Method and apparatus for voice-enabling an application

• US 20050283367A1
• Filed: 06/17/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Muschett, Brien H., Cross, Charles W. Jr., Ativanichayaphong, Soonthorn
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A method of voice-enabling an application for command and control and content navigation can include the application dynamically generating a markup language fragment specifying a command and control and content navigation grammar for the application, instantiating an interpreter from a voice library, and providing the markup language fragment to the interpreter. The method also can include the interpreter processing a speech input using the command and control and content navigation grammar specified by the markup language fragment and providing an event to the application indicating an instruction representative of the speech input.

Claims

1. A method of voice-enabling an application for command and control and content navigation comprising:

the application,

dynamically generating a markup language fragment specifying a command and control and content navigation grammar for the application;

instantiating an interpreter from a voice library; and

providing the markup language fragment to the interpreter;

the interpreter,

processing a speech input using the command and control and content navigation grammar specified by the markup language fragment; and

providing an event to the application indicating an instruction representative of the speech input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the application identifying available commands of the application and links of an electronic document rendered by the application; and

adding the commands and links to the command and control and content navigation grammar specified by the markup language fragment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information provided to the application corresponds to at least one of a menu command or content navigation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an identity of a particular multimodal device from a plurality of multimodal devices; and

substituting the identity for a command object within the command and control and content navigation grammar specified by the markup language fragment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the event provided to the application specifies the substituted identity of the multimodal device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the interpreter,

generating the event to be provided to the application; and

catching the event using a handler specified by the markup language fragment.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the application interpreting the event according to an event hierarchy specified by the command and control and content navigation grammar.

8. The method of claim 1, said step of processing the speech input corresponding to command and control or content navigation, wherein said processing step occurs substantially concurrently with rendering content within the application.

9. A machine readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

an application,

dynamically generating a markup language fragment specifying a command and control and content navigation grammar for the application;

instantiating an interpreter from a voice library; and

providing the markup language fragment to the interpreter;

the interpreter,

processing a speech input using the command and control and content navigation grammar specified by the markup language fragment; and

providing an event to the application indicating an instruction representative of the speech input.

10. The machine readable storage of claim 9, further comprising:

the application identifying available commands of the application and links of an electronic document rendered by the application; and

adding the commands and links to the command and control and content navigation grammar specified by the markup language fragment.

11. The machine readable storage of claim 9, wherein the information provided to the application corresponds to at least one of a menu command or content navigation.

12. The machine readable storage of claim 9 further comprising:

determining an identity of a particular multimodal device from a plurality of multimodal devices; and

substituting the identity for a command object within the command and control and content navigation grammar specified by the markup language fragment.

13. The machine readable storage of claim 12, wherein the event provided to the application specifies the substituted identity of the multimodal device.

14. The machine readable storage of claim 9, further comprising:

the interpreter,

generating the event to be provided to the application; and

catching the event using a handler specified by the markup language fragment.

15. The machine readable storage of claim 14, further comprising the application interpreting the event according to an event hierarchy specified by the command and control and content navigation grammar.

16. The machine readable storage of claim 9, said step of processing the speech input corresponding to command and control or content navigation, wherein said processing step occurs substantially concurrently with rendering content within the application.