Dynamically defining a VoiceXML grammar in an X+V page of a multimodal application

• US 8,069,047 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Pike, Hilary A., Seacat, Lisa A., Cross, Charles W. Jr., White, Marc T.
• Primary Examiner(s): JACKSON, JAKIEDA R
• Application Number:
  US11/673,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,751 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270.1
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/193 Formal grammars, e.g. finite state automata, context free grammars or word networks

Abstract

Dynamically defining a VoiceXML grammar of a multimodal application, 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, and the method includes loading the X+V page by the multimodal application, from a web server into the multimodal device for execution, the X+V page including one or more VoiceXML grammars in one or more VoiceXML dialogs, including at least one in-line grammar that is declared but undefined; retrieving by the multimodal application a grammar definition for the in-line grammar from the web server without reloading the X+V page; and defining by the multimodal application the in-line grammar with the retrieved grammar definition before executing the VoiceXML dialog containing the in-line grammar.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically defining a VoiceXML grammar in an X+V page 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 method comprising:

loading the X+V page by the multimodal application, from a web server into the multimodal device for execution, the X+V page including one or more VoiceXML grammars in one or more VoiceXML dialogs, the VoiceXML grammars comprising at least one in-line grammar that is declared but undefined;

retrieving by the multimodal application a grammar definition for the in-line grammar from the web server without reloading the X+V page; and

defining by the multimodal application the in-line grammar with the retrieved grammar definition before executing the VoiceXML dialog containing the in-line grammar.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving a definition for the in-line grammar from the web server further comprises retrieving a definition for the in line grammar from the web server through an Xm1HttpRequest interface.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the grammar retrieval generating event is a match on a word in a grammar in a VoiceXML dialog of the multimodal application.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the grammar retrieval generating event is a DOM event.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting by the multimodal application a grammar retrieval generating event prior to retrieving the grammar definition, wherein the retrieving of the grammar definition is carried out in response to the detecting of the grammar retrieval generating event.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

executing by the multimodal device a VoiccXML dialog of the X+V page, including matching a word in a voice recognition grammar of the executed VoiceXML dialog and filling, with the matched word, a data entry field of the X+V page; and

selecting, in dependence upon the matched word, a grammar definition for an inline grammar that is declared but undefined;

wherein;

retrieving a grammar definition for the in-line grammar further comprises retrieving the selected grammar definition; and

defining the in-line grammar with the retrieved grammar definition further comprises defining the in-line grammar with the selected grammar definition before executing the VoiceXML dialog containing the in-line grammar.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the grammar definition is retrieved from a web server that hosts the X+V page.

8. An apparatus for dynamically defining a VoiceXML grammar in an X+V page 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 apparatus comprising a computer processor and a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory storing computer program instructions that when executed by the computer processor cause the apparatus to perform:

loading the X+V page by the multimodal application, from a web server into the multimodal device for execution, the X+V page including one or more VoiceXML grammars in one or more VoiceXML dialogs, the VoiceXML grammars comprising at least one in-line grammar that is declared but undefined;

retrieving by the multimodal application a grammar definition for the in-line grammar from the web server without reloading the X+V page; and

defining by the multimodal application the in-line grammar with the retrieved grammar definition before executing the VoiceXML dialog containing the in-line grammar.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein retrieving a definition for the in-line grammar from the web server comprises retrieving a definition for the in-line grammar from the web server through an XmlHttpRequest interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the computer memory further stores computer program instructions that when executed by the computer processor cause the apparatus to perform detecting by the multimodal application a grammar retrieval generating event prior to retrieving the grammar definition, wherein the retrieving of the grammar definition in response to the detecting of the grammar retrieval generating event.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the grammar retrieval generating event is a match on a word in a grammar in a VoiceXML dialog of the multimodal application.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the grammar retrieval generating event is a DOM event.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the computer memory further stores computer program instructions that when executed by the computer processor cause the apparatus to perform:

executing by the multimodal device a VoiceXML dialog of the X+V page, including matching a word in a voice recognition grammar of the executed VoiceXML dialog and filling, with the matched word, a data entry field of the X+V page; and

selecting, in dependence upon the matched word, a grammar definition for an in-line grammar that is declared but undefined;

wherein;

retrieving a grammar definition for the in-line grammar further comprises retrieving the selected grammar definition; and

defining the in-line grammar with the retrieved grammar definition further comprises defining the in-line grammar with the selected grammar definition before executing the VoiceXML dialog containing the in-line grammar.

14. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a computer program product for dynamically defining a VoiceXML grammar in an X+V page 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 capable of operatively coupling to a VoiceXML interpreter, the computer program product:

comprising computer program instructions that when executed by a computer processor cause the computer processor to perform;

loading the X+V page by the multimodal application, from a web server into the multimodal device for execution, the X+V page including one or more VoiceXML grammars in one or more VoiceXML dialogs, the VoiceXML grammars comprising at least one in-line grammar that is declared but undefined;

retrieving by the multimodal application a grammar definition for the in-line grammar from the web server without reloading the X+V page; and

defining by the multimodal application the in-line grammar with the retrieved grammar definition before executing the VoiceXML dialog containing the in-line grammar.

15. The non-transitory computer readable recordable storage medium of claim 14, wherein retrieving a definition for the in-line grammar from the web server further comprises retrieving a definition for the in-line grammar from the web server through an Xm1HttpRequest interface.

16. The non-transitory computer readable recordable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer program product further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by the computer processor cause the computer processor to perform detecting by the multimodal application a grammar retrieval generating event prior to retrieving the grammar definition, wherein the retrieving of the grammar definition is carried out in response to the detecting of the grammar retrieval generating event.

17. The non-transitory computer readable recordable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the grammar retrieval generating event is a match on a word in a grammar in a VoiceXML dialog of the multimodal application.

18. The non-transitory computer readable recordable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the grammar retrieval generating event is a DOM event.

19. The non-transitory computer readable recordable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the computer program product further comprises computer program instructions that when executed by the computer processor cause the computer processor to perform:

executing by the multimodal device a VoiceXML dialog of the X+V page, including matching a word in a voice recognition grammar of the executed VoiceXML dialog and filling, with the matched word, a data entry field of the X+V page; and

selecting, in dependence upon the matched word, a grammar definition for an in-line grammar that is declared but undefined;

wherein;

retrieving a grammar definition for the in-line grammar further comprises retrieving the selected grammar definition; and

defining the in-line grammar with the retrieved grammar definition further comprises defining the in-line grammar with the selected grammar definition before executing the VoiceXML dialog containing the in-line grammar.