Application program interfaces and structures in a resource limited operating system

• US 20050102687A1
• Filed: 11/11/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Mark, Mathur, Sharad, Johnson, Bruce, Hullender, Gregory, Ginsberg, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/985,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20050102687A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A set of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for a resource-limited environment are disclosed. The APIs provide a mechanism for a computer application to interface with various components and modules of an operating system for a resource-limited environment. The APIs further provide a mechanism to interface with input/output devices commonly found in embedded systems running in a resource-limited environment.

Claims

1. A set of application program interfaces embodied on a computer-readable medium for execution on a computer in conjunction with an application that manages at least one voice command menu, comprising:

a first interface that receives a handle of a window associated with the at least one voice command menu and a flag indicating when the menu should be active in relation to a speech recognition status;

a second interface that receives a list of command structures, each of said command structures describing a voice command, and that returns a number associated with a first voice command added to the at least one voice command menu;

a third interface that deactivates the at least one voice command menu; and

a fourth interface that receives a number corresponding to a first voice command, a number of voice commands to remove and that removes the number of voice commands from the at least one voice command menu, said removal starting with the number corresponding to the first voice command.

2. A set of application program interfaces embodied on a computer-readable medium for execution on a computer in conjunction with an application that manages a voice command menu, comprising:

a first interface that receives an enablement parameter from an application, said enablement parameter operative to cause a voice recognition component to enable voice recognition when the enablement parameter has a first value and to disable voice recognition when the enablement parameter has a second value; and

a second interface that returns a second parameter to the application, said second parameter operative to indicate that voice recognition is enabled when the second parameter has the first value and that voice recognition is disabled when the second parameter has the second value.

3. A set of application program interfaces embodied on a computer-readable medium for execution on a computer in conjunction with an application that manages a voice command menu, comprising:

a first interface that receives a first voice command structure identifying a voice menu and a command string, said voice command structure having an association with a second application;

a second interface that receives an identifier of a recognized voice command, a second voice command structure identifying a voice menu associated with the recognized voice command, a verification required flag, an action data string, a list containing at least one recognized phrase of the recognized voice command, and a command string corresponding the recognized command;

a third interface that is called when a spoken phrase is detected by a voice command component; and

a fourth interface that receives a type of interference detected by the voice command component.

4. A set of application program interfaces embodied on a computer-readable medium for execution on a computer in conjunction with an application that manages a voice command menu, comprising:

a first interface that receives a menu identifier structure, said menu identifier structure comprising an application name and a state name, a language identifier structure and a mode flag from an application that causes a voice recognition system to create a voice command menu identified by the menu identifier structure; and

a second interface that receives the menu identifier structure from an application and that causes the voice recognition system to delete the voice command menu identified by the menu identifier structure.

5. A computer system comprising:

a computer comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled together;

an operating system executing in the processor, said operating system having a voice recognition component; and

an application program running under the control of the operating system;

application program interfaces associated with the voice recognition component, said application program interfaces operative to receive data from the application and send data to the application, the application program interfaces comprising;

an interface that receives a handle of a window associated with the at least one voice command menu and a flag indicating when the menu should be active in relation to a speech recognition status;

an interface that receives a list of command structures, each of said command structures describing a voice command, and that returns a number associated with a first voice command added to the at least one voice command menu;

an interface that deactivates the at least one voice command menu; and

an interface that receives a number corresponding to a first voice command, a number of voice commands to remove and that removes the number of voice commands from the at least one voice command menu,

said removal starting with the number corresponding to the first voice command.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the application program interfaces further comprise:

an interface that receives an enablement parameter from the application, said enablement parameter operative to cause the voice recognition component to enable voice recognition when the enablement parameter has a first value and to disable voice recognition when the enablement parameter has a second value; and

an interface that returns a second parameter to the application, said second parameter operative to indicate that voice recognition is enabled when the second parameter has the first value and that voice recognition is disabled when the second parameter has the second value.

7. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the application program interfaces further comprise:

an interface that receives from the application a first voice command structure identifying a voice menu and a command string, said voice command structure having an association with a second application;

an interface that receives an identifier of a recognized voice command, a second voice command structure identifying a voice menu associated with the recognized voice command, a verification required flag, an action data string, a list containing at least one recognized phrase of the recognized voice command, and a command string corresponding the recognized command;

an interface that is called when a spoken phrase is detected by the voice recognition component; and

an interface that receives a type of interference detected by the voice recognition component.

8. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the application program interfaces further comprise:

an interface that receives a menu identifier structure, said menu identifier structure comprising an application name and a state name, a language identifier structure and a mode flag from an application that causes a voice recognition system to create a voice command menu identified by the menu identifier structure; and

an interface that receives the menu identifier structure from an application and that causes the voice recognition system to delete the voice command menu identified by the menu identifier structure.

9. In a computing system that includes an application for responding to voice commands in a limited resource environment, a method for allowing the application to interface with voice recognition components, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a handle of a window associated with the at least one voice command menu and a flag indicating when the menu should be active in relation to a speech recognition status;

an act of receiving a list of command structures, each of said command structures describing a voice command, and thereafter returning a number associated with a first voice command added to the at least one voice command menu;

an act of deactivating the at least one voice command menu; and

an act of receiving a number corresponding to a first voice command and a number of voice commands to remove and thereafter removing the number of voice commands from the at least one voice command menu, said removal starting with the number corresponding to the first voice command.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, the method further comprising:

an act of receiving an enablement parameter from the application, said enablement parameter operative to cause the voice recognition component to enable voice recognition when the enablement parameter has a first value and to disable voice recognition when the enablement parameter has a second value; and

an act of returning a second parameter to the application, said second parameter operative to indicate that voice recognition is enabled when the second parameter has the first value and that voice recognition is disabled when the second parameter has the second value.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, the method further comprising:

an act of receiving from the application a first voice command structure identifying a voice menu and a command string, said voice command structure having an association with a second application;

an act of receiving an identifier of a recognized voice command, a second voice command structure identifying a voice menu associated with the recognized voice command, a verification required flag, an action data string, a list containing at least one recognized phrase of the recognized voice command, and a command string corresponding the recognized command;

calling an interface when a spoken phrase is detected by the voice recognition component; and

an act of receiving a type of interference detected by the voice recognition component.

12. A method as recited in claim 9, the method further comprising:

an act of receiving a menu identifier structure, said menu identifier structure comprising an application name and a state name, a language identifier structure and a mode flag from an application that causes a voice recognition system to create a voice command menu identified by the menu identifier structure; and

an act of receiving the menu identifier structure from an application and that causes the voice recognition system to delete the voice command menu identified by the menu identifier structure.

13. A computer program product for use in a computing system that includes an application for responding to voice commands in a limited resource environment and for implementing a method for allowing the application to interface with voice recognition components, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for implementing the method, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a handle of a window associated with the at least one voice command menu and a flag indicating when the menu should be active in relation to a speech recognition status;

an act of receiving a list of command structures, each of said command structures describing a voice command, and thereafter returning a number associated with a first voice command added to the at least one voice command menu;

an act of deactivating the at least one voice command menu; and

an act of receiving a number corresponding to a first voice command and a number of voice commands to remove and thereafter removing the number of voice commands from the at least one voice command menu, said removal starting with the number corresponding to the first voice command.

14. A computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

an act of receiving an enablement parameter from the application, said enablement parameter operative to cause the voice recognition component to enable voice recognition when the enablement parameter has a first value and to disable voice recognition when the enablement parameter has a second value; and

an act of returning a second parameter to the application, said second parameter operative to indicate that voice recognition is enabled when the second parameter has the first value and that voice recognition is disabled when the second parameter has the second value.

15. A computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

an act of receiving from the application a first voice command structure identifying a voice menu and a command string, said voice command structure having an association with a second application;

an act of receiving an identifier of a recognized voice command, a second voice command structure identifying a voice menu associated with the recognized voice command, a verification required flag, an action data string, a list containing at least one recognized phrase of the recognized voice command, and a command string corresponding the recognized command;

calling an interface when a spoken phrase is detected by the voice recognition component; and

an act of receiving a type of interference detected by the voice recognition component.

16. A computer program product as recited in claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

an act of receiving a menu identifier structure, said menu identifier structure comprising an application name and a state name, a language identifier structure and a mode flag from an application that causes a voice recognition system to create a voice command menu identified by the menu identifier structure; and

an act of receiving the menu identifier structure from an application and that causes the voice recognition system to delete the voice command menu identified by the menu identifier structure.