Speech input disambiguation computing system

• US 7,433,823 B1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Eastern Investments LLC
• Inventors: Grant, Richard, McGregor, Pedro
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay B
• Application Number:
  US11/749,359
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 704270-275, 704/257, 704/260, 704/231, 704/277, 704/251
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

According to the present invention, a method for integrating processes with a multi-faceted human centered interface is provided. The interface is facilitated to implement a hands free, voice driven environment to control processes and applications. A natural language model is used to parse voice initiated commands and data, and to route those voice initiated inputs to the required applications or processes. The use of an intelligent context based parser allows the system to intelligently determine what processes are required to complete a task which is initiated using natural language. A single window environment provides an interface which is comfortable to the user by preventing the occurrence of distracting windows from appearing. The single window has a plurality of facets which allow distinct viewing areas. Each facet has an independent process routing its outputs thereto. As other processes are activated, each facet can reshape itself to bring a new process into one of the viewing areas. All activated processes are executed simultaneously to provide true multitasking.

Claims

1. A speech-input enabled computing system adapted to receive both spoken commands and spoken data, comprising:

a set of executable software constructs adapted to execute within a processor having a memory, comprising an operating system having a graphic user interface, supporting user interaction with a plurality of concurrently active software constructs comprising at least one application which executes under the operating system, said computing system processing commands in dependence on at least a user speech input;

a representation of a set of command grammars, at least a portion of which are concurrently available;

a speech analyzer adapted to analyze the speech input to determine if a command corresponding to a represented command grammar is present in the speech input, and

(i) if the speech input corresponds to a representation of a command and satisfies conditions for processing thereof, commencing processing of the command by the operating system or a respective application to which the command relates;

(ii) if the speech input corresponds to a representation of a command, wherein said input does not unambiguously satisfy conditions for processing the command, generating a set of information adapted to generate a prompt for the user indicating further input needed to satisfy unambiguous conditions for processing;

or

(iii) if the speech input does not correspond to a represented command, notifying the user or treating the speech input as user-supplied data as input to a software construct.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein if the user speech input corresponds to a represented command grammar and which does not satisfy the conditions for execution thereof, the speech analyzer is adapted to sequentially process the user speech input for further elements of a represented command grammar.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface is adapted to display windows associated with a plurality of software constructs concurrently, at least one of which being adapted to receive at least one command from a user speech input.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the graphic user interface comprises a plurality of facets comprising non-overlapping windows, wherein a plurality of active software constructs are each associated with a respective facet, and wherein the facets are adapted to be manipulated based on at least a user speech input.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one unitary command requires a functional execution sequence by a plurality of software constructs.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the system is adapted to control a sequence of corresponding command execution of the plurality of software constructs, in dependence at least on the output of the speech analyzer.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one command requires a plurality of software constructs to execute concurrently for completion of processing.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of concurrently executing software constructs are adapted to exchange data therebetween in dependence on at least a user speech input.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to contextually process the user speech input.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the context of the user speech input is determined based on at least one of:

a preceding and subsequent user speech input or absence thereof;

a time in relation to at least one of the preceding and subsequent user speech input;

a time elapsed between successive sequences of user speech input;

a beginning of a user speech input; and

a user speech input preceding and following a represented command; and

wherein the user speech input is processed as a command or an input in dependence on the determination.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a command grammar or data defining at least a set of commands potentially available for processing used to build a command grammar, is persistently stored, and the representation of corresponding commands currently available for processing is derived therefrom.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the stored representation of at least one command grammar is defined dynamically.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the stored representation of at least one command grammar is flagged as available based on represented commands then currently available.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to modify at least one command grammar and the corresponding set of a stored representations of commands currently available for processing in dependence on a manipulation of a graphical user interface.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein a command grammar for a set of available commands is registered in the stored representation.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the speech analyzer is adapted to respond to a command activation statement.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is adapted to respond to natural language input.

18. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a text to speech processor.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the graphic user interface is part of a multi-tasking operating system, and wherein the speech analyzer is an application or process executing under the multi-tasking operating system.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of software constructs comprise a plurality of concurrently active applications comprising at least one process.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein the speech analyzer is adapted to process the user speech input in dependence on said representation, to determine if a speech input corresponds to a command available for processing.