Method and system for defining standard catch styles for speech application code generation

• US 8,799,001 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2003
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Agapi, Ciprian, Gomez, Felipe, Lewis, James R., Michelini, Vanessa V., Sullivan, Sibyl C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lerner, Martin
• Application Number:
  US10/715,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,914 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270.1, 704/270, 704/275, 715/727, 715/810, 717/107
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/027 Concept to speech synthesisers; Generation of natural phrases from machine-based concepts generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text G10L13/08

Abstract

A method and system for defining standard catch styles used in generating speech application code for managing catch events, in which a style-selection menu that allows for selection of one or more catch styles is presented. Each catch style represents a system response to a catch event. A catch style can be selected from the style-selection menu. For each selected catch style, the system can prepare a response for each catch event. If the selected catch style requires playing a new audio message in response to a particular catch event, a contextual message can be entered in one or more text fields. The contextual message entered in each text field corresponds to the new audio message that will be played in response to the particular catch event. In certain catch styles, the entered contextual message is different for each catch event, while in other catch styles, the entered contextual message is the same for each catch event. Finally, if the selected catch style does not require playing of a new audio message in response to a particular catch event, the system can replay the system prompt.

Claims

1. A method of defining catch styles used in generating speech application code for managing a plurality of catch events in an interactive voice application, the method comprising steps of:

presenting a style-selection menu for a plurality of catch styles that allows for selection of one or more of the catch styles, each catch style defining a system response to the plurality of catch events in the interactive voice application, wherein the plurality of catch styles provide different levels of complexity with regard to preparing a system'"'"'s audio response to be played in a dialog turn and the plurality of catch events comprises an event being selected from the group consisting of a user request for help, a non-input entry, and a non-matching entry, wherein the plurality of catch styles includes a Simple catch style for which the system'"'"'s audio response is to replay a prompt that led to the catch event in the interactive voice application, a Modern catch style for which the system'"'"'s audio response is to play a same audio message for all catch events in the interactive voice application and a Classic catch style for which the system'"'"'s audio response is to play different audio messages for at least two types of catch events in the interactive voice application, wherein the at least two types of catch events are selected from the group consisting of a user request for help, a non-input entry, and a non-matching entry;

receiving during programming of the interactive voice application, an indication to associate a catch style with at least one catch event;

determining, with at least one processor, in response to receiving the indication, a currently selected catch style; and

associating the currently selected catch style with the at least one catch event by preparing the system response to the at least one catch event in accordance with the currently selected catch style.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of preparing the system response to the at least one catch event comprises:

presenting one or more text fields for receiving a contextual message, the contextual message entered in each text field corresponding to a new audio message to be played in response to a particular catch event if the selected catch style requires playing of the new audio message in response to the particular catch event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the entered contextual message is different for each catch event.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the entered contextual message is the same for each catch event.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the style-selection menu further includes a control for inserting variables in the contextual message.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the style-selection menu further includes controls for inserting programmed pauses of specified duration values in the contextual message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the preparing the system response for the at least one catch event comprises replaying a system prompt if the currently selected catch style does not require playing of a new audio message in response to a particular catch event.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the style-selection menu further includes a field reciting details about the one or more catch styles.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the style-selection menu further includes a field identifying a final action to be taken if a catch event is not corrected by a user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the style-selection menu further includes a control to enable acceleration of a system timeout upon occurrence of a help catch event.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein preparing the system'"'"'s audio response for the at least one catch event is performed in accordance with a global catch template that applies the selected catch style to all existing and future prompts created for the interactive voice application.

12. A system for managing a plurality of catch events in a speech application, the system comprising a computer, the computer being programmed to:

present an interface having a style-selection template for a plurality of catch styles that allows for selection of one or more of the catch styles, each catch style defining a system response to the plurality of catch events in the speech application, wherein the plurality of catch styles provide different levels of complexity with regard to preparing a system'"'"'s audio response to be played in a dialog turn and the plurality of catch events comprises an event being selected from the group consisting of a user request for help, a non-input entry, and a non-matching entry, wherein the plurality of catch styles includes a Simple catch style for which the system'"'"'s audio response is to replay a prompt that led to the catch event in the interactive voice application, a Modern catch style for which the system'"'"'s audio response is to play a same audio message for all catch events in the interactive voice application and a Classic catch style for which the system'"'"'s audio response is to play different audio messages for at least two types of catch events in the interactive voice application, wherein the at least two types of catch events are selected from the group consisting of a user request for help, a non-input entry, and a non-matching entry;

receive during programming of the interactive voice application, an indication to associate a catch style with at least one catch event;

determine, in response to receiving the indication, a currently selected catch style; and

associate the currently selected catch style with the at least one catch event by preparing the system response to the at least one catch event in accordance with the currently selected catch style.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the interface further comprises one or more text fields for receiving a contextual message, wherein the contextual message entered in each text field corresponds to a new audio message to play in response to a particular catch event.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the contextual message is different for each catch event.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the contextual message is the same for each catch event.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the style-selection interface further includes a control for inserting variables in the contextual message.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the style-selection interface further includes controls for inserting programmed pauses of specified duration values in the contextual message.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the interface further includes a field reciting details about the one or more catch styles.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the interface further includes a field identifying a final action to be taken if a catch event is not corrected by a user.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the style-selection interface further includes a control to enable acceleration of a system timeout upon occurrence of a help catch event.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer is programmed to prepare the system'"'"'s audio response for each of the plurality of catch events in the speech application in accordance with a global catch template that applies the selected catch style to all existing and future prompts created for the speech application.

22. A machine readable storage medium storing a computer program which when executed defines catch styles used in generating speech application code for managing a plurality of catch events in a speech application, the computer program performing a method comprising:

presenting a style-selection menu for a plurality of catch styles that allows for selection of one or more of the catch styles, wherein each catch style defines a system response to the plurality of catch events in the speech application, wherein the plurality of catch styles provide different levels of complexity with regard to preparing a system'"'"'s audio response to be played in a dialog turn and the plurality of catch events comprises an event being selected from the group consisting of a user request for help, a non-input entry, and a non-matching entry, wherein the plurality of catch styles includes a Simple catch style for which the system'"'"'s audio response is to replay a prompt that led to the catch event in the interactive voice application, a Modern catch style for which the system'"'"'s audio response is to play a same audio message for all catch events in the interactive voice application and a Classic catch style for which the system'"'"'s audio response is to play different audio messages for at least two types of catch events in the interactive voice application, wherein the at least two types of catch events are selected from the group consisting of a user request for help, a non-input entry, and a non-matching entry;

receiving during programming of the interactive voice application, an indication to associate a catch style with at least one catch event;

determining, in response to receiving the indication, a currently selected catch style; and

associating the currently selected catch style with the at least one catch event by preparing the system response to the at least one catch event in accordance with the currently selected catch style.

23. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein preparing the system'"'"'s audio response for the at least one catch event is performed in accordance with a global catch template that applies the selected catch style to all existing and future prompts created for the speech application.