Apparatus and methods for providing an audibly controlled user interface for audio-based communication devices

• US 7,555,536 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2007
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Martin, Steven J., Danner, Ryan A., Dodrill, Lewis D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Thanh Tammy
• Application Number:
  US11/873,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20080034035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230, 709/218, 707/512, 707/530, 707/531, 379/88.22, 379/67, 379/88
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

The invention is directed to techniques for providing an audibly controlled interface for a user of a limited audio-based communication device, for example, a telephony device such as a desktop telephone or a cellular telephone. The communication device has an interface connection with a proxy browser. The user initially accesses the device, such as by picking up the handset, and the proxy browser provides a communication path over a network to a call services application on an application server. The application server provides a response to the initial access signal. The proxy browser receives the response from the application server and plays back an audio output based on the response to the communication device for the user. The user can then respond with a request to the call services application to place an outbound call or to initiate another service provided by the application server via the proxy browser.

Claims

1. A method in a server for providing an audibly controlled user interface for requesting call services over a network, the steps comprising:

the server accessing an application defining tagged document in response to a request received from the proxy browser over the network;

the server providing a response to the proxy browser, the response being suitable for audio output to a limited communication device based on the application defining tagged document and the request;

the server receiving at least one key chunk of information over the network from the proxy browser based on speech input information from the limited communication device based on the response; and

the server initiating a call service in response to receiving the at least one key chunk of information;

wherein;

the step of accessing the application defining tagged document comprises accessing an extensible markup language document;

the step of providing the response suitable for audio output based on the application defining tagged document comprises generating the response based on the extensible markup language document; and

the step of providing the response includes generating an extensible markup language (XML) response document including (i) plugin control tags identifying control data to be used to control operation of a plug-in resource, (ii) prompt list tags identifying, as a first part of the control data, an ordered list of prompts, (iii) prompt tags identifying individual ones of the prompts in the ordered list, each prompt identified as a corresponding audio file, (iv) user input tags identifying, as a second part of the control data, user input data to be received as user input, (v) a hotkey pattern value tag identifying hotkey pattern values as the user input data, and at least one of (vi) expected input patterns including key chunks, (vii) time-out length, (viii) time-out action, and (ix) an indication whether a recording operation is required.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accessing the application defining tagged document in response to the request received over the network comprises receiving an input indicating an initial access to limited communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of accessing the application defining tagged document comprises receiving the request from proxy browser based on an interface connection between the proxy browser and the limited a communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a modified application defining tagged document based on dynamically changing modifiable responses in the application defining tagged document in response to the request.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of receiving a modification input and providing a modified application defining tagged document based on dynamically changing modifiable responses in the application defining tagged document based on the modification input.

6. A processor-based server system for providing an audibly controlled interface over a network, the server system comprising:

a document database configured for storing a plurality of application defining tagged documents; and

an executable resource in communication with the document database and the network, wherein the executable resource

accesses an application defining tagged document in response to a request from a proxy brower received over the network;

provides a response to the proxy brower, the response being suitable for audio output to a limited communication device based on the application defining tagged document and the request;

receives at least one key chunk of information from the proxy browser over the network based on speech input information from the limited communication device based on the response; and

initiates a call service in response to receiving the at least one key chunk of information;

wherein;

the application defining tagged document is an extensible markup language document;

the executable resource generates the response based on the extensible markup language document; and

the executable resource provides the response by generating an extensible markup language (XML) response document including (i) plugin control tags identifying control data to be used to control operation of a plug-in resource, (ii) prompt list tags identifying, as a first part of the control data, an ordered list of prompts, (iii) prompt tags identifying individual ones of the prompts in the ordered list, each prompt identified as a corresponding audio file (iv) user input tags identifying, as a second part of the control data, user input data to be received as user input, (v) a hotkey pattern value tag identifying hotkey pattern values as the user input data, and at least one of (vi) expected input patterns including key chunks, (vii) time-out length, (viii) time-out action, and (ix) an indication whether a recording operation is required.

7. The processor-based server system of claim 6, wherein the request comprises an input indicating an initial access to the limited communication device.

8. The processor-based server system according to claim 7, wherein the input indicating the initial access is an input indicating an off-hook condition has been detected at the limited communication device.

9. The processor-based server system of claim 6, wherein the executable resource receives the request from the proxy browser based on an interface connection between the proxy browser and the limited communication device.

10. The processor-based server system of claim 6, wherein the executable resource dynamically changes modifiable responses in the application defining tagged document in response to the request to provide a modified application defining tagged document.

11. The processor-based server system of claim 6, wherein the executable resource receives a modification input and the executable resource dynamically changes modifiable responses in the tagged document in response to the modification input to provide a modified tagged document.

12. The processor-based server system according to claim 6, wherein the document database is operative to store extensible markup language (XML) documents defining a voice web application to be executed by the application server, the XML documents including menu documents, activity documents, decision documents, and application state documents, the menu documents, activity documents, and decision documents being application-defining XML documents that define user-interface and Boolean application logic for the voice web application, the application state document being an XML data record specifying application state and user attribute information for the voice web application during a user session, the application state document being stored in a registry during execution of the voice web application;

and further comprising;

an XML parser configured for parsing the XML documents; and

a runtime environment for execution of the XML documents based on the parsing by the XML parser, such execution including selective execution of a user interface operation, a logic operation, and a procedure call as specified by a parsed XML document.

13. The processor-based server system of claim 12, wherein the application runtime environment includes a tag implementation module operative to implement XML tags parsed by the XML parser by performing a selected one of (dynamically generating an XML menu page in response to detecting a menu tag, performing a logical operation in response to a decision tag, fetching an audio file in response to detecting a sound tag).

14. The processor-based server system of claim 12 further comprising a set of libraries enabling the application runtime environment to implement procedures specified by the XML documents by issuing function calls to one of a plurality of Internet Protocol (IP)-compliant remote resources.

15. The processor-based server system of claim 14, wherein the function calls are issued according to a protocol selected from Internet Message Access Protocol, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

16. A method in an application server, the steps comprising:

the application server receiving a first request from a proxy browser over a network for a response for a subscriber;

the application server accessing profile information for the subscriber from a database;

the application server generating a response document having content tags that specify media content and control tags that define playback of the response for the subscriber via a limited communications device in an audible form;

receiving a second request from the proxy browser over the network including at least one key chunk generated based on a speech command provided by the subscriber based on the response document; and

the application server initiating a call service based on interpretation of the at least one key chunk relative to the profile information and the response;

wherein;

the step of receiving a first request comprises receiving a first hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request;

the step of accessing profile information comprises accessing profile information from the database based on Internet Protocol (IP);

the step of generating a response document comprises generating a hypertext markup language (HTML) document having extensible markup language (XML) tags;

the step of receiving the second request comprises receiving a second HTTP request; and

the response document further includes (i) plugin control tags identifying control data to be used to control operation of a plug-in resource, (ii) prompt list tags identifying, as a first part of the control data, an ordered list of prompts, (iii) prompt tags identifying individual ones of the prompts in the ordered list, each prompt identified as a corresponding audio file, (iv) user input tags identifying, as a second part of the control data, user input data to be received as user, (v) a hotkey pattern value tag identifying hotkey pattern values as the user input data, and at least one of (vi) expected input patterns including key chunks, (vii) time-out length, (viii) time-out action, and (ix) an indication whether a recording operation is required.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of initiating a call service comprises initiating an outgoing call to a destination based on interpretation of the at least one key chunk relative to the profile information and the first response.