Method and system for using spatial metaphor to organize natural language in spoken user interfaces

• US 7,729,915 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shadow Prompt Technology AG
• Original Assignee: Enterprise Integration Group, Inc. (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stringham, Rex, Balentine, Bruce, Munroe, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil; Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): GODBOLD, DOUGLAS
• Application Number:
  US10/459,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20040037434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,546 Days
• Field of Search: 704/257, 704/260, 704/270, 704/275, 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379 8817- 8819, 463/35
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for providing audio information to a user. The method and apparatus provide information in a manner consistent with a spatial metaphor, allowing a user to visualize and more easily navigate an application. The information is preferably presented to the user as a background audio prompt that indicates the environment and a foreground audio prompt that indicates the alternatives available to the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing audio information to a user of an interactive response system, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting a background prompt by the interactive response system to the user indicating to the user an environment;

presenting one or more foreground prompts by the interactive response system indicating to the user a selection means for entering at least one of one or more available commands, the at least one of the one or more available commands indicated being variable according to a location of the user in the environment; and

altering the background prompt by the interactive response system to the user in response to a user entered command to the interactive response system by the user selected from the one of the one or more available commands indicated to the user, to reflect perceived movement of the user within the environment

wherein the one or more foreground prompts provided by the interactive response system to the user further comprises spoken exemplars of the one or more available commands.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment comprises at least one of a rotunda, a hall, and an open market.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the background prompt comprises audio representative of people talking.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the foreground prompt further comprises alternative commands available for user entry and sounds representative of one or more of movement within the environment and action within the environment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more foreground prompts vary in terms of one or more of tone, volume, pace, speaker, and pitch.

6. A method of providing audio information to a user of an interactive response system providing audio prompts inviting user responses to the prompts, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting a background prompt by the interactive response system to the user indicating to the user an environment;

presenting concurrently with the background prompt a foreground prompt by the interactive response system indicating to the user one or more available commands, the at least one of the one or more available commands indicated being variable according to a location of the user in the environment; and

altering the background prompt by the interactive response system to the user in response to a user entered command, to reflect perceived movement of the user within the environment

wherein the foreground prompt comprises audio of spoken exemplars of the performance of the one or more available commands.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the environment comprises at least one of a rotunda, a hall, and an open market.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the background prompt comprises audio representative of people talking.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the foreground prompt comprises alternative commands available to the user and sounds representative of one or more of movement within the environment and action within the environment.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the one or more foreground prompts vary in terms of one or more of tone, volume, pace, speaker, and pitch.

11. A method of interfacing to a user of an interactive response system to perform a transaction, the method comprising the steps of:

playing background audio by the interactive response system to the user that corresponds to a representation of at least one of a location of the user, background noise, and movement of the user within an environment to the user;

presenting foreground audio by the interactive response system to the user comprising spoken exemplars of selection of transactions using one or more available commands, wherein the user can select a transaction by using said one or more available commands, the one or more available commands indicated in the spoken exemplars being dependent upon the location of the user within the environment;

receiving at the interactive response system a command from the user;

determining in the interactive response system whether the command represents movement within the environment or a selection of a transaction to perform;

upon a determination that the command represents movement within the environment, modifying the foreground audio and the background audio by the interactive response system to reflect the movement within the environment; and

upon a determination by the interactive response system that the command is an available command at the location of the user in the environment and represents the selection of a transaction to perform, performing the transaction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the location comprises at least one of a rotunda, a hall, and an open market.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the background prompt comprises audio representative of people talking.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the foreground prompt comprises alternative commands available to the user and sounds representative of one or more of movement within the environment and action within the area.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more foreground prompts vary in terms of one or more of tone, volume, pace, speaker, and pitch.

16. A method of providing audio information to a user about available response options in an interactive response system providing audio prompts inviting user responses to the prompts, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting a background prompt by the interactive response system indicating to the user one of at least a first environment and a second environment, each of the first and second environments having a different set of available response options associated therewith for selection by the user, the first and second environments being audibly distinguishable from one another;

presenting by the interactive response system a first or second set of one or more foreground prompts audibly distinguishable from the first mode, each set corresponding to one of the first and second environments, the foreground prompts comprising spoken exemplars of the performance of available response options suggesting to the user an available command; and

altering the background prompt by the interactive response system in response to receiving from the user the available command , to reflect perceived movement of the user within the environment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first environment simulates hubbub heard in a public space and the second environment has a lower volume of hubbub simulating a quieter area of the public space and wherein the foreground prompts comprise distinguishable voices simulating other users making selections of the available command in the second environment.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first environment includes audio hubbub of a public space and the second environment simulates the audio environment of a room adjacent to the public space and separated by a closed door.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first environment includes audio hubbub of a public space and the second environment simulates the audio environment of a room adjacent to the public space but not separated by a door.