Providing programming information in response to spoken requests

• US 8,374,875 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Genly, Christopher H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Armstrong, Angela A
• Application Number:
  US11/729,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,148 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/231, 704/251, 704/257, 704/270, 704/272
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/04 Segmentation; Word boundary detection
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A system allows a user to obtain information about television programming and to make selections of programming using conversational speech. The system includes a speech recognizer that recognizes spoken requests for television programming information. A speech synthesizer generates spoken responses to the spoken requests for television programming information. A user may use a voice user interface as well as a graphical user interface to interact with the system to facilitate the selection of programming choices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recognizing a spoken request for television programming;

storing a term used in said request in a structural history;

determining if the next request is a command for immediate action that does not query the structural history; and

if the next request is a command for immediate action, saving the stored term and otherwise deleting the stored term from the structural history.

2. The method of claim 1 including providing conversational speech recognition.

3. The method of claim 2 including providing a graphical user interface which generates information in a visual form about television programming and a voice user interface which responds to voice requests from the user, and communicating the focus of one of said interfaces to the other of said interface.

4. The method of claim 2 including storing an indication when a generated response includes a recognized attribute from the spoken request.

5. The method of claim 2 including parsing a select variable and a where variable from a spoken request.

6. The method of claim 2 including storing meanings derived from current and historical requests and using the historical requests to supplement the meaning derived from said current requests.

7. The method of claim 1 including parsing and storing time attributes in a request.

8. The method of claim 1 further including subtracting a signal from a television from the input from the use to reduce interference between the audio portion of a television program and a spoken request.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating responses includes synthesizing spoken responses.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processor-based system to perform the steps of:

recognizing a spoken request for television programming;

storing a term used in said request in a structural history;

determining if the next request is a command for immediate action that does not query the structural history; and

if the next request is a command for immediate action, saving the stored term and otherwise deleting the stored term from the structural history.

11. The medium of claim 10 storing instructions to cause a processor-based system to perform the step of providing conversational speech recognition.

12. The medium of claim 11 storing instructions to cause a processor-based system to perform the step of providing a graphical user interface which generates information in a visual form about television programming and a voice user interface which responds to voice requests from the user, and communicating the focus of one of said interfaces to the other of said interface.

13. The medium of claim 11 storing instructions to cause a processor-based system to perform the step of storing an indication when a generated response includes a recognized attribute from the spoken request.

14. The medium of claim 11 storing instructions to cause a processor-based system to perform the step of parsing a select variable and a where variable from a spoken request.

15. The medium of claim 11 storing instructions to cause a processor-based system to perform the step of storing meanings derived from current and historical requests and using the historical requests to supplement the meaning derived from said current requests.

16. The medium of claim 10 storing instructions to cause a processor-based system to perform the step of parsing and storing time attributes in a request.

17. The medium of claim 10 storing instructions to cause a processor-based system to perform the step of subtracting a signal from a television from the input from the use to reduce interference between the audio portion of a television program and a spoken request.

18. The medium of claim 10 wherein generating responses includes synthesizing spoken responses.

19. A system comprising:

a speech recognizer that recognizes spoken requests for television programming information, stores a term used in said request in a structural history, determines if the next request is a command for immediate action that does not query the structural history, and if the next request is a command for immediate action, saves the term and otherwise deleting the term from the structural history; and

an output device that generates responses to spoken requests for television programming information.

20. The system of claim 19 including providing conversational speech recognition.

21. The system of claim 20 including providing a graphical user interface which generates information in a visual form about television programming and a voice user interface which responds to voice requests from the user, and communicating the focus of one of said interfaces to the other of said interface.

22. The system of claim 20 including storing an indication when a generated response includes a recognized attribute from the spoken request.

23. The system of claim 20 including parsing a select variable and a where variable from a spoken request.

24. The system of claim 20 including storing meanings derived from current and historical requests and using the historical requests to supplement the meaning derived from said current requests.

25. The system of claim 19 including parsing and storing time attributes in a request.