Voice integration platform

• US 8,762,155 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Smolenski, Andrew G., Markman, Steven, Haleftiras, Pericles, Layton, Jon T., Kaiser, Lizanne, Kluthe, Gregory S., Achenbach, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abebe, Daniel D
• Application Number:
  US13/239,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20120010876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275, 379/88.01
• US Class Current: 704/275
• 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; 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 stream 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.

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 the 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 external data system, thereby facilitating interaction of the specific voice interface with audio content in the external 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 external 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 external 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 external 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 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 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 handing off of 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 and wherein the specific voice interface controls functioning of a respective local device through services and capabilities of a remote system.

12. A method comprising:

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

facilitating interaction between functional capabilities of the voice interface and an external data system using a developer-accessible interface to content management software exposed by the external data system;

parsing, by the content management software, a stream of audio content to define constituent portions based on association with one of a plurality of logically distinct storage categories; and

selectively storing portions of the audio content stream in the one of the plurality of logically distinct storage categories in the external data system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

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

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

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.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring a performance of the voice interface using a tools service layer that works in conjunction with the voice gateway.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

using a content management service layer to provide a template for creation of dialogs in the voice interface, thereby facilitating interaction with the external data system.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

implementing a distributed voice gateway, wherein the voice interface controls functioning of a respective local device through services and capabilities of a remote system.

18. A computer-readable storage device having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, execution of which, by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform operations comprising:

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

facilitating interaction between functional capabilities of the voice interface and an external data system using a developer-accessible interface to content management software exposed by the external data system;

parsing, by the content management software, a stream of audio content to define constituent portions based on association with one of a plurality of logically distinct storage categories; and

selectively storing portions of the audio content stream in the one of the plurality of logically distinct storage categories in the external data system.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

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

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

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.

21. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

monitoring a performance of the voice interface using a tools service layer that works in conjunction with the voice gateway.

22. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

using a content management service layer to provide a template for creation of dialogs in the voice interface, thereby facilitating interaction with the external data system.

23. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

implementing a distributed voice gateway, wherein the voice interface controls functioning of a respective local device through services and capabilities of a remote system.

24. A system comprising:

a memory configured to store;

a voice gateway implemented in a voice interface and configured to receive a voice input, and

a developer-accessible interface to content management software exposed by an external data system configured to facilitate interaction between functional capabilities of the voice interface and the external data system, wherein the content management software is configured to parse a stream of audio content to define constituent portions based on association with one of a plurality of logically distinct storage categories and selectively store portions of the audio content stream in the one of the plurality of logically distinct storage categories in the external data system; and

one or more processors configured to process the voice gateway and the developer-accessible interface.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a first set of service layers configured to be used to develop the functional capabilities of the voice interface that facilitate interaction with the voice gateway.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a second set of service layers configured to be used to develop integration capabilities for the voice interface that facilitate interaction between the functional capabilities and the external data system.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a tools service layer that works in conjunction with the voice gateway, the tools service layer configured to monitor a performance of the voice interface.

28. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a content management service layer configured to provide a template for creation of dialogs in the voice interface, thereby facilitating interaction with the external data system.

29. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a distributed voice gateway, wherein the voice interface controls functioning of a respective local device through services and capabilities of a remote system.