Arrangement for providing international prompts in a unified messaging system

• US 6,950,792 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2000
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nussbaum, Paul Alton
• Primary Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US09/694,896
• Time in Patent Office: 1,798 Days
• Field of Search: 704/8, 704/270, 704/277, 379/88.01, 379/88.05, 379/88.16, 379/88.22
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/221 Parsing markup language streams streaming G06F40/149
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/027 Concept to speech synthesisers; Generation of natural phrases from machine-based concepts generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text G10L13/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements

Abstract

Provided is an arrangement that enables deployment of international prompts in a voice messaging system based on a server configured for dynamically generating a selected concatenated prompt, from stored prompt fragments, in a selected language.

Claims

1. A method in a server of generating a concatenated prompt, the method comprising:

identifying a selected concatenated prompt and a selected language based on reception of a prompt request;

executing a selected executable resource for the selected concatenated prompt;

obtaining, by the selected executable resource, language-independent information for the selected concatenated prompt from a database configured for storing the language-independent information for each of a plurality of concatenated prompts;

accessing language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt based on the obtained language-independent information for the selected concatenated prompt; and

generating the selected concatenated prompt in the selected language based on selective retrieval of stored prompt fragments identified by the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing step includes parsing a first XML document corresponding to the selected concatenated prompt.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the obtaining step includes identifying the language-specific information based on identification of a second XML document name from the first XML document.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the obtaining step further includes identifying a number of prompt fragment fields for specifying the stored prompt fragments for the corresponding selected concatenated prompt, each of the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt having a same number of prompt fragment fields, independent of the corresponding language.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt are stored in second XML documents based on respective languages, each of the second XML documents corresponding to the selected concatenated prompt having a same second XML document name and stored in a corresponding language directory, the accessing step including obtaining the second XML document for the selected language based on the second XML document name in the corresponding language directory.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the accessing step includes parsing the second XML document retrieved from the corresponding selected language directory and identifying relevant prompt fragment fields and nonrelevant prompt fragment fields from the parsed second XML document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the accessing step further includes identifying the stored prompt fragments for generation of the selected concatenated prompt from the parsed second XML document based on the identified relevant prompt fragment fields and determined prompt variables.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining the prompt variables based on at least one of date, time, and number of messages.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the accessing step further includes referencing a third XML document specified in the parsed second XML document that identifies nested prompt fragments utilized for multiple concatenated prompts.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step includes parsing a first XML document configured for identifying the selected concatenated prompt from multiple available prompt based on a user preference specified in the prompt request.

11. A server system configured for dynamically generating a selected concatenated prompt in a selected language from stored prompt fragments, the server system comprising:

a first executable resource configured for identifying a selected one of a plurality of concatenated prompts and a selected one of a plurality of languages, based on reception of a prompt request;

second executable resources configured for accessing language-independent information for the concatenated prompts, respectively, the first executable resource configured for initiating execution of a corresponding selected one of the second executable resources based on identification of the corresponding selected concatenated prompt, the selected second executable resource configured for locating language-specific information for the corresponding selected concatenated prompt based on accessing the corresponding language-independent information; and

a first database for storage of stored prompt fragments, the first executable resource accessing the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt based on location thereof by the corresponding selected second executable resource, the first executable resource generating the selected concatenated prompt in the selected language based on retrieval of a selected group of the stored prompt fragments identified by the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a second database configured for storing the language-independent information for each of the concatenated prompts, the selected second executable resource obtaining the language-independent information for the corresponding selected concatenated prompt from the second database.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second database is configured for storing extensible markup language (XML) documents, each XML document configured for storing at least a portion of the language-independent information for a corresponding one of the concatenated prompts.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first database is further configured for storage of the language-specific information for the stored prompt fragments, the first database having multiple language portions for storage of the language-specific information and the stored prompt fragments according to the respective languages.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each language portion is configured for storing the corresponding language-specific information as XML documents.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein each language portion is further configured for storing whole sentence prompts.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein each stored prompt fragment is stored as at least one of a text file representing a text-based prompt portion, and an audio file representing an audible prompt fragment.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein each language portion corresponds to a directory, the corresponding language-specific information and the stored prompt fragments in the corresponding language being stored and respective subdirectories.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the XML documents specifies a nested prompt fragment for use in multiple concatenated prompts.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein each XML document specifies the stored prompt fragments for selection in generating the selected concatenated prompt, pointers to audio files corresponding to the stored prompt fragments, and display text to be presented during generation of the selected concatenated prompt.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the XML documents for the selected concatenated prompt among the respective languages each has a same filename within the corresponding language directory, and includes a same number of prompt fragment fields for specifying the stored prompt fragments in the corresponding language.

22. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions for generating a concatenated prompt, the sequences of instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

identifying a selected concatenated prompt and a selected language based on reception of a prompt request;

executing a selected executable resource for the selected concatenated prompt;

obtaining, by the selected executable resource, language-independent information for the selected concatenated prompt from a database configured for storing the language-independent information for each of a plurality of concatenated prompts;

accessing language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt based on the obtained language-independent information for the selected concatenated prompt; and

generating the selected concatenated prompt in the selected language based on selective retrieval of stored prompt fragments identified by the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt.

23. The medium of claim 22, wherein the executing step includes parsing a first XML document corresponding to the selected concatenated prompt.

24. The medium of claim 23, wherein the obtaining step includes identifying the language-specific information based on identification of a second XML document name from the first XML document.

25. The medium of claim 24, wherein the obtaining step further includes identifying a number of prompt fragment fields for specifying the stored prompt fragments for the corresponding selected concatenated prompt, each of the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt having a same number of prompt fragment fields, independent of the corresponding language.

26. The medium of claim 24, wherein the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt are stored in second XML documents based on respective languages, each of the second XML documents corresponding to the selected concatenated prompt having a same second XML document name and stored in a corresponding language directory, the accessing step including obtaining the second XML document for the selected language based on the second XML document name in the corresponding language directory.

27. The medium of claim 26, wherein the accessing step includes parsing the second XML document retrieved from the corresponding selected language directory and identifying relevant prompt fragment fields and nonrelevant prompt fragment fields from the parsed second XML document.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein the accessing step further includes identifying the stored prompt fragments for generation of the selected concatenated prompt from the parsed second XML document based on the identified relevant prompt fragment fields and determined prompt variables.

29. The medium of claim 26, further comprising instructions for performing the step of determining the prompt variables based on at least one of date, time, and number of messages.

30. The medium of claim 28, wherein the accessing step further includes referencing a third XML document specified in the parsed second XML document that identifies nested prompt fragments utilized for multiple concatenated prompts.

31. The medium of claim 22, wherein the identifying step includes parsing a first XML document configured for identifying the selected concatenated prompt from multiple available prompt based on a user preference specified in the prompt request.

32. A server system configured for generating a concatenated prompt, the system comprising:

means for identifying a selected concatenated prompt and a selected language based on reception of a prompt request;

means for executing a selected executable resource for the selected concatenated prompt;

means for obtaining, by the selected executable resource, language-independent information for the selected concatenated prompt from a database configured for storing the language-independent information for each of a plurality of concatenated prompts;

means for accessing language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt based on the obtained language-independent information for the selected concatenated prompt; and

means for generating the selected concatenated prompt in the selected language based on selective retrieval of stored prompt fragments identified by the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the executing means includes means for parsing a first XML document corresponding to the selected concatenated prompt.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the obtaining means identifies the language-specific information based on identification of a second XML document name from the first XML document.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the obtaining means identifies a number of prompt fragment fields for specifying the stored prompt fragments for the corresponding selected concatenated prompt, each of the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt having a same number of prompt fragment fields, independent of the corresponding language.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the language-specific information for the selected concatenated prompt are stored in second XML documents based on respective languages, each of the second XML documents corresponding to the selected concatenated prompt having a same second XML document name and stored in a corresponding language directory, the accessing means obtaining the second XML document for the selected language based on the second XML document name in the corresponding language directory.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the accessing means parses the second XML document retrieved from the corresponding selected language directory and identifies relevant prompt fragment fields and nonrelevant prompt fragment fields from the parsed second XML document.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the accessing means identifies the stored prompt fragments for generation of the selected concatenated prompt from the parsed second XML document based on the identified relevant prompt fragment fields and determined prompt variables.

39. The system of claim 37, further comprising means for determining the prompt variables based on at least one of date, time, and number of messages.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the accessing means references a third XML document specified in the parsed second XML document that identifies nested prompt fragments utilized for multiple concatenated prompts.

41. The system of claim 32, wherein the identifying means parses a first XML document configured for identifying the selected concatenated prompt from multiple available prompt based on a user preference specified in the prompt request.