Systems and methods for managing interactions from multiple speech-enabled applications

• US 7,139,713 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2002
• Issued: 11/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yip, Clement Chun Pong, Falcon, Stephen Russell, Miller, David Michael, Banay, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): ARMSTRONG, ANGELA A
• Application Number:
  US10/067,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20030171928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275, 704/270.1
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for speech systems that utilize an interaction manager to manage interactions—also known as dialogues—from one or more applications. The interactions are managed properly even if multiple applications use different grammars. The interaction manager maintains an interaction list. An application wishing to utilize the speech system submits one or more interactions to the interaction manager. Interactions are normally processed in the order in which they are received. An exception to this rule is an interaction that is configured by an application to be processed immediately, which causes the interaction manager to place the interaction at the front of the interaction list of interactions. If an application has designated an interaction to interrupt a currently processing interaction, then the newly submitted application will interrupt any interaction currently being processed and, therefore, it will be processed immediately.

Claims

1. A speech system, comprising:

a speech server;

an interaction object that is callable by one or more speech-enabled applications to enable a speech-enabled application to submit an interaction to the speech sewer;

an interaction manager configured to prioritize interactions submitted to the speech sewer by ordering the interactions in an interaction list, the interaction list having a front and an end, wherein an interaction at the front of the interaction list is processed before other interactions in the interaction list are processed;

wherein the interaction manager places an interaction received from a speech-enabled application at the end of the interaction list unless the interaction manager detects an indication to place the interaction received from the speech-enabled application at the front of the interaction list ahead of other interactions in the interaction list;

wherein the interaction manager places the interaction received from the speech-enabled application at the front of the list if the interaction manager detects an indication to do so in the interaction received from the speech-enabled application;

wherein the interaction manager interrupts an interaction currently processing when an interaction received by the speech-enabled application is added to the interaction list and the application specifies that the newly added interaction is to interrupt the interaction currently being processed; and

wherein after the interrupting interaction is processed, the interrupted interaction may resume processing where the interrupted interaction left off, start over, or not resume processing if a self-destruct flag is set in the interrupted interaction.

2. A speech system, comprising:

a speech sewer;

an interaction object that is callable by one or more speech-enabled applications to enable a speech-enabled application to submit an interaction to the speech sewer;

an interaction manager configured to prioritize interactions submitted to the speech server by ordering the interactions in an interaction list, the interaction list having a front and an end, wherein an interaction at the front of the interaction list is processed before other interactions in the interaction list are processed;

wherein the interaction manager places an interaction received from a speech-enabled application at the end of the interaction list unless the interaction manager detects an indication to ptace the interaction received from the speech-enabled application at the front of the interaction list ahead of other interactions in the interaction list;

wherein the interaction manager provides a grace period after processing a first interaction before beginning to process a second interaction; and

wherein the interaction manager is further configured to place a chained interaction at the front of the interaction list if the chained interaction is received during a grace period after processing the first interaction and if the chained interaction is submiffed by the same speech-enabled application that submiued the first interaction, even if the chained interaction does not indicate that it is to be placed at the front of the list and the chained interaction is submitted after the second interaction is submitted.