Voice activated hypermedia systems using grammatical metadata

• US 8,046,228 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Hemphill, Charles T., Thrift, Philip R.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, VIJAY B
• Application Number:
  US11/349,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,086 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275, 704/251, 704/257, 704/9, 704/231, 704/235, 704/260
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/193 Formal grammars, e.g. finite state automata, context free grammars or word networks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

This is a voice activated Hypermedia system using grammatical metadata, the system comprising: a speech user agent; a browsing module; and an information resource. The system may include: embedded intelligence in hypermedia source; a means for processing the actions of a user based on the embedded intelligence; a means for returning a result of the actions to the user. In addition, the hypermedia source maybe a HTML page or an instructional module for communicating allowed actions by a user. The system may also include embedded intelligence as a grammar or reference to a grammar. The grammar may be dynamically added to a speech recognizer. In addition, the actions can come from a speech recognizer. Furthermore, the system may include voice activated hypermedia links and intelligent modules that process information from the information resources for allowing actions from the user. Other devices, systems and methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A speech user agent, comprising:

an output for outputting a uniform resource location (URL) directive;

an input for receiving grammar HTML; and

an output for outputting a URL with arguments.

2. The speech user agent of claim 1, wherein said output for outputting a uniform resource location (URL) directive is coupled to an input of a web browser.

3. The speech user agent of claim 1, wherein said input for receiving grammar HTML is coupled to an output of a web browser.

4. The speech user agent of claim 1, wherein said output for outputting a URL with arguments is coupled to an input of a web browser.

5. A web browser, comprising:

an input for receiving a uniform resource location (URL) directive from a speech user agent;

an output for sending grammar HTML to the speech user agent; and

an input for receiving a URL with arguments from the speech user agent.

6. The web browser of claim 5, further comprising an output for sending a URL request to the world wide web (WWW).

7. The web browser of claim 5, further comprising an input for receiving an HTML from the world wide web (WWW).

8. The web browser of claim 7, wherein a page associated with the HTML from the world wide web (WWW) informally describes to a user what the user can say.

9. The web browser of claim 5, further comprising an output for sending a grammar URL request to the world wide web (WWW).

10. The web browser of claim 9, wherein the grammar URL points to a grammar.

11. The web browser of claim 9, wherein the grammar URL includes a grammar.

12. The web browser of claim 5, further comprising an input for receiving a grammar HTML from the world wide web (WWW).

13. The web browser of claim 12, wherein the grammar describes what a user can say.

14. The web browser of claim 5, further comprising an output for sending a URL request with arguments to the world wide web (WWW).

15. The web browser of claim 14, wherein the arguments represent the words of what a user said.

16. The web browser of claim 5, further comprising an input for receiving a relocation HTML from the world wide web (WWW).

17. The web browser of claim 16, wherein the relocation HTML represents an answer to a user'"'"'s words.

18. The web browser of claim 17, wherein said user'"'"'s words are a query or command.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the edited grammar associated with a Uniform Resource Location (URL) is added to a Speakable Hotlist.

19. A method, comprising the steps of:

editing an ASCII grammar file by an apparatus using a BNF syntax where “

|”

denotes alternatives, square brackets denote optionality, and parentheses provide grouping; and

associating the edited ASCII grammar file with a Uniform Resource Location (URL).

21. A method for loading and using a Smart Page, comprising the steps of:

speaking a phrase;

receiving the phrase in a speech user agent;

comparing the received phrase with phrases previously stored in a Speakable Hotlist and, if a match, sending a uniform resource location (URL) directive from the speech user agent to a web browser;

sending the URL directive as a URL request from the web browser to the world wide web (WWW);

receiving a responsive HTML from the world wide web (WWW);

observing a grammar link in a smart page associated with the HTML;

asking the world wide web (WWW) for a smart page grammar (SPG), associated with the smart page, using a, supplied URL;

returning the smart page grammar (SPR) from the world wide web (WWW) as grammar HTML to the web browser;

passing the grammar HTML from the web browser to the speech user agent;

dynamically adding the grammar to a recognizer in the speech user agent;

speaking a second phrase; and

if said second phrase has a string that belongs to the smart page grammar (SPR), sending a URL directive, with arguments, to the web browser;

responsive to receiving said URL directive in the web browser, with arguments, passing a URL request, with arguments representing said string, from the web browser to the world wide web (WWW);

interpreting said arguments with said URL directive and producing a URL relocation representing an answer to said second phrase; and

passing the HTML for the URL relocation from the world wide web (WWW) to the web browser.

22. A method for loading and using a Smart Page, comprising the steps of:

sending a URL directive as a URL request from a web browser to the world wide web (WWW);

receiving a responsive HTML from the world wide web (WWW);

observing a grammar link in a smart page associated with the HTML;

asking the world wide web (WWW) for a smart page grammar (SPG), associated with the smart page, using a supplied URL;

returning the smart page grammar (SPR) from the world wide web (WWW) as grammar HTML to the web browser;

passing the grammar HTML from the web browser to the speech user agent;

dynamically adding the grammar to a recognizer in the speech user agent;

speaking a second phrase; and

if said second phrase has a string that belongs to the smart page grammar (SPR), sending a URL directive, with arguments, to the web browser;

responsive to receiving said URL directive in the web browser, with arguments, passing a URL request, with arguments representing said string, from the web browser to the world wide web (WWW);

interpreting said arguments with said URL directive and producing a URL relocation representing an answer to said second phrase; and

passing the HTML for the URL relocation from the world wide web (WWW) to the web browser.