Pausing A VoiceXML Dialog Of A Multimodal Application

• US 20080208584A1
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: McCobb, Gerald M., Ativanichayaphong, Soonthorn, Jaramillo, David, Cross, Charles W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/06 Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/10 Multimodal systems, i.e. based on the integration of multiple recognition engines or fusion of expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02168 the estimation exclusively taking place during speech pauses

Abstract

Pausing a VoiceXML dialog of a multimodal application, including generating by the multimodal application a pause event; responsive to the pause event, temporarily pausing the dialogue by the VoiceXML interpreter; generating by the multimodal application a resume event; and responsive to the resume event, resuming the dialog. Embodiments are implemented with the multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application is operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, and the VoiceXML interpreter is interpreting the VoiceXML dialog to be paused.

Claims

1. A method for pausing a VoiceXML dialog of a multimodal application, the method implemented with the multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, the VoiceXML interpreter interpreting the VoiceXML dialog to be paused, the method comprising:

generating by the multimodal application a pause event;

responsive to the pause event, temporarily pausing the dialogue by the VoiceXML interpreter;

generating by the multimodal application a resume event; and

responsive to the resume event, resuming the dialog.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a pause event further comprises generating a pause event by the multimodal application when the multimodal application is running in a GUI window and GUI focus changes to a different window.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a pause event further comprises:

creating a script variable to hold an interpretation of a user utterance matching a pause control grammar;

specifying the pause control grammar, the pause control grammar comprising words that when matched will resolve to a pause keyword;

providing a script whose evaluation identifies the name of an event to be generated as the pause keyword.

4. The method of claim 1 where generating a resume event further comprises:

creating a script variable to hold an interpretation of a user utterance matching a pause control grammar;

specifying the pause control grammar, the pause control grammar comprising words that when matched will resolve to a resume keyword;

providing a script whose evaluation identifies the name of an event to be generated as the resume keyword.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

when the pause event is generated, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘

TTS’

) engine without listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine and waiting by the multimodal application for the resume event; and

resuming the dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

when the pause event is generated, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘

TTS’

) engine and listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, stopping listening for voice input, stopping a no-input timer, and waiting for the resume event; and

resuming the dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, resuming listening for voice input, and restarting the noinput timer.

7. Apparatus for pausing a VoiceXML dialog of a multimodal application, the apparatus implemented with the multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, the VoiceXML interpreter interpreting the VoiceXML dialog to be paused, the apparatus comprising a computer processor and a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

generating by the multimodal application a pause event;

responsive to the pause event, temporarily pausing the dialogue by the VoiceXML interpreter;

generating by the multimodal application a resume event; and

responsive to the resume event, resuming the dialog.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein generating a pause event further comprises generating a pause event by the multimodal application when the multimodal application is running in a GUI window and GUI focus changes to a different window.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein generating a pause event further comprises:

creating a script variable to hold an interpretation of a user utterance matching a pause control grammar;

specifying the pause control grammar, the pause control grammar comprising words that when matched will resolve to a pause keyword;

providing a script whose evaluation identifies the name of an event to be generated as the pause keyword.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 where generating a resume event further comprises:

creating a script variable to hold an interpretation of a user utterance matching a pause control grammar;

specifying the pause control grammar, the pause control grammar comprising words that when matched will resolve to a resume keyword;

providing a script whose evaluation identifies the name of an event to be generated as the resume keyword.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

when the pause event is generated, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘

TTS’

) engine without listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine and waiting by the multimodal application for the resume event; and

resuming the dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

when the pause event is generated, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘

TTS’

) engine and listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, stopping listening for voice input, stopping a no-input timer, and waiting for the resume event; and

resuming the dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, resuming listening for voice input, and restarting the noinput timer.

13. A computer program product for pausing a VoiceXML dialog of a multimodal application, the computer program product comprising a multimodal application capable of operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, the VoiceXML interpreter capable of interpreting the VoiceXML dialog to be paused, the computer program product disposed upon a signal bearing medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

generating by the multimodal application a pause event;

responsive to the pause event, temporarily pausing the dialogue by the VoiceXML interpreter;

generating by the multimodal application a resume event; and

responsive to the resume event, resuming the dialog.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the signal bearing medium comprises a recordable medium.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the signal bearing medium comprises a transmission medium.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein generating a pause event further comprises generating a pause event by the multimodal application when the multimodal application is running in a GUI window and GUI focus changes to a different window.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein generating a pause event further comprises:

creating a script variable to hold an interpretation of a user utterance matching a pause control grammar;

specifying the pause control grammar, the pause control grammar comprising words that when matched will resolve to a pause keyword;

providing a script whose evaluation identifies the name of an event to be generated as the pause keyword.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 where generating a resume event further comprises:

creating a script variable to hold an interpretation of a user utterance matching a pause control grammar;

specifying the pause control grammar, the pause control grammar comprising words that when matched will resolve to a resume keyword;

providing a script whose evaluation identifies the name of an event to be generated as the resume keyword.

19. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

when the pause event is generated, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘

TTS’

) engine without listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine and waiting by the multimodal application for the resume event; and

resuming the dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine.

20. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

when the pause event is generated, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘

TTS’

) engine and listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, stopping listening for voice input, stopping a no-input timer, and waiting for the resume event; and

resuming the dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, resuming listening for voice input, and restarting the noinput timer.