Systems and methods for providing users with information in audible form

• US 7,136,804 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2002
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lavallee, Lionel, Petersen, Peter, Pavlik, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAINT CYR, LEONARD
• Application Number:
  US10/283,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2, 704/4, 704/270.1, 704/275
• US Class Current: 704/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

Methods for providing users with information in audible form are provided. One such method comprises determining content sources from which information is to be retrieved for responding to a request from a user, retrieving grammar fragments corresponding to the content sources determined, providing a menu format including information for providing the grammar fragments to the user in audible form, and aggregating the grammar fragments retrieved such that the grammar fragments can be provided to the user in audible form in conformance with the menu format. Systems and computer-readable media are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user with information in audible form, said method comprising:

determining content sources from which information is to be retrieved for responding to the request;

retrieving grammar fragments corresponding to the content sources determined;

providing a menu format including information for providing the grammar fragments to the user in audible form; and

aggregating the grammar fragments retrieved such that the grammar fragments can be provided to the user in audible form in conformance with the menu format,

wherein retrieving grammar fragments comprises;

determining states exhibited by the content sources; and

retrieving grammar fragments based, at least in part, upon the states exhibited.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving grammar fragments comprises:

retrieving grammar fragments from only those content sources which exhibit minimized states.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

enabling the states of the content sources to exhibit minimized states such that grammar fragments can be retrieved from the content sources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining content sources comprises:

enabling the user to designate at least some of the content sources from which information is to be retrieved.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu format corresponds to an XSLT style sheet;

and

further comprising;

performing an XSL transformation with respect to the grammar fragments using the XSLT style sheet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving grammar fragments comprises:

compiling the grammar fragments as entries in a VoiceXML text document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining content sources from which information is to be retrieved comprises:

accessing user data corresponding to user preferences; and

identifying content sources associated with the user data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein user preferences correspond to content sources and respective content source states corresponding to a previous request for information from the user;

and

further comprising;

enabling information corresponding to the content source that was maximized to be provided to the user if the user data indicates that the content source was maximized in association with such previous request.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, if the user data indicates that the content source was maximized, the information corresponding to the content source is enabled to be provided to the user without the accessing and aggregating steps being performed.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the menu format to form a modified menu format such that a menu containing information corresponding to the grammar fragments, and complying with the modified menu format, is enabled to be provided to the user in audible form.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information corresponding to a request for information from a user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving grammar fragments comprises:

retrieving grammar fragments from only those content sources that exhibit maximized states.

13. A system for providing a user with information in audible form, said system comprising:

means for determining content sources from which information is to be retrieved for responding to a request from a user;

means for retrieving grammar fragments corresponding to the content sources determined;

means for providing a menu format including information for providing the grammar fragments to the user in audible form; and

means for aggregating the grammar fragments retrieved such that the grammar fragments can be provided to the user in audible form in conformance with the menu format;

wherein said means for retrieving grammar fragments is operative to retrieve grammar fragments from content sources based, at least in part, upon exhibit states of the content sources.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for receiving the information corresponding to the request for information from the user.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for retrieving grammar fragments is operative to retrieve grammar fragments from only those content sources which exhibit minimized states.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for enabling the states of the content sources to exhibit minimized states such that grammar fragments can be retrieved from the content sources.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the menu format corresponds to an XSLT style sheet;

and

further comprising;

means for performing an XSL transformation with respect to the grammar fragments using the XSLT style sheet.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein said means for retrieving grammar fragments is operative to retrieve grammar fragments from only those content sources that exhibit maximized states.

19. A system for providing a user with information in audible form, said system comprising:

a menu format including information for providing grammar fragments to a user in audible form; and

a voice menu system configured to communicate with a communication network, said voice menu system being operative to determine content sources from which information is to be retrieved for responding to a request from a user, determining states exhibited by the content sources, retrieve grammar fragments corresponding to the content sources based, at least in part, upon the states exhibited, and aggregate the grammar fragments retrieved such that the grammar fragments can be provided to the user in audible form in conformance with the menu format.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a memory storage device communicatively coupled to the voice menu system, the menu format being stored by the memory storage device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the menu format corresponds to an XSLT style sheet;

and

wherein said voice menu system is operative to perform an XSL transformation with respect to the grammar fragments using the XSLT style sheet.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said voice menu system is operative to compile information corresponding to the grammar fragments as entries in a VoiceXML text document.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein said voice menu system is constructed with an open architecture such that the menu format can be modified to form a modified menu format, the modified menu format enabling a menu containing information corresponding to the grammar fragments and complying with the modified menu format to be provided to the user in audible form.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the voice menu system is further operative to retrieve grammar fragments from only those content sources that exhibit minimized states.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the voice menu system is further operative to retrieve grammar fragments from only those content sources that exhibit maximized states.

26. A computer-readable medium having a computer program for providing a user with information in audible form, said computer program comprising:

logic configured to determine content sources from which information is to be retrieved for responding to a request from a user;

logic configured to retrieve grammar fragments corresponding to the content sources based, at least in part, on states exhibited by the content sources;

logic configured to provide a menu format including information for providing the grammar fragments to the user in audible form; and

logic configured to aggregate the grammar fragments retrieved such that the grammar fragments can be provided to the user in audible form in conformance with the menu format.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising:

logic configured to enable the states of the content sources to exhibit minimized states such that grammar fragments can be retrieved from the content sources.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein said logic configured to determine content sources is operative to enable the user to designate at least some of the content sources from which information is to be retrieved.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the menu format corresponds to an XSLT style sheet;

and

further comprising;

logic configured to perform an XSL transformation with respect to the grammar fragments using the XSLT style sheet.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein said logic configured to retrieve grammar fragments is operative to compile the grammar fragments as entries in a VoiceXML text document.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein said logic configured to determine content sources from which information is to be retrieved comprises:

logic configured to access user data corresponding to user preferences; and

logic configured to identify content sources associated with the user data.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein user preferences correspond to content sources and respective content source states associated with a previous request for information from the user;

and

further comprising;

logic configured to enable information corresponding to a content source that was maximized to be provided to the user if the user data indicates that the content source was maximized in association with such previous request.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising:

logic configured to modify the menu format to form a modified menu format such that a menu containing information corresponding to the grammar fragments, and complying with the modified menu format, is enabled to be provided to the user in audible form.