System and method for determining number of voice processing engines capable of support on a data processing system

• US 6,678,354 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2000
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Blue, Reginald V.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/736,606
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1.02, 379/9.04, 379/10.01, 379/10.03, 379/22.02, 379/27.04, 379/29.01, 379/29.02, 379/15.01, 704/260, 704/270, 704/275, 704/277, 702/108, 702/117, 702/118, 702/120, 702/125, 702/126
• US Class Current: 379/10.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis speech synthesis per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00

Abstract

A test application allows configuration of test parameters and launches a voice processing engine and a timing object. The voice processing engine outputs data to the timing object. The timing object receives data, regularly removes data, and tracks the amount of data remaining in the timing object. The timing object reports an underflow if there is no data in the timing object and the voice processing engine has not signaled end of processing.

Claims

1. A system for determining the capacity of a data processing system to run voice processing engines comprising:

a test application adapted to launch on the data processing system at least one voice processing engine; and

a timing object, into which said at least one voice processing engine outputs data, said timing object being further adapted to simulate removal of a predetermined amount of data from said timing object at regular intervals and to report to the test application a detected underflow if one of either an amount of data remaining in the timing object or a parameter representative of an amount of data remaining in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the test application successively launches additional voice processing engines until an underflow caused by any one of the voice processing engines is detected, whereby the capacity of the data processing system to run multiple voice processing engines is determined.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said timing object includes a test buffer for determining the amount of data in the timing object.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said timing object includes a counter for determining the amount of data in the timing object.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one voice processing engine is a text to speech engine.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one voice processing engine is an automated speech recognition engine.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one voice processing engine is a natural language understanding engine.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said test application is further adapted to configure test parameters.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said test parameters comprises an audio buffer size parameter.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said test parameters comprises a freespace notification parameter.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said test parameters comprises a bookmark semantic parameter.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein said test parameters comprises a wave format parameter.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said test application is adapted to create a log file for reporting test results.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said timing object is adapted to regularly report results to said test application.

15. A method of determining the capacity of a data processing system to run voice processing engines comprising:

receiving one of either data and a parameter representing an amount of data into a timing object;

simulating removal of data from the timing object at regular intervals; and

detecting an underflow condition by determining if one of an amount of data remaining in the timing object and a parameter representing an amount of data remaining in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising configuring a test application with test parameters.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising launching a voice processing engine from the test application.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising launching a timing object from the test application.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising reporting a underflow condition.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein detecting an underflow condition comprises determining if an amount of data in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount of data to be removed and the voice processing engine has not signaled end of processing.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein detecting an underflow condition comprises determining if an amount of data in a test buffer in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount of data to be removed and the voice processing engine has not signaled end of processing.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein detecting an underflow condition comprises determining if an amount of data in a counter in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount of data to be removed and the voice processing engine has not signaled end of processing.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein configuring a test application with test parameters comprises configure a test application with an audio buffer size parameter.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein configuring a test application with test parameters comprises configure a test application with a freespace notification parameter.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein configuring a test application with test parameters comprises configure a test application with a bookmark semantic parameter.

26. The method of claim 16 wherein configuring a test application with test parameters comprises configure a test application with a wave format parameter.

27. The method of claim 17 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises launching multiple voice processing engines from the test application.

28. The method of claim 17 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises consecutively launching multiple voice processing engines from the test application at regular intervals.

29. The method of claim 17 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises launching a text to speech engine from the test application.

30. The method of claim 17 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises launching a automated speech recognition engine from the test application.

31. The method of claim 17 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises launching a natural language understanding engine from the test application.

32. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components for determining the capacity of a data processing system to run multiple voice mail processing engines comprising:

a test application for launching at least one voice processing engine; and

a timing object for determining an underflow condition by determining if one of an amount of data remaining in the timing object and a parameter representing an amount of data remaining in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount.

33. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 32 wherein said test application successively launches additional voice processing engines until an underflow caused by any one of the voice processing engines is detected, whereby the capacity of the data processing system to run multiple voice processing engines is determined.

34. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 32 wherein said timing object includes a test buffer for determining the amount of data in the timing object.

35. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 32 wherein said timing object includes a counter for determining the amount of data in the timing object.

36. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 32 wherein said at least one voice processing engine is a text to speech engine.

37. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 32 wherein said at least one voice processing engine is an automated speech recognition engine.

38. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 32 wherein said at least one voice processing engine is a natural language understanding engine.

39. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 32 wherein said test application is further adapted to configure test parameters.

40. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 39 wherein said test parameters comprises an audio buffer size parameter.

41. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 39 wherein said test parameters comprises a freespace notification parameter.

42. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 39 wherein said test parameters comprises a bookmark semantic parameter.

43. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 39 wherein said test parameters comprises a wave format parameter.

44. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 32 wherein said test application creates a log file for reporting test results.

45. The computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules/components of claim 44 wherein said timing object is adapted to regularly report results to said test application.

46. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for determining the capacity of a data processing system to run voice processing engines, the instructions, when executed on the data processing system, causing the data processing system to perform the following:

receiving one of either data and a parameter representing an amount of data into a timing object;

simulating removal of a predetermined amount of data from the timing object at regular intervals; and

detecting an underflow condition if one of an amount of data remaining in the timing object and a parameter representing an amount of data remaining in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount.

47. The computer-readable medium of claim 46 further comprising configuring a test application with test parameters.

48. The computer-readable medium of claim 46 further comprising launching a voice processing engine from the test application.

49. The computer-readable medium of claim 46 further comprising launching a timing object from the test application.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 46 further comprising reporting an underflow condition.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 46 wherein detecting an underflow condition comprises determining if an amount of data in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount of data to be removed and the voice processing engine has not signaled end of processing.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 46 wherein detecting an underflow condition comprises determining if an amount of data in a test buffer in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount of data to be removed and the voice processing engine has not signaled end of processing.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 46 wherein detecting an underflow condition comprises determining if an amount of data in a counter in the timing object is less than a predetermined amount of data to be removed and the voice processing engine has not signaled end of processing.

54. The computer-readable medium of claim 47 wherein configuring a test application with test parameters comprises configure a test application with an audio buffer size parameter.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 47 wherein configuring a test application with test parameters comprises configure a test application with a freespace notification parameter.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 47 wherein configuring a test application with test parameters comprises configure a test application with a bookmark semantic parameter.

57. The computer-readable medium of claim 47 wherein configuring a test application with test parameters comprises configure a test application with a wave format parameter.

58. The computer-readable medium of claim 48 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises launching multiple voice processing engines from the test application.

59. The computer-readable medium of claim 48 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises consecutively launching multiple voice processing engines from the test application at regular intervals.

60. The computer-readable medium of claim 48 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises launching a text to speech engine from the test application.

61. The computer-readable medium of claim 48 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises launching an automated speech recognition engine from the test application.

62. The computer-readable medium of claim 48 wherein launching a voice processing engine from the test application comprises launching a natural language understanding engine from the test application.