Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – Application
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-23
2001-11-06
Dorvil, Richemond (Department: 2741)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
Application
C704S270000, C704S272000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314402
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to interactive voice response (IVR) systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to techniques for assisting developers in creating IVR applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of technology for speech recognition, natural language understanding, and speaker verification is rapidly becoming ubiquitous in everyday life. One application of such technology is in Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems. IVR systems are commonly used to automate certain tasks that otherwise would be performed by a human being. More specifically, IVR systems are systems which create a dialog between a human speaker and a computer system to allow the computer system to perform a task on behalf of the speaker, to avoid the speaker or another human being having to perform the task. This operation generally involves the IVR system's acquiring specific information from the speaker. IVR systems may be used to perform very simple tasks, such as allowing a consumer to select from several menu options over the telephone. Alternatively, IR systems can be used to perform more sophisticated functions, such as allowing a consumer to perform banking or investment transactions over the telephone or to book flight reservations.
Current IVR systems typically are implemented by programming standard computer hardware with special-purpose software. In a basic IVR system, the software includes a speech recognition engine and a speech-enabled application (e.g., a telephone banking application) that is designed to use recognized speech output by the speech recognition engine. The hardware may include one or more conventional computer systems, such as personal computers (PCs), workstations, or other similar hardware. These computer systems may be configured by the software to operate in a client or server mode and may be connected to each other directly or on a network, such as a local area network (LAN). The IVR system also includes appropriate hardware and software for allowing audio data to be communicated to and from the speaker through an audio interface, such as a standard telephone connection.
To date, no common framework has been available for designing IVR applications. As a result, IVR developers generally custom-design IVR applications for their customers. Consequently, the design process for IVR applications can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the IVR applications tend to require substantial prerelease testing. These factors drive up the cost of the IVR system. Further, it can be very difficult for anyone other than experienced software developers to create an IVR software application. Moreover, once an IVR application is created, it tends to be very difficult, if not impossible, to modify it without substantial time and expense. It is therefore desirable to enable IVR developers to more quickly and easily design and construct IVR applications. In particular, it is desirable to provide a framework for creating reusable software components, from which IVR applications can be created quickly and easily, even by relatively inexperienced developers. It is further desirable that such software components be easily modifiable and combinable to provide the ability to form a variety of different IVR applications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An aspect of the present invention is a method and apparatus for creating a device for defining a dialog interaction between a speaker and a speech recognition mechanism. The method includes providing a set of properties associated with the interaction and logic for using the set of properties to control the dialog interaction when the logic is executed in a processing system. The method further includes defining an extensible class to include the set of properties and the logic, such that the class can be instantiated as an object in the processing system to control the interaction.
In another embodiment, the method includes providing information representing a first class in an interactive voice response environment; and using a computer system to define a second class as a specialization of the first class. The second class includes a set of prompts associated with the interaction, a set of grammars associated with the interaction, and logic for using the set of prompts and the set of grammars when executed on a processing system to control the interaction between the speaker and the speech recognition mechanism. The second class can be instantiated as one or more objects in the processing system to control the interaction.
In yet another embodiment, the method includes selecting two or more classes, each of which defines operations for an interaction of a particular type between a speaker and a speech recognition mechanism in an interactive voice response environment. At least one of the classes has a set of prompts and a set of grammars associated with it and logic for using the set of prompts and the set of grammars to control an interaction between the speaker and the speech recognition mechanism when executed on a processing system. Each of the classes can be instantiated as one or more objects to control the interaction. A computer system is then used to define a class for use in the interactive voice response environment. The class encapsulates the selected classes and logic for executing objects representing each of the selected classes in a specified order during the interaction with the speaker.
Another aspect of the present invention is an interactive voice response (IVR) system which includes a speech recognition unit, an audio interface, and an IVR platform. The audio interface is configured to communicate audio information with a speaker. The IVR platform is coupled to the speech recognition unit and to the audio interface. The IVR platform includes a speech-enabled application and a speech object. The speech object is invocable in response to the application to control a particular type of audio interaction with the speaker. The speech object further is an instantiation of a user-extensible class, which has a set of properties associated with the corresponding type of interaction and logic for using the set of properties to control an interaction of the corresponding type when the logic is executed.
The present invention also includes information, which may be stored on a machine-readable storage medium, for generating a speech object. The information is for configuring an interactive voice response platform to perform an interaction with a speaker. The information includes information representing a set of properties associated with the interaction. The information further includes logic for using the set of properties to control the interaction when the logic is executed in a processing system. The information further includes information defining the set of properties and the logic to be elements of a user-extensible class, such that the class can be instantiated as one or more speech objects in the processing system to control the interaction.
The present invention further includes information, which may be stored on a machine-readable storage medium, for generating a compound speech object from multiple speech objects. The information defines a class which may be instantiated as an object in the IVR environment. Such object encapsulates two or more other objects, such that each of the objects is for use in acquiring a different type of information from the speaker during an interaction with the speaker, and each of the objects is invocable in a specified order during the interaction.
Other features of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description which follows.
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Ehrlich Steven C.
Ghosh Debajit
Gupta Sundeep
Klenk Mark
Monaco Peter C.
Becker Jordan M.
Blakely , Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman LLP
Dorvil Richemond
McFadden Susan
Nuance Communications
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