Methods and apparatus for contingent transfer and execution of spoken language interfaces

• US 7,024,363 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1999
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Frank, David Carl, Comerford, Liam David
• Primary Examiner(s): Azad, Abul K.
• Application Number:
  US09/460,913
• Time in Patent Office: 2,303 Days
• Field of Search: 704/257, 704/270, 704/271, 704/277, 379/88.05, 379/88.06, 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A method for managing spoken language interface data structures and collections of user interface service engines in a spoken language dialog manager in a personal speech assistant. Interfaces, designed as part of applications, may by these methods be added to or removed from the set of such interfaces used by a dialog manager. Interface service engines, required by new applications, but not already present in the dialog manager, may be made available to the new and subsequently added applications.

Claims

1. In apparatus for providing a portable spoken language interface for a user to a device in communication with the apparatus, the device having at least one application associated therewith, the spoken language interface apparatus comprising:

(A) an audio input system for receiving speech data provided by the user;

(B) an audio output system for outputting speech data to the user;

(C) a speech recognition engine for generating an output in response to spoken utterances;

(D) a speech synthesizing engine for generating a synthesized speech output in response to text data;

(E) a dialog manager operatively coupled to the device, the audio input system, the audio output system, the speech recognition engine and the speech synthesizing engine; and

(F) at least one user interface data set operatively coupled to the dialog manager, the user interface data set representing spoken language interface elements and data recognizable by the application of the device;

wherein;

(i) the dialog manager enables connection between the input audio system and the speech recognition engine such that the spoken utterance provided by the user is provided from the input audio system to the speech recognition engine;

(ii) the output generated by the speech recognition engine is returned to the dialog manager;

(iii) the dialog manager uses the output generated by the speech recognition engine to search the user interface data set for a corresponding spoken language interface element and data which is returned to the dialog manager when found;

(iv) the dialog manager provides the spoken language interface element associated data to the application of the device for processing in accordance therewith;

(v) the application of the device, on processing that element, provides a reference to an interface element to be spoken;

(vi) the dialog manager enables connection between the audio output system and the speech synthesizing engine such that the speech synthesizing engine which, accepting data from that element, generates a synthesized output that expresses that element; and

(vii) the audio output system audibly presenting the synthesized output to the user;

a method for modifying a data structure containing the at least one user interface data set, comprising;

adding a new application to the device;

generating a second user interface data set in accordance with the new application, the second user interface data set representing spoken language interface elements and data recognizable by the new application;

transferring the second user interface data set from the device to the apparatus; and

loading the second user interface data set into the data structure of the apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of audibly notifying the user that the new application is useable via the audio output system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of removing a user interface data set from the data structure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user interface data set is removed prior to the loading step in accordance with a least recently used algorithm.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the user interface data set is removed in accordance with a request by an application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the new application comprises a speech aware application, the speech aware application being responsive to user utterances for at least partially interacting with the new application.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

the device prompting the user for information comprising a spoken utterance, the device manager being responsive to the spoken utterance for operatively modifying at least one of a predetermined parameter of the device and an application running on the device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of prompting the user for information includes the steps of:

storing one or more user experience parameters corresponding to a familiarity of the user with a predetermined procedure of the application; and

selecting a prompt from a set of prompts for presentation to the user, the set of prompts including varying amounts of instruction based at least in part on experience parameters, the selected prompt substantially matching the stored experience parameters of the user.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of prompting the user for information includes the steps of:

storing an internal data set including at least one of a date, a time and a number of times which a predetermined procedure of an application is performed; and

selecting a prompt from a set of prompts for presentation to the user, the set of prompts including varying amounts of instruction based at least in part on information included in the internal data set, the selected prompt substantially matching the stored internal data set.