SYSTEM, METHOD AND ARCHITECTURE FOR CONTROL AND MULTI-MODAL SYNCHRONIZATION OF SPEECH BROWSERS

• US 20090089064A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sedivy, Jan, Kleindlenst, Jan, Ures, Lubos, Grueneberg, Keith, Seredi, Ladislav, Labsky, Martin, Bachleda, Frantisek
• Granted Patent: US 9,065,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/40 terminals with audio html browser
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

Clients connecting to a VoiceXML browser obtain a control channel. Using this channel, clients may initialize a new VoiceXML session or attach to an existing VoiceXML session. The client after obtaining a session may perform a range of actions including controlling and monitoring actions.

Claims

1. A method for control and multi-modal synchronization of speech browsers, comprising:

establishing a protocol to control and re-define one or more behaviors of built-in form interpretation algorithm of a VoiceXML form, to control one or more parameters and one or more behaviors of audio subsystem and to set one or more parameters of voice recognition module, the protocol further to monitor one or more events associated with processing VoiceXML markup, to monitor one or more events associated with processing an audio stream, and one or more events associated with recognition results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more behaviors of audio subsystem include gain.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more parameters of voice recognition module include type of a spoken language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio stream includes audio level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the recognition results include speech over beep.

6. A system for controlling multi-modal synchronization of speech browsers, comprising:

a VoiceXML browser operable to connect to a front-end application;

a server module operable to provide one or more VoiceXML sessions; and

a control channel established between the VoiceXML browser and the one or more VoiceXML sessions via the front-end application,

wherein the VoiceXML browser and the front-end application provide speech-enabled browser capability to a client device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the front-end application is a web-enabled application.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the VoiceXML browser is implemented as a plug-in to the front-end application.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the VoiceXML browser and the front-end application provide speech-enabled browser capability integrated with a graphical user interface to a client device.

10. A method for control and multi-modal synchronization of speech browsers, comprising:

obtaining a control channel for communicating between a VoiceXML browser and a server application via a front-end application of the server application;

establishing a VoiceXML session via a front-end application; and

allowing a user to perform a plurality of actions via the VoiceXML session.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the front-end application is a web application.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of actions include actions that control the VoiceXML session.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of actions include actions that monitor the VoiceXML session.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of actions include one or more of:

loading a new document,

setting and getting one or more properties associated with client interaction with the VoiceXML browser,

setting and getting one or more VoiceXML variables of a loaded document,

setting and getting one or more VoiceXML variables of an executing document,

executing, stepping, pausing, and resuming an executing document,

changing focus of an executing document,

simulating user input while executing a document,

canceling an execution of a document,

terminating the VoiceXML session,

detaching from the VoiceXML session, or

combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 10, further including:

providing one or more notifications associated with the VoiceXML session to the user.

16. The method of claim 15, further including:

allowing the user to set one or more properties for providing said one or more notifications.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said one or more notifications include one or more responses to actions performed on the VoiceXML session.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said one or more notifications include one or more asynchronous events occurring in the VoiceXML session.

19. The method of claim 15, further including:

allowing the user to select and subscribe to one or more event types of said one or more notifications.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of establishing a VoiceXML session via a front-end application includes initializing a new session or attaching to an existing session.