus, and firewire, and a proprietary wiring system.

16. The distributed data processing system of claim 13, wherein the set of grammar sequences and the corresponding set of device commands are received from the device via a wireless connection by one of an infrared data transfer, a 900 MHz cordless phone transfer, a 2.4 GHz cordless phone transfer, and a proprietary wireless system.

17. The distributed data processing system of claim 13, wherein the corresponding device command is sent to the device via a wireless connection by one of an infrared data transfer, a 900 MHz cordless phone transfer, a 2.4 GHz cordless phone transfer, and a proprietary wireless system.

18. The distribute data processing system of claim 13, wherein the registering means is a service discovery protocol.

19. The distributed data processing system of claim 13, wherein the grammar sequences and the corresponding device commands received from the device are merged into a composite set of grammar sequences and corresponding device commands based on grammar sequences and corresponding device commands received from a plurality of devices in the zone.

20. The distributed data processing system of claim 19, wherein when a link between the device and the distributed data processing system is no longer established, the grammar sequences and the corresponding device commands uniquely associated with the device are removed from the composite set of grammar sequences and corresponding device commands.

21. The distributed data processing system of claim 13, wherein voice recognition hardware and software for a zone in the plurality of zones are shared by a plurality of devices in the zone.

22. The distributed data processing system of claim 13, wherein voice generation hardware and software for in zone in the plurality of zones are shared by a plurality or devices in the zone.

23. The distributed data processing system of claim 13, wherein the converting means for converting a voice command into a grammar sequence includes determining, if a device name in a grammar sequence is recognized and, if the device name is not recognized, the grammar sequence is forwarded to a second zone from the plurality of zones.

24. The distributed data processing system of claim 13, wherein the converting means for converting a voice command into a grammar sequence includes determining if a device name in a grammar sequence is recognized and, if the device name is recognized but the grammar sequence is incomplete, help messages are output to provide the alternative choices available to complete the voice command.

25. A computer program product on a computer-realable medium for controlling, through voice commands, a device located in one zone of a plurality of zones, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for registering the device will the distributed data processing system at a time the device is linked to tile distributed data processing system;

instructions for receiving a set of grammar sequences and a corresponding set of device commands from the device at a time of registration;

instructions for detecting an voice command for the device in the distributed data processing system;

instructions for converting the voice command into a grammar sequence; and

if the grammar sequence matches a grammar sequence in the set of grammar sequences, instruction for issuing a corresponding device command to the device.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the set of grammar sequences and the corresponding set of device commands are received from the device via a wired connection by one of a power line based system, a universal serial bus, a firewire, and a proprietary wiring system.

27. The computer programing product of claim 25, wherein the corresponding device command is sent to the device via a wired connection by one of a power line based system, a universal serial bus, a firewire, until a proprietary wiring system.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the set of grammar sequences and the corresponding set of device commands are received from the device via a wireless connection by one of an infrared data transfer, a 900 MHz cordless phone transfer, a 2.4 GHz cordless phone transfer, and a proprietary wireless system.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the corresponding device command is sent to the device via a wireless connection by one of an infrared data transfer, a 900 MHz cordless phone transfer, a 2.4 GHz cordless phone transfer, and a proprietary wireless system.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the instructions for registering the device are a service discovery protocol.

31. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein instructions merger the grammar sequences and the corresponding device commands received from the device into a composite set of grammar sequence and corresponding device command based on grammar sequences and corresponding device commands received from a plurality of devices in the zone.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein when a link between the device and the distributed date processing system is no longer established, instructions remove the grammar sequences and the corresponding device commands uniquely associated with the device from the composite set of grammar sequences and corresponding device commands.

33. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein instructions for voice recognition for a zone in the plurality of zones are shared by a plurality of devices in the zone.

34. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein instructions for voice generation for a zone in the plurality of zones are shared by a plurality of devices in the zone.

35. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein instructions for converting a voice command into a grammar sequence includes determining if a device name in a grammar sequence is recognized and, if the device name is not recognize, the grammar sequence is forwarded to a second zone from the plurality of zones.

36. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein instructions for converting a voice command into a grammar sequence includes determining if a device name in a grammar sequence is recognized and, if the device name is recognized but the grammar sequence is incomplete, help messages are output to provide the alternative choices available to complete the voice command.