Method and system for dynamic conditional interaction in a VoiceXML run-time simulation environment

• US 7,424,433 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muschett, Brien H., Da Palma, William V., Gavagni, Brett J., Hartley, Matthew W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan; Vijay B
• Application Number:
  US10/734,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• Field of Search: 704270-275, 709/206, 709/237, 709/227, 379/88.01, 379/351, 379/88.11, 379/93.24, 379/282
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

A method and system for testing voice applications, such as VoiceXML applications, is provided. The system provides a run-time simulation environment for voice applications that simulates and automates user interaction. A user simulation script is provided in a customized mark-up language. The voice application is processed to derive a nominal output of the voice application. The user simulation script is processed to generate a simulated output for the voice application corresponding to the nominal output. Conditional logic may be applied to the nominal output to generate a simulated input in response thereto. The user simulation script is specified in a customized mark-up language having a set of one or more conditional tags and an internal variable for the nominal output of the voice application.

Claims

1. A method for simulating a dynamic run-time user interaction with a voice application, said method comprising the steps of:

loading a user simulation script programmed to specify simulated voice interactions with the voice application;

deriving from the voice application a nominal output;

generating a simulated output for the voice application corresponding to the nominal output;

generating a first simulated input for the voice application corresponding to a first pre-determined user input to the voice application, if the nominal output satisfies a first condition; and

generating a second simulated input for the voice application corresponding to a second pre-determined user input to the voice application, if the nominal output satisfies a second condition different from the first condition.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the user simulation script is specified in a customized mark-up language, the customized mark-up language having a set of one or more conditional tags.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the customized mark-up language includes an internal variable for nominal output of the voice application.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

setting the internal variable to equal the nominal output of the voice application;

resolving a first conditional statement using a first conditional tag to generate the first simulated input if the internal variable equals a first nominal output of the voice application; and

resolving a second conditional statement using a second conditional tag to generate the second simulated input if the internal variable equals a second nominal output of the voice application.