Dynamically selecting speech functionality on client devices

• US 9,767,803 B1
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aftershock Services, Inc. (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Wakeford, Kent, Harrington, Clifford J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Serrou, Abdelali
• Application Number:
  US14/107,615
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/28 Constructional details of speech recognition systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

A system and method for dynamically selecting speech recognition functionality on a client device for recognizing user speech inputs are disclosed. Such selection may be made based on speech recognition functionalities actually available on the client devices. The speech functionalities that may be dynamically selected may include, without limitation, speech recognition software and/or services, speech libraries, kernel drivers, speech recognition hardware, audio hardware, and/or any other speech functionality available on a client device. User speech inputs may be processed via the selected speech functionality for generating control commands in a virtual space. In some implementations, remote speech recognition support may be evoked when a client device does not have any speech recognition functionality on the client device.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically selecting speech recognition functionalities provided by client devices, the system comprising:

a server, the server including one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

obtain client device information regarding individual client devices associated with users, the obtained client device information indicating speech recognition functionalities provided by the individual client devices determined based on a type of client device, individual operating systems installed on the individual client devices, and/or serial numbers of the individual client devices, such that the obtained client device information includes first client device information indicating a first speech recognition functionality and a second speech recognition functionality that are provided by a first client device and are determined based on the first client device having a first device type, a first operating system being installed on the first client device, and/or the first client device having a first serial number, wherein the first and second speech recognition functionalities are distinct and separate from each other;

dynamically select speech recognition functionalities provided by the individual client devices for recognizing speech inputs provided by a user, the dynamic selection of the speech recognition functionalities being based on obtained client device information, and one or both of the type of client device and the operating system installed on the individual client devices, such that the first speech recognition functionality provided by the first client device is dynamically selected for recognizing speech inputs provided by the user through the first client device based on the first client device having the first device type and/or the first operating system being installed on the first client device, while the second speech recognition functionality is not selected;

transmit information over a network to the client devices indicating selection of the speech recognition functionalities causing the client devices to use the speech recognition functionalities selected to receive and recognize speech inputs such that selection of the first speech recognition functionality is transmitted to the first client device causing the first client device to receive and recognize speech inputs using the first speech recognition functionality and not the second speech recognition functionality; and

receive the recognized speech inputs from the client devices and process the speech inputs for generating control commands in a virtual space such that responsive to the speech inputs being recognized by the first client device by the first speech functionality as selected, process the recognized speech inputs for generating control commands in the virtual space.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and/or second speech recognition functionality indicated by the first client device information include speech recognition software and/or hardware available on the client device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and/or second speech recognition functionality includes speech recognition functionality provided by the Android operating system, the iOS operating system, the Windows operating system, the MacOS operating system, Linux based operating system, or UNIX based operation system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first client device includes a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop, a desktop computer, a netbook, game console, a set top box, and/or a smart TV.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic selection of the speech recognition functionalities being further based selection criteria specifying one or more rules by which speech recognition functionalities provided by the client devices should be selected for recognizing user speech inputs.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the obtained client device information includes second client device information indicating a third speech recognition functionality provided by a second client device, wherein the third speech recognition functionality is distinct and separate from the first or second speech recognition functionality, and wherein the third speech recognition functionality is dynamically selected for recognizing speech inputs provided by a second user through the second client device.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the speech recognition functionality component is further configured such that a remote speech recognition service is effectuated for the third client device over the Internet.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the speech recognition functionality component is further configured such that the dynamic selection of the first speech recognition functionality is performed at a run-time at which the speech recognition functionality component is loaded by the operating system associated with first client device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the obtained client device information includes fourth client device information indicating that a fourth client device does not provide speech recognition functionality, and wherein the one or more physical processors is further configured to effectuate a remote speech recognition service for recognizing speech inputs provided by a third user through the fourth client device.

10. A method for dynamically selecting speech recognition functionalities provided by client devices, the method being implemented by a server including one or more physical processors configured to execute machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the server, client device information regarding individual client devices associated with users, the obtained client device information indicating speech recognition functionalities provided by the individual client devices determined based on a type of client device, individual operating systems installed on the individual client devices, and/or serial numbers of the individual client devices, such that the obtained client device information includes first client device information indicating a first speech recognition functionality and a second speech recognition functionality provided by a first client device determined based on the first client device having a first device type, a first operating system being installed on the first client device, and/or the first client device having a first serial number, wherein the first and second speech recognition functionalities are distinct and separate from each other;

dynamically selecting, by the server, speech recognition functionalities provided by the individual client devices for recognizing speech inputs provided by a user, the dynamic selection of the speech recognition functionalities being based on obtained client device information, and one or both of the type of client device and the operating system installed on the individual client devices, such that the first speech recognition functionality provided by the first client device is dynamically selected for recognizing speech inputs provided by the user through the first client device based on the first client device having the first device type and/or the first operating system being installed on the first client device, while the second speech recognition functionality is not selected;

transmitting, by the server, information over a network to the client devices indicating selection of the speech recognition functionalities causing the client devices to use the speech recognition functionalities selected to receive and recognize speech inputs such that selection of the first speech recognition functionality is transmitted to the first client device causing the first client device to receive and recognize speech inputs using the first speech recognition functionality and not the second speech recognition functionality; and

receive, by the server, the recognized speech inputs from the client devices and processing the speech inputs for generating control commands in a virtual space such that responsive to the speech inputs being recognized by the first client device by the first speech functionality as selected, process the recognized speech inputs for generating control commands in the virtual space.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and/or second speech recognition functionality indicated by the first client device information include speech recognition software and/or hardware available on the client device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and/or second speech recognition functionality includes speech recognition functionality provided by the Android operating system, the iOS operating system, the Windows operating system, the MacOS operating system, Linux based operating system, or UNIX based operation system.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first client device includes a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop, a desktop computer, a netbook, game console, a set top box, and/or a smart TV.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the dynamic selection of the speech recognition functionalities being further based selection criteria specifying one or more rules by which speech recognition functionalities provided by the client devices should be selected for recognizing user speech inputs.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the obtained client device information includes second client device information indicating a third speech recognition functionality provided by a second client device, wherein the third speech recognition functionality is distinct and separate from the first or second speech recognition functionality, and wherein the third speech recognition functionality is dynamically selected for recognizing speech inputs provided by a second user through the second client device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the speech recognition functionality component is further configured such that a remote speech recognition service is effectuated for the third client device over the Internet.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the dynamic selection of the first speech recognition functionality is performed at a run-time at which the speech recognition functionality component is loaded by the operating system associated with first client device.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the obtained client device information includes fourth client device information indicating that a fourth client device does not provide speech recognition functionality, and wherein the one or more physical processors is further configured to effectuate a remote speech recognition service for recognizing speech inputs provided by a third user through the fourth client device.