ASYNCHRONOUS RECEIPT OF INFORMATION FROM A USER

• US 20080162130A1
• Filed: 01/03/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bodin, William K., Thorson, Derral C., Jaramillo, David, Redman, Jesse W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for asynchronous receipt of information from a user. Embodiments include receiving in a library management system a media file containing a speech response recorded on a hand held device in response to the playing of a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information; converting the speech response stored in the media file to text; and storing the text in association with an identification of the user.

Claims

1. A method for asynchronous receipt of information from a user, the method comprising:

receiving in a library management system a media file containing a speech response recorded on a hand held device in response to the playing of a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information;

converting the speech response stored in the media file to text; and

storing the text in association with an identification of the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving in a library management system a media file containing a speech response recorded on a hand held device in response to the playing of a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information further comprises:

transmitting to the handheld device a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information;

playing on the handheld device the media file containing the one or more audio prompts for information;

recording in another media file on the handheld device a speech response from the user;

transmitting the media file containing the speech response to a library management system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein transmitting to the handheld device a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information further comprises synchronizing the handheld device with a local library application coupled for data communications with the library management system.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein transmitting the media file containing the speech response to a library management system further comprises synchronizing the handheld device with a local library application coupled for data communications with the library management system.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein recording in another media file on the handheld device a speech response from the user further comprises:

pausing the playback of the media file containing the one or more audio prompts on the handheld device the media file containing the one or more audio prompts for information in response to a user'"'"'s instruction to initiate recording in another media file on the handheld device the speech response.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the user'"'"'s instruction to initiate recording in another media file on the handheld device the speech response further comprises a user'"'"'s invocation of a push-to-talk button.

7. A system for asynchronous receipt of information from a user, the system comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

receiving in a library management system a media file containing a speech response recorded on a hand held device in response to the playing of a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information;

converting the speech response stored in the media file to text; and

storing the text in association with an identification of the user.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein computer program instructions capable of receiving in a library management system a media file containing a speech response recorded on a hand held device in response to the playing of a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information further comprise computer program instructions capable of:

transmitting to the handheld device a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information;

playing on the handheld device the media file containing the one or more audio prompts for information;

recording in another media file on the handheld device a speech response from the user;

transmitting the media file containing the speech response to a library management system.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein computer program instructions capable of transmitting to the handheld device a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information further comprise computer program instructions capable of synchronizing the handheld device with a local library application coupled for data communications with the library management system.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein computer program instructions capable of transmitting the media file containing the speech response to a library management system further comprise computer program instructions capable of synchronizing the handheld device with a local library application coupled for data communications with the library management system.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein computer program instructions capable of recording in another media file on the handheld device a speech response from the user further comprise computer program instructions capable of:

pausing the playback of the media file containing the one or more audio prompts on the handheld device the media file containing the one or more audio prompts for information in response to a user'"'"'s instruction to initiate recording in another media file on the handheld device the speech response.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the user'"'"'s instruction to initiate recording in another media file on the handheld device the speech response further comprises a user'"'"'s invocation of a push-to-talk button.

13. A computer program product for asynchronous receipt of information from a user, the computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising:

computer program instructions for receiving in a library management system a media file containing a speech response recorded on a hand held device in response to the playing of a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information;

computer program instructions for converting the speech response stored in the media file to text; and

computer program instructions for storing the text in association with an identification of the user.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein computer program instructions for receiving in a library management system a media file containing a speech response recorded on a hand held device in response to the playing of a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information further comprise:

computer program instructions for transmitting to the handheld device a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information;

computer program instructions for playing on the handheld device the media file containing the one or more audio prompts for information;

computer program instructions for recording in another media file on the handheld device a speech response from the user;

computer program instructions for transmitting the media file containing the speech response to a library management system.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein computer program instructions for transmitting to the handheld device a media file containing one or more audio prompts for information further comprise computer program instructions for synchronizing the handheld device with a local library application coupled for data communications with the library management system.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein computer program instructions for transmitting the media file containing the speech response to a library management system further comprise computer program instructions for synchronizing the handheld device with a local library application coupled for data communications with the library management system.

17. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein computer program instructions for recording in another media file on the handheld device a speech response from the user further comprise:

computer program instructions for pausing the playback of the media file containing the one or more audio prompts on the handheld device the media file containing the one or more audio prompts for information in response to a user'"'"'s instruction to initiate recording in another media file on the handheld device the speech response.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the user'"'"'s instruction to initiate recording in another media file on the handheld device the speech response further comprises a user'"'"'s invocation of a push-to-talk button.

19. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a recordable medium.

20. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a transmission medium.