Automatic pruning of grammars in a multi-application speech recognition interface

• US 7,899,673 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2006
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Christopher Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Wozniak; James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAH, PARAS D
• Application Number:
  US11/501,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275, 704/231, 704/251, 704/257
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/19 Grammatical context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word sequence rules
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

Management of multiple voice-controlled applications is provided employing registration and prioritization of applications and associated commands. In a multi-application environment, each application requests registration by a speech recognition interface. Upon registering the application(s), the interface assigns priorities to the active applications. Each application also submits a list of associated commands for registration. The interface selects a subset of submitted commands to be registered and assigned priorities. Speech recognition is performed based on the selected and prioritized commands to reduce interface overload and grammar conflict.

Claims

1. A method to be executed at least in part by a processor in a computing device for managing multiple speech enabled applications, comprising:

receiving a request for registering an application;

registering the application;

receiving a request from the registered application to register a set of grammar elements;

selecting a subset of the received set of grammar elements for registration;

assigning priority levels to the selected grammar elements based on a priority level of an associated registered application, a status of the associated registered application, a type of the associated registered application, a suggested priority level by the associated registered application, a number of preexisting registered applications, a number of preexisting registered commands, and a category of each grammar element;

adding the selected grammar elements to a global list; and

performing speech recognition operations associated with the application using the global list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the subset of the received set of grammar elements such that a number of grammar elements from all registered applications is less than a maximum number for the global list.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the maximum number for the global list is determined based on one of a predetermined constant value and a heuristic chosen at run-time based on an analysis of available system resources.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

removing registered grammar elements from the global list when the maximum number is exceeded based on the assigned priority levels to the grammar elements.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a set of suggested priority levels associated with the received set of grammar elements from the registered application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the subset of the received set of grammar elements such that a grammar conflict between the grammar elements is prevented.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

preventing the grammar conflict by employing a comparison of commands based on one of a metric of grammatical distance and a number of distinctive phonetic characteristics.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

assigning a priority level to the registered application based on whether the application is one of a foreground application and a background application.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

assigning a priority level to the registered application based on a type of the application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the status of the associated application includes at least one from a set of:

the application being a foreground application, the application being a background application, the application being active, and a system resource associated with the application being available.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning the priority levels to the selected grammar elements based on an input from one of;

a system administrator, a user, and an application with a sufficient permission level.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically updating the global list based on at least one of;

a change in a status of registered applications and a predetermined period.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking a frequency of use for each of the selected grammar elements to update their priority level.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions, which are executed by a processor, for providing a single speech recognition interface in a multi-application environment, the instructions comprising:

in response to a request from each application, registering a plurality of applications by assigning a priority level based on a status and a type of each application;

receiving a request from a registered application to register a set of grammar elements;

selecting a subset of the received set of grammar elements for registration such that a maximum size for a unified grammar is preserved and a conflict between the grammar elements is prevented;

assigning a priority level to each selected grammar element based on a priority level of an associated application, a status of the associated application, a type of the associated application, a suggested priority level by the associated application, a number of already registered applications, a number of already registered grammar elements, a status of available system resources, and a category of each grammar element; and

adding the selected grammar elements to the unified grammar.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further comprise:

registering at least one synonym for each registered grammar element; and

removing registered grammar elements and their synonyms based on at least one from a set of;

a priority level associated with the grammar element, a priority level of an associated application, a status of the associated application, a type of the associated application, a suggested priority level by the associated application, a number of already registered applications, a number of already registered grammar elements, a status of available system resources, and a category of each grammar element.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further comprise:

in response to the maximum size for the unified grammar being exceeded, registering a new grammar element;

moving a set of grammar elements associated with an application to a submenu such that the grammar elements in the submenu are accessible through the new grammar element; and

removing the grammar elements in the submenu from the unified grammar.

17. A system for managing multiple speech enabled applications, comprising:

at least one computing device including a speech recognition service executing thereon, the speech recognition service configured to convert audio signals to textual data;

at least one other computing device including a grammar service executing thereon, the grammar service configured to;

in response to a request from an application, register the application by assigning a priority level based on a status and a type of each application;

receive a request from the registered application to register a set of commands;

select a subset of the received set of commands for registration such that a maximum size for a global command list is preserved and a conflict between the commands is prevented;

assign a priority level to each selected command based on a priority level of the application, a status of the application, a type of the application, a suggested priority level for the command by the application, a number of already registered applications, a number of already registered commands, a status of available system resources, and a category of each command;

add the selected commands to the global command list; and

parse commands for the speech enabled applications from the textual data employing the command list.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the speech recognition service is further configured to parse the commands based on a feedback from the grammar module.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the grammar service is further configured to remove registered commands from the global command list, if the maximum size is exceeded based on the assigned priority levels to the commands.