Training/coaching system for a voice-enabled work environment

• US 8,386,261 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vocollect, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Mellott, Mark B., Bates, Richard Anthony, Laughery, Michael, Logan, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Huyen X.
• Application Number:
  US12/616,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/270, 704/231, 704/235, 704/257, 704/251, 704/270.1, 704/258, 704/260, 704/272, 379/88.02
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• 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

Abstract

A voice assistant system is disclosed which directs the voice Prompts delivered to a first user of a voice assistant to also be communicated wirelessly to the voice assistant of a second user so that the second user can hear the voice Prompts as delivered to the first user.

Claims

1. A device for a voice-enabled work environment comprising:

a network interface operable to communicate with a wireless network;

a voice user interface operable to,

upon receiving a system Prompt, convert the system Prompt into speech in the form of a voice Prompt for a user, the voice user interface further operable to generate a notification regarding the system Prompt; and

upon receiving a voice command from the user, use speech recognition technology to convert the voice command into a system command; and

a coaching support module coupled with the voice user interface and configured to monitor the system Prompt notifications generated by the voice user interface, the coaching support module configured to be selectively activated into a mode for being coached by the establishment of a connection of the device to at least one separate coaching device in the wireless network so that the coaching support module, upon receiving notification of a System Prompt, is further operable to automatically forward system Prompts of the device to a separate connected coaching device as the system Prompts are received.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the coaching support module is configured to serve a limited number of connections to other devices for forwarding the system Prompts.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the coaching support module is further operable, upon receiving a system Prompt, to determine if a connection has been established to one other device before forwarding the system Prompt.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the connection is a socket connection to the at least one other device through the wireless network.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the establishment of a connection of the device to at least one other device is initiated by the at least one other device through the wireless network.

6. A device for a voice-enabled work environment comprising:

a network interface operable to communicate with a wireless network;

a voice user interface operable to,

upon receiving a system Prompt, convert the system Prompt into speech in the form of a voice Prompt for a user; and

,

upon receiving a voice command from the user, use speech recognition technology to convert the voice command into a system command; and

the device having a coaching mode module coupled with the voice user interface and operable to be activated into a coaching mode to coach the user of at least one other device, the coaching mode module, when the coaching mode module is activated, further operable to obtain a network address for the at least one other device and to establish a connection to the at least one other device over a wireless network for coaching the other device;

the coaching mode module operable to receive system Prompts from the at least one other device that are sent over the wireless network connection from the at least one other device and to provide the system Prompts for the voice user interface to be output as a voice Prompt for the user of the device.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the voice user interface selectively deactivates the speech recognition technology for a voice command when the coaching mode is activated.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein, when the coaching mode module is activated, the voice user interface only converts system Prompts that are received from the at least one other device into speech in the form of a voice Prompt.

9. The device of claim 6 wherein the coaching mode module is activated through a voice command from the user to the voice user interface.

10. The device of claim 6 further comprising a manual input component wherein the coaching mode module is activated through a manual input from the user.

11. The device of claim 6 wherein the coaching mode module is operable to obtain information for establishing the connection through interfacing with a wireless network.

12. The device of claim 6 wherein the device is further operable for terminating the connection to the at least one other device when the coaching mode module is deactivated.

13. The device of claim 6 further comprising a manual input component, the coaching mode module being deactivated through at least one of a voice command or a manual input from the user.

14. The device of claim 6 wherein the connection is a socket connection to the at least one other device through the wireless network.

15. A voice-enabled work system, comprising:

a wireless network;

at least two voice-enabled devices, a first device for a user to coach with and a second device for a user to be coached, the first and second devices configured for communicating over the wireless network, each of the at least two devices including;

a voice user interface operable to,

upon receiving a system Prompt, convert the Prompt into speech in the form of a voice Prompt for a user, and,

upon receiving a voice command from the user, use speech recognition technology to convert the voice command into a system command;

the first device having a coaching mode module that is operable for being selectively activated into a coaching mode and further operable, when the coaching mode module is activated, to obtain a network address for the second device and to establish a connection with the second device over the wireless network, the first device operable to receive system Prompts from the second device to be output as voice Prompts to the user of the first device;

the second device including a coaching support module operable for detecting a connection with the first device and, upon detecting a connection, operable for being activated into a mode for being coached and automatically forwarding system Prompts to a connected first device as the system Prompts are received by the voice user interface and coaching support module of the second device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the second device is configured to detect connections with multiple devices and to forward system Prompts to multiple connected devices.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the connection is a socket connection through the wireless network.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the first device is operable to convert a received system Prompt from the second device into speech as a voice Prompt for the user.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the first device selectively deactivates the speech recognition technology of the first device for a voice command when the coaching mode module is activated into coaching mode.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein, when the coaching mode module is activated into coaching mode, the first device only converts system Prompts that are received from the second device into speech in the form of a voice Prompt.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the coaching mode module of the first device is activated through a voice command from the user to the voice user interface.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein the first device includes a manual input component wherein the coaching mode module is activated into coaching mode through a manual input to the first device from the user.

23. The system of claim 15 wherein the coaching mode module is operable to obtain information for establishing the connection through interfacing with a wireless network.

24. The system of claim 15 wherein the first device is further operable for terminating the connection to the second device when the coaching mode module is deactivated.

25. The system of claim 15 wherein the first device includes a manual input component further comprising a manual input component, the coaching mode module being deactivated through at least one of a voice command or a manual input to the first device from the user.

26. The system of claim 15 wherein the connection is a socket connection to the second device through the wireless network.

27. A method for training a user in voice-enabled work environment, comprising:

establishing communication over a wireless network between at least two voice-enabled devices, a first device for a user to coach with and a second device for a user to be coached, each of the at least two devices operable to, upon receiving a system Prompt, convert the system Prompt into speech, and, upon receiving a voice command from the user, use speech recognition technology to convert the voice command;

selectively activating the first device into a coaching mode and establishing a coaching connection with the second device over the wireless network;

at the second device, detecting a coaching connection with the first device;

if a coaching connection is detected, activating the second device into a mode for being coached and automatically forwarding system Prompts of the second device to a connected first device as the system Prompts are received by the second device so the system Prompts might be converted to speech at both devices;

at the first device, receiving system Prompts from the second device and converting them to speech at the first device for the user of the first device.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising at the second device, detecting a coaching connection with multiple devices and forwarding system Prompts to multiple connected devices.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising selectively deactivating the speech recognition technology of the first device when the coaching mode is activated.

30. The method of claim 27 further comprising, when the coaching mode is activated, converting into speech at the first device only system Prompts that are received from the second device.

31. The method of claim 27 further comprising activating the coaching mode through a voice command from the user.

32. The method of claim 27 further comprising activating the coaching mode through a manual input to the first device from the user.

33. The method of claim 27 further comprising terminating the connection to the second device when the coaching mode is deactivated.

34. The method of claim 27 further comprising deactivating the coaching mode through at least one of a voice command or a manual input to the first device from the user.