Voice browser apparatus and voice browsing method

• US 20020010586A1
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Yuji, Ito, Fumiaki, Ueda, Takaya, Fujii, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

In a voice browser apparatus, an HTML document is obtained from a designated URL, the obtained document is analyzed based on a rule designated from a plurality of rules for defining voice input/output contents to fetch voice output contents, voice input candidates and designation information for designating a next object of processing corresponding to each voice input candidate, and the fetched voice output contents are voice-outputted. Then, the voice input from a user for this output is voice-recognized, and controls obtainment of a new document and next analysis based on designation information corresponding to the input candidate matching the recognition result. Thereby, contents for the graphical user interface can easily be browsed using voice input/output.

Claims

1. A document processing apparatus comprising:

document obtaining means for obtaining a document written in a predetermined markup language from a designated source from which the document is to be obtained;

rule selecting means for selecting a rule defining voice input/output contents from a plurality of predetermined rules;

document analyzing means for analyzing a designated range of the document obtained by said document obtaining means based on the rule selected by said rule selecting means to fetch voice output contents, voice input candidates, and designation information for designating a next processing object corresponding to each voice input candidate;

voice outputting means for voice-outputting the voice output contents fetched by said document analyzing means;

voice recognizing means for voice-recognizing the voice input by the user; and

controlling means for checking the result of recognition by said voice recognizing means against the input candidates fetched by said document analyzing means to control obtainment of a new document by said document obtaining means or next analysis by said document analyzing means based on designation information corresponding to the input candidate matching the recognition result.

2. The document processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rule selecting means selects a rule based on rule identification information described in the document obtained by said document obtaining means.

3. The document processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said rule identification information is a predetermined attribute value of a predetermined tag.

4. The document processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said rule selecting means selects a predetermined rule if the rule identification information is not described in the obtained document.

5. The document processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said document analyzing means fetches as said designation information a source from which a next document is obtained.

6. The document processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said document analyzing means fetches an analyzed range of a next document as said designation information.

7. The document processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rule selecting means selects a rule based on instructions from a user.

8. The document processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said rule selecting means gives a higher priority to predetermined one of the rule based on said user'"'"'s instructions and the rule based on the rule identification information described in the document obtained by said document obtaining means to select a rule.

9. The document processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of rules includes a rule which defines a predetermined attribute value of a predetermined tag as voice output contents, and contents surrounded by predetermined second tags as input candidates, in said document.

10. The document processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein in said rule, if said recognition result matches an input candidate, contents ranging from the contents surrounded by said second predetermined tags which correspond to the input candidate up to a third predetermined tag are defined as next voice output contents, and an anchor in the voice output contents is defined as a next input candidate.

11. The document processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of rules includes a rule which defines contents ranging from the head of said document to a predetermined tag as voice output contents, and an anchor in the voice output contents as an input candidate.

12. The document processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said voice input and voice output are performed through a telephone line.

13. A document processing method comprising:

a document obtaining step of obtaining a document written in a predetermined markup language from a designated source from which the document is to be obtained;

a rule selecting step of selecting a rule defining voice input/output contents from a plurality of predetermined rules;

a document analyzing step of analyzing a designated range of the document obtained in said document obtaining step based on the rule selected in said rule selecting step to fetch voice output contents, voice input candidates, and designation information for designating a next processing object corresponding to each voice input candidate;

a voice outputting step of voice-outputting the voice output contents fetched in said document analyzing step;

a voice recognizing step of voice-recognizing the voice input from the user; and

a controlling step of checking the result of recognition by said voice recognizing step against the input candidates fetched in said document analyzing step to control obtainment of a new document by said document obtaining step or next analysis by said document analyzing step based on designation information corresponding to the input candidate matching the recognition result.

14. A computer-executable program for controlling a computer to perform document processing, said program comprising codes for causing the computer to perform:

a document obtaining step of obtaining a document written in a predetermined markup language from a designated source from which the document is to be obtained;

a rule selecting step of selecting a rule defining voice input/output contents from a plurality of predetermined rules;

a document analyzing step of analyzing a designated range of the document obtained in said document obtaining step based on the rule selected in said rule selecting step to fetch voice output contents, voice input candidates, and designation information for designating a next processing object corresponding to each voice input candidate;

a voice outputting step of voice-outputting the voice output contents fetched in said document analyzing step;

a voice recognizing step of voice-recognizing the voice input from the user; and

a controlling step of checking the result of recognition by said voice recognizing step against the input candidates fetched in said document analyzing step to control obtainment of a new document by said document obtaining step or next analysis by said document analyzing step based on designation information corresponding to the input candidate matching the recognition result.

15. A computer-readable storage medium for storing the program according to claim 14.