Voice integration platform

• US 8,036,897 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ben Franklin Patent Holding LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Achenbach, Michael W., Haleftiras, Pericles, Markman, Steven, Kluthe, Gregory S., Kaiser, Lizanne, Smolenski, Andrew G., Layton, Jon T.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US11/513,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20060287854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,867 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275, 379/88.01
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications

Abstract

A voice integration platform and method provide for integration of a voice interface with a data system that includes stored data. The voice integration platform comprises one or more generic software components, the generic software components being configured to enable development of a specific voice user interface that is designed to interact with the data system in order to present the stored data to a user.

Claims

1. A voice integration platform for developing a voice interface to an external data system, the voice integration platform comprising:

a voice gateway that enables voice interaction;

a first set of service layers that interact with the voice gateway;

a second set of service layers that facilitate interaction between the first set of service layers and the external data system, the second set of service layers including a developer-accessible interface to content management software exposed by the external data system, the content management software configured to expose supplemental information regarding data in the external data system to a development platform of a specific voice interface; and

one or more computing devices that execute the voice gateway, the first set of service layers, and the second set of service layers;

wherein the first and second sets of service layers and the supplemental information regarding data in the external data system are used together to develop the specific voice interface that enables interaction via voice with the external data system by receiving a voice input from the voice gateway at the first set of service layers and accessing data via the content management software of the external data system at the second set of service layers responsive to the voice input.

2. The voice integration platform of claim 1, further comprising a tools service layer that works in conjunction with the voice gateway to monitor performance of the specific voice interface.

3. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the second set of service layers includes a content management service layer having a software module that enables the specific voice interface to parse a stream of audio content to define constituent portions, convert the parsed audio content to text files, and associate the text files with metadata via interaction with the data system, thereby facilitating interaction of the specific voice interface with audio content in the data system.

4. The voice integration platform of claim 3, wherein the content management service layer provides a template for creation of dialogs in the specific voice interface, thereby facilitating voice interaction with the data system.

5. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the second set of service layers includes a personalization service layer having a software module that facilitates interaction of the specific voice interface with personalization content in the data system.

6. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the second set of service layers includes an integration service layer having an input/output layer that enables the specific voice interface and the data system to exchange data.

7. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the first set of service layers includes an infrastructure service layer that includes a domain controller software component that manages and controls the organization and storage of information into logically distinct storage categories.

8. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the first set of service layers includes a personalized dialogs layer that incorporates naturalized language concepts to present a realistic specific voice interface.

9. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the first set of service layers includes an applications service layer that includes an email component that enables receiving and sending of email messages in voice format using the specific voice interface.

10. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the first set of service layers includes an applications service layer that includes a notification component that enables the handing off information from the specific voice interface to a local device.

11. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the voice gateway is a distributed voice interface system wherein the specific voice interface controls the functioning of a respective local device through services and capabilities of a remote system.

12. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the one or more devices are server hardware comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

a network interface.

13. The voice integration platform of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information regarding data in the external data system comprises classification of files stored within the external data system.

14. The voice integration platform of claim 13, wherein the classification of files stored within the external data system comprises meta tag descriptors associated with the files stored within the external data system.

15. A method of generating a voice interface to an external data system, comprising:

implementing a voice gateway in the voice interface to receive a voice input;

using a first set of service layers to develop functional capabilities for the voice interface that facilitate interaction with the voice gateway; and

using a second set of service layers to develop integration capabilities for the voice interface that facilitate interaction between the functional capabilities and the external data system, the second set of service layers including a developer-accessible interface to content management software exposed by the external data system, the content management software configured to expose supplemental information regarding data in the external data system to a development platform of a specific voice interface;

wherein the functional capabilities and the integration capabilities cooperatively form the specific voice interface that enables voice interaction via the content management software of the external data system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising monitoring a performance of the specific voice interface using a tools service layer that works in conjunction with the voice gateway and the first and second sets of service layers.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the second set of service layers includes a content management service layer and further comprising using the content management service layer to provide a template for creation of dialogs in the specific voice interface, thereby facilitating voice interaction with the data system.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising facilitating interaction of the specific voice interface with personalization content in the data system via a personalization service layer that is included in the second set of service layers.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising allowing the specific voice interface and the data system to exchange data via an integration service layer having an input/output layer, the integration service layer being part of the second set of service layers.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising enabling an infrastructure service layer that includes a domain controller software component to manage and control organization and storage of information into logically distinct storage categories, the infrastructure service layer being part of the first set of service layers.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising incorporating naturalized language concepts to present a realistic specific voice interface via a personalized dialogs layer, the personalized dialogs layer being part of the first set of service layers.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising enabling an applications service layer that includes an email component that receives and sends email messages in voice format, the applications service layer being part of the first set of service layers.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising enabling an applications service layer that includes a notification component for handing off information from the voice interface to a local device, the applications service layer being part of the first set of service layers.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising implementing a distributed voice gateway wherein the specific voice interface controls the functioning of a respective local device through services and capabilities of a remote system.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the supplemental information regarding data in the external data system comprises classification of files stored within the external data system.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the classification of files stored within the external data system comprises meta tag descriptors associated with the files stored within the external data system.

27. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, execution of which, by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform operations for generating a voice interface to an external data system, the operations comprising:

implementing a voice gateway in the voice interface to receive a voice input;

using a first set of service layers to develop functional capabilities for the voice interface that facilitate interaction with the voice gateway; and

using a second set of service layers to develop integration capabilities for the voice interface that facilitate interaction between the functional capabilities and the external data system, the second set of service layers including a developer-accessible interface to content management software exposed by the external data system, the content management software configured to expose supplemental information regarding data in the external data system to a development platform of a specific voice interface;

wherein the functional capabilities and the integration capabilities cooperatively generate the specific voice interface that enables voice interaction via the content management software of the external data system.

28. A voice integration platform for developing a voice interface to an external data system, the voice integration platform comprising:

voice gateway processor means to enable voice interaction;

first set of service layers means to interact with the voice gateway means; and

second set of service layers means to facilitate interaction between the first set of service layer means and the external data system, the second set of service layers means including a developer-accessible interface to content management software exposed by the external data system, the content management software configured to expose supplemental information regarding data in the external data system to a development platform of a specific voice interface;

wherein the first set of service layer means and second set of service layer means are used together to develop the specific voice interface that enables voice interaction via the content management software of the external data system.

29. A voice integration platform for developing a voice interface to an external data system, the voice integration platform comprising:

a voice gateway that enables voice interaction;

a first set of service layers that interact with the voice gateway; and

a second set of service layers that facilitate interaction between the first set of service layers and the external data system, the external data system comprising a content management software having a service module to parse a steam of audio content to define constituent portions based on association with one of a plurality of logically distinct storage categories and selectively storing the portions of the audio content stream in the one of the plurality of logically distinct storage categories in the external data system, wherein the second set of service layers includes a developer-accessible interface to the content management software;

wherein the first and second sets of service layers are used together to develop a specific voice interface that enables voice interaction via the content management software of the external data system, the specific voice interface to allow selective access, via the voice gateway, of one of the stored portions of the audio content stream for playback by traversing one or more of the plurality of logically distinct storage categories.