Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – Recognition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-01
2001-12-25
Dorvil, Richemond (Department: 2641)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
Recognition
C704S270000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06334103
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDICES
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to user interfaces and, more particularly, to a voice user interface with personality.
BACKGROUND
Personal computers (PCs), sometimes referred to as micro-computers, have gained widespread use in recent years, primarily, because they are inexpensive and yet powerful enough to handle computationally-intensive applications. PCs typically include graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Users interact with and control an application executing on a PC using a GUI. For example, the Microsoft WINDOWS™ Operating System (OS) represents an operating system that provides a GUI. A user controls an application executing on a PC running the Microsoft WINDOWS™ OS using a mouse to select menu commands and click on and move icons.
The increasingly powerful applications for computers have led to a growing use of computers for various computer telephony applications. For example, voice mail systems are typically implemented using software executing on a computer that is connected to a telephone line for storing voice data signals transmitted over the telephone line. A user of a voice mail system typically controls the voice mail system using dual tone multiple frequency (DTMF) commands and, in particular, using a telephone keypad to select the DTMF commands available. For example, a user of a voice mail system typically dials a designated voice mail telephone number, and the user then uses keys of the user's telephone keypad to select various commands of the voice mail system's command hierarchy. Telephony applications can also include a voice user interface that recognizes speech signals and outputs speech signals.
SUMMARY
The present invention provides a voice user interface with personality. For example, the present invention provides a cost-effective and high performance computer-implemented voice user interface with personality that can be used for various applications in which a voice user interface is desired such as telephony applications.
In one embodiment, a method includes executing a voice user interface, and controlling the voice user interface to provide the voice user interface with a personality. A prompt is selected among various prompts based on various criteria. For example, the prompt selection is based on a prompt history. Accordingly, this embodiment provides a computer system that executes a voice user interface with personality.
In one embodiment, controlling the voice user interface includes selecting a smooth hand-off prompt to provide a smooth hand-off between a first voice and a second voice of the voice user interface, selecting polite prompts such that the voice user interface behaves consistently with social and emotional norms, including politeness, while interacting with a user of the computer system, selecting brief negative prompts in situations in which negative comments are required, and selecting a lengthened prompt or shortened prompt based on a user's experience with the voice user interface.
In one embodiment, controlling the voice user interface includes providing the voice user interface with multiple personalities. The voice user interface with personality installs a prompt suite for a particular personality from a prompt repository that stores multiple prompt suites, in which the multiple prompt suites are for different personalities of the voice user interface with personality.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
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Albert Roy D.
Campbell Mark D.
Giangola James P.
Nass Clifford I.
Reeves Byron B.
Bacon Shireen Irani
Dorvil Richemond
General Magic, Inc.
Skjerven Morrill & MacPherson LLP
Terrile Stephen A.
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