Event-based speech interactive media player

• US 10,706,849 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2019
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XappMedia, Inc.
• Original Assignee: XappMedia, Inc.
• Inventors: Higbie, Patrick B., Kelvie, John P., Myers, Michael M., Raines, Franklin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Guerra-Erazo, Edgar X
• Application Number:
  US16/534,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20190362722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

Interactive content containing audio or video may be provided in conjunction with non-interactive content containing audio or video to enhance user engagement and interest with the contents and to increase the effectiveness of the distributed information. Interactive content may be directly inserted into the existing, non-interactive content. Additionally or alternatively, interactive content may be streamed in parallel to the existing content, with minimal modification to the existing content. For example, the server may monitor content from a content provider; detect an event (e.g., a marker embedded in the content stream, or in a data source external to the content stream); upon detecting the event, play interactive content at a designated time while silencing the content stream of the content provider (e.g., by muting, pausing, playing silence.) The marker may be a sub-audible tone or metadata associated with the content stream. The user may respond to the interactive content by voice.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

playing first media content from a content provider to a user, wherein the first media content embeds speech interactive content that includes a prompt that instructs the user to respond with a predefined action phrase;

activating a microphone at a user device of the user in response to detecting a wakeup word spoken by the user to detect voice commands spoken by the user;

while the microphone is activated, determining whether a voice command spoken by the user is received at the user device;

in response to determining that the voice command is received, transmitting the voice command from the user device to a server configured to analyze the voice command to generate instructions for responding to the voice command;

receiving the instructions from the server; and

performing, at the user device, an action corresponding to the voice command based on the instructions received from the server.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting a predefined event in the received first media content, wherein the predefined event comprises information associated with playing the speech interactive content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to determine whether the voice command corresponds to the predefined action phrase in command-action correspondence data associating predefined action phrases to respective actions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the action comprises:

playing second media content at the user device, wherein the second media content is received from the server in response to transmitting the voice command.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second media content comprises audio or video data.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second media content originates from a source different from the content provider.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the second media content comprises audio or video data from the content provider.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the action comprises:

launching an application associated with the interactive content, wherein the application provides one or more of the following functionalities;

a mobile interactive voice response (IVR), call routing, voice or touch mobile purchases, voice or touch order fulfillment, voice or touch customer feedback, voice or touch customer service, or voice website access.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the action comprises:

receiving a message at the user device indicating confirmation of the received voice command, wherein the message comprises text data, audio data, video data, or a link.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing one or more computer programs that include computer instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

play first media content from a content provider to a user, wherein the first media content embeds speech interactive content that includes a prompt that instructs the user to respond with a predefined action phrase;

activate a microphone at a user device of the user in response to detecting a wakeup word spoken by the user to detect voice commands spoken by the user;

while the microphone is activated, determine whether a voice command spoken by the user is received at the user device;

in response to determining that the voice command is received, transmit the voice command from the user device to a server configured to analyze the voice command to generate instructions for responding to the voice command;

receive the instructions from the server; and

perform, at the user device, an action corresponding to the voice command based on the instructions received from the server.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are caused to:

detect a predefined event in the received first media content, wherein the predefined event comprises information associated with playing the speech interactive content.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the server is configured to determine whether the voice command corresponds to the predefined action phrase in command-action correspondence data associating predefined action phrases to respective actions.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein to perform the action, the one or more processors are caused to:

play second media content at the user device, wherein the second media content is received from the server in response to transmitting the voice command.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second media content comprises audio or video data.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the second media content originates from a source different from the content provider.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the second media content comprises audio or video data from the content provider.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein to perform the action, the one or more processors are caused to:

launch an application associated with the interactive content, wherein the application provides one or more of the following functionalities;

a mobile interactive voice response (IVR), call routing, voice or touch mobile purchases, voice or touch order fulfillment, voice or touch customer feedback, voice or touch customer service, or voice website access.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein to perform the action, the one or more processors are caused to:

receive a message at the user device indicating confirmation of the received voice command, wherein the message comprises text data, audio data, video data, or a link.