Speech recognition status feedback of volume event occurrence and recognition status

• US 7,240,012 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2006
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Iwema, Marieke, Garside, Adrian, Chambers, Robert L, Schmid, Philipp H
• Primary Examiner(s): Opsasnick; Michael N.
• Application Number:
  US11/386,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/277
• US Class Current: 704/277
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/28 Constructional details of speech recognition systems

Abstract

A user interface is described that informs the user as to the status of the operation of a voice recognition application. The user interface displays an indicator, such as a volume bar, each time that the voice recognition application records and identifies a volume event. The user interface also displays an indicator when the voice recognition application recognizes a volume event corresponding to a displayed volume event indicator. The interface thus confirms to a user that the voice recognition application is both recording and recognizing the words being spoken by the user. It also graphically informs the user of the delay the application is currently experiencing in recognizing the words that the user is speaking.

Claims

1. A method of displaying the status of a voice recognition process, comprising:

determining the occurrence of a first volume event;

responsive to determining the occurrence of the first volume event, displaying a first volume event occurrence indicator;

determining the occurrence of a second volume event;

responsive to determining the occurrence of the second volume event, displaying a second volume event occurrence indicator simultaneously with the first volume event occurrence indicator;

recognizing the first volume event; and

displaying a first volume event recognition indicator so as to associate the first volume event recognition indicator with the first volume event occurrence indicator.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying only a single volume event occurrence indicator at any time until the voice recognition process recognizes that a user has begun speaking a phrase.

3. The method recited in claim 1, displaying wherein displaying the second volume event occurrence indicator includes displaying the second volume event occurrence indicator to the right of the first volume event occurrence indicator.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein displaying the first volume event recognition indicator includes displaying the volume event recognition indicator as a rectangle.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein displaying the first volume event recognition indicator includes displaying the first volume event recognition indicator to have a color corresponding to a confidence level in the recognition of the first volume event.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recognizing the second volume event; and

displaying a second volume event recognition indicator simultaneously with the first volume event recognition indicator and the first and second volume event occurrence indicators so as to associate the second volume event recognition indicator with the second volume event occurrence indicator.

7. The method of claim 1, further including determining whether the first volume event occurrence indicator is still displayed after recognizing the first volume event, wherein displaying the first volume event recognition indicator is responsive to determining that the first volume event occurrence indicator is still displayed.

8. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a phrase end indicator responsive to the voice recognition process recognizing the end of a phrase being spoken by a user.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the phrase end indicator indicates whether the phrase was accurately recognized by voice recognition application.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the displaying the first and second volume event occurrence indicators includes displaying each of the first and second volume event occurrence indicators as a bar.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein displaying the first and second volume event occurrence indicators includes displaying each of the bars to have a height corresponding to a volume of the respective volume event.

12. The method recited in claim 10, wherein displaying the first and second volume event occurrence indicators includes displaying each of the bars to have a color corresponding to a volume of the respective volume event.

13. A method of displaying the status of a voice recognition process, comprising:

receiving a first volume event determination notification from a voice recognition application, the volume event determination notification corresponding to a first volume event;

in response to receiving the first volume event determination notification, displaying a first volume event occurrence indicator;

receiving a second volume event determination notification from the voice recognition application, the second volume event determination notification corresponding to a second volume event occurring after the first volume event;

in response to receiving the second volume event determination notification, displaying a second volume event occurrence indicator simultaneously with the first volume event occurrence indicator;

receiving a first volume event recognition notification from the voice recognition application, the first volume event recognition notification notifying that the first volume event has been recognized;

in response to receiving the first volume event recognition notification, displaying a first volume event recognition indicator so as to associate the first volume event recognition indicator with the first volume event occurrence indicator;

receiving a second volume event recognition notification from the voice recognition application, the second volume event recognition notification notifying that the second volume event has been recognized; and

in response to receiving the second volume event recognition notification, displaying a second volume event recognition indicator simultaneously with the first volume event recognition indicator and the first and second volume event occurrence indicators so as to associate the second volume event recognition indicator with the second volume event occurrence indicator.

14. The method recited in claim 13, wherein displaying the first volume event recognition indicator includes:

determining if the first volume event occurrence indicator is still being displayed;

responsive to determining that the first volume event occurrence indicator is still being displayed, displaying the first volume event recognition indicator adjacent to the first volume event occurrence indicator; and

responsive to determining that the first volume event occurrence indicator is not still being displayed, not displaying the first volume event recognition indicator.

15. The method recited in claim 13, wherein displaying the first volume event recognition indicator includes displaying the volume event recognition indicator as a rectangle.

16. The method recited in claim 13, wherein a color of the first volume event recognition indicator corresponds to a confidence level in the recognition of the first volume event.

17. The method recited in claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a phrase end notification from the voice recognition application notifying of the end of a phrase; and

in response to receiving the phrase end notification, displaying a phrase end indicator.

18. The method recited in claim 17, wherein the phrase end indicator indicates whether the phrase was accurately recognized by the voice recognition application.

19. The method recited in claim 13, wherein displaying the first volume event occurrence indicator includes displaying the first volume event occurrence indicator as a bar.

20. The method recited in claim 19, wherein displaying the bar includes displaying the bar to have a height corresponding to a volume of the first volume event.

21. The method recited in claim 19, wherein displaying the bar includes displaying the bar to have a color corresponding to a volume of the first volume event.

22. A voice recognition system, comprising:

a voice recognition portion configured to determine an occurrence of and recognize a plurality of volume events; and

a user interface portion configured to;

display a plurality of volume event occurrence indicators simultaneously with each other responsive to the voice recognition portion determining occurrences of a plurality of volume events, each of the volume event occurrence indicators associated with a different one of the volume events, and

display a plurality of volume event recognition indicators simultaneously with each other so as to associate one of the volume event recognition indicators with one of the volume event occurrence indicators.

23. The recognition system recited in claim 22, wherein the voice recognition portion includes:

a volume event determination module configured to determine each of the volume events from one or more recorded sound samples, and

a voice recognition module configured to recognize each of the volume events.