Interactive audio task system with interrupt recovery and confirmations

• US 7,984,440 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Klemba, Keith S., Chen, Shuyuan, James, Frankie, Kaiser, Matthias U.
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chew; Brian
• Application Number:
  US11/601,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 718/100, 701/36
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention improve interactive audio task execution in mobile systems such as vehicles, for example. In one embodiment, task interrupt handling is provided to allow user'"'"'s to resume task execution at or near the point in the task where the interrupt occurred. In one embodiment, a user'"'"'s confidence that secondary tasks are being performed accurately is improved by providing confirmation and help for users to be more accurate on their secondary tasks. Accordingly, users can increase their confidence and trust in the system and focus more attention on primary tasks, such as driving a vehicle. Some embodiments of the invention further provide for more comprehensive confirmation following an interruption.

Claims

1. A method of performing tasks using interactive audio comprising:

executing a task using an audio interactive interface on a mobile system, wherein said mobile system is a vehicle;

detecting one or more task boundaries in the task;

receiving an interrupt during task execution, wherein the interrupt comprises vehicle state information;

storing task state information, wherein the storing comprises storing information corresponding to one or more partially completed steps of the task if the interrupt does not occur at a task boundary;

receiving an indication that task execution is to be resumed;

loading the stored task state information;

generating one or more audio confirmations specifying one or more completed portions of the task,

wherein the audio confirmations are selected based on particular task boundaries proximate to a point in task execution when the interrupt is received;

generating a first audio confirmation if the interrupt occurs at a first task boundary;

generating a second audio confirmation if the interrupt occurs at a second task boundary; and

generating a third audio confirmation if the interrupt occurs between the first task boundary and the second task boundary.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating one or more audio confirmations at each task boundary.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the interrupt comprises receiving another task having a higher priority than the task being executed.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising before loading the stored task state information, generating an audio prompt to a user to select between a previously executing task and another task.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the task is represented as a template.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a plurality of documents, wherein each document has an associated task and associated task priority information.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising before loading the stored task state information, accessing task priority information and generating an audio prompt to a user to select between a previously executing task and another task having a higher priority.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a summary of partially completed or interrupted tasks.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically downloading one or more partially completed or interrupted tasks when the mobile device is activated.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing a record of interrupted tasks in the mobile device and generating an audio summary of the interrupted tasks.

11. An interactive audio system on a mobile system comprising:

a computer;

a text-to-speech translator;

a speech recognizer; and

a task execution engine, executable by the computer, for executing a task and detecting one or more task boundaries,

wherein if an interrupt is received during task execution, task state information is stored,

wherein information corresponding to one or more partially completed steps of a task is stored if the interrupt does not occur at a task boundary,

wherein the stored task state information is loaded after the interrupt,

wherein said interactive audio system generates one or more audio confirmations specifying one or more completed portions of the task when the task is resumed,

wherein the audio confirmations are selected based on particular task boundaries proximate to a point in task execution when the interrupt is received,

wherein a first audio confirmation is generated if the interrupt occurs at a first task boundary,

wherein a second audio confirmation is generated if the interrupt occurs at a second task boundary,

wherein a third audio confirmation is generated if the interrupt occurs between the first task boundary and the second task boundary,

wherein said mobile system is a vehicle, and wherein the interrupt comprises receiving vehicle state information.

12. The interactive audio system of claim 11 wherein one or more audio confirmations are generated at each task boundary.

13. The interactive audio system of claim 11 wherein the interrupt is generated if another task having a higher priority than the task being executed is received by the mobile system.

14. The interactive audio system of claim 11 wherein the interrupt is generated if the mobile system receives predefined state information.

15. The interactive audio system of claim 11 wherein, before the task state information is loaded, an audio prompt is generated to a user to select between a previously executing task and another task.

16. The interactive audio system of claim 11 wherein the task is represented as a template.

17. The interactive audio system of claim 11 wherein each task includes associated task priority information, and wherein an audio prompt to a user is generated to select between a previously executing task and another task having a higher priority.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method of performing tasks using interactive audio, the method comprising:

executing a task using an audio interactive interface on a mobile system, wherein said mobile system is a vehicle;

detecting one or more task boundaries in the task;

receiving an interrupt during task execution, wherein the interrupt comprises vehicle state information;

storing task state information, wherein the storing comprises storing information corresponding to one or more partially completed steps of the task if the interrupt does not occur at a task boundary;

receiving an indication that task execution is to be resumed;

loading the stored task state information;

generating one or more audio confirmations specifying one or more completed portions of the task,

wherein the audio confirmations are selected based on particular task boundaries proximate to a point in task execution when the interrupt is received;

generating a first audio confirmation if the interrupt occurs at a first task boundary;

generating a second audio confirmation if the interrupt occurs at a second task boundary; and

generating a third audio confirmation if the interrupt occurs between the first task boundary and the second task boundary.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 further comprising generating one or more audio confirmations at each task boundary.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, the method further comprising specifying a number of prompts to be generated after completing a portion of a task.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, the method further comprising specifying a number of prompts to be generated after resuming an interrupted task.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the interrupt comprises receiving another task having a higher priority than the task being executed.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, the method further comprising, before loading the stored task state information, generating an audio prompt to a user to select between a previously executing task and another task.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, the method further comprising storing a plurality of documents, wherein each document has an associated task and associated task priority information.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, the method further comprising, before loading the stored task state information, accessing task priority information and generating an audio prompt to a user to select between a previously executing task and another task having a higher priority.