INVOKING TAPERED PROMPTS IN A MULTIMODAL APPLICATION

• US 20120166201A1
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ativanichayaphong, Soonthorn, Cross, Charles W. Jr., McCobb, Gerald M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,744,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/251 where a voice mode or a visual mode can be used interchangeably
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/40 terminals with audio html browser
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are described for invoking tapered prompts in a multimodal application implemented with a multimodal browser and a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction with the multimodal application, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes. Embodiments include identifying, by a multimodal browser, a prompt element in a multimodal application; identifying, by the multimodal browser, one or more attributes associated with the prompt element; and playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element.

Claims

1. A method for invoking tapered prompts in a multimodal application, the method implemented with a multimodal browser and a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction with the multimodal application, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the method comprising:

identifying, by a multimodal browser, a prompt element in a multimodal application;

identifying, by the multimodal browser, one or more attributes associated with the prompt element; and

playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise a class attribute;

and wherein

playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprises;

identifying a cascading style sheet defined by the class attribute;

playing according to the cascading style sheet a speech prompt; and

rendering according to the cascading style sheet one or more visual elements associated with the speech prompt.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise a prompt counter shadow variable and a source expression attribute for a form item whose value depends upon the value of the prompt counter shadow variable;

and wherein

playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprises playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the value of the source expression attribute further comprises a local URL defined by the value of the prompt counter shadow variable, wherein the local URL identifies a predetermined speech prompt for the prompt counter value;

and

playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute further comprises playing the predetermined speech prompt.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the value of the source expression attribute further comprise a data encoded URL for invoking a remote prompt creation engine and wherein the URL is data encoded with the value of the prompt counter shadow variable:

and

playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute further comprises dynamically creating by the remote prompt creation engine a speech prompt in dependence upon the value of the prompt counter shadow variable.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the value of the source expression attribute further comprise a local URL for invoking a local function call:

and

playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute further comprises dynamically creating a speech prompt by invoking the local function call parameterized with the value of the prompt counter shadow variable.

7. An apparatus for invoking tapered prompts in a multimodal application, the apparatus including a multimodal browser and a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction with the multimodal application, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, 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:

identifying, by a multimodal browser, a prompt element in a multimodal application;

identifying, by the multimodal browser, one or more attributes associated with the prompt element; and

playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise a class attribute;

and wherein

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise computer program instructions capable of;

identifying a cascading style sheet defined by the class attribute;

playing according to the cascading style sheet a speech prompt; and

rendering according to the cascading style sheet one or more visual elements associated with the speech prompt.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise a prompt counter shadow variable and a source expression attribute for a form item whose value depends upon the value of the prompt counter shadow variable;

and wherein

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the value of the source expression attribute further comprises a local URL defined by the value of the prompt counter shadow variable, wherein the local URL identifies a predetermined speech prompt for the prompt counter value;

and

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute further comprise computer program instructions capable of playing the predetermined speech prompt.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the value of the source expression attribute further comprise a data encoded URL for invoking a remote prompt creation engine and wherein the URL is data encoded with the value of the prompt counter shadow variable:

and

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute further comprise computer program instructions capable of dynamically creating by the remote prompt creation engine a speech prompt in dependence upon the value of the prompt counter shadow variable.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the value of the source expression attribute further comprise a local URL for invoking a local function call:

and

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute further comprise computer program instructions capable of dynamically creating a speech prompt by invoking the local function call parameterized with the value of the prompt counter shadow variable.

13. An computer program product for invoking tapered prompts in a multimodal application, the computer program product including a multimodal browser operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction with the multimodal application, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the computer program product disposed upon a computer-readable, signal-bearing medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

identifying, by a multimodal browser, a prompt element in a multimodal application;

identifying, by the multimodal browser, one or more attributes associated with the prompt element; and

playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise a class attribute;

and wherein

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise computer program instructions capable of;

identifying a cascading style sheet defined by the class attribute;

playing according to the cascading style sheet a speech prompt; and

rendering according to the cascading style sheet one or more visual elements associated with the speech prompt.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise a prompt counter shadow variable and a source expression attribute for a form item whose value depends upon the value of the prompt counter shadow variable;

and wherein

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element further comprise computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the value of the source expression attribute further comprises a local URL defined by the value of the prompt counter shadow variable, wherein the local URL identifies a predetermined speech prompt for the prompt counter value;

and

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute further comprise computer program instructions capable of playing the predetermined speech prompt.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the value of the source expression attribute further comprise a data encoded URL for invoking a remote prompt creation engine and wherein the URL is data encoded with the value of the prompt counter shadow variable:

and

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute further comprise computer program instructions capable of dynamically creating by the remote prompt creation engine a speech prompt in dependence upon the value of the prompt counter shadow variable.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the value of the source expression attribute further comprise a local URL for invoking a local function call:

and

computer program instructions capable of playing a speech prompt defined by the value of the source expression attribute further comprise computer program instructions capable of dynamically creating a speech prompt by invoking the local function call parameterized with the value of the prompt counter shadow variable.

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

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