Voice command definitions used in launching application with a command

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9384732-B2
Application number	US-201313830318-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

A voice command definition file (VCDF) declaratively defines voice commands for an application. For example, the VCDF may include definitions for: voice commands; one or more phrases/utterances that may be said to execute each of the commands; a navigation location to navigate to within the application (e.g. a page); phrase lists containing items that may be used as a parameter in a voice command; examples; feedback; and the like. A user may say a single utterance to launch the application, navigate to the associated location of the command and execute the command. The VCDF may define multiple ways to listen for a particular command. The VCDF may be edited/defined by a user and may include a user friendly name for an application. A speech engine loads the VCDF for use such that it may recognize the commands associated with an application. The definitions may be updated during runtime.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for specifying voice commands for an application, comprising:
receiving an utterance at a global speech engine that performs speech recognition for different applications;
determining, from the received utterance, a command portion that specifies a command for an application to execute;
identifying an application-specific Voice Command Definition File (VCDF) for processing of the command portion, wherein the application-specific VCDF comprises definitions for voice commands associated with the application and a navigation location element for launching the application in a state corresponding with an identified voice command;
identifying, using the application-specific VCDF, a voice command based on the command portion; and
transmitting data to the application for the application to launch in a state defined by the identified application-specific VCDF based on the navigation location element and the identified voice command.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising loading the application-specific VCDF into the global speech engine such that a grammar of the global speech engine is updated to include support for the command to be performed by the application as defined by the application-specific VCDF.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the command portion comprises identifying at least one parameter for the command in the command portion of the utterance, and wherein the voice command is identified based on the identified parameter.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application-specific VCDF includes at least one listen for element that defines a syntax on how to recognize the voice command, and wherein different listen for elements for the command each specify a different syntax to specify the voice command based on the command portion.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the listen for element for the command comprises a phrase list parameter that represents any one of a list of items that are defined in a phrase list specified within the application-specific VCDF.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the listen for element for the command defines a garbage parameter that instructs the global speech engine to disregard content in the utterance based on the location of the content within the utterance.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the listen for element for the command defines an optional parameter in the utterance that specifies that a command is recognized when the optional parameter is in the utterance and when the optional parameter is not in the utterance.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application-specific VCDF defines a feedback element that is delivered in response to launching the application, and wherein the navigation location element instructs the application to launch at a specific page of the application.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting a change in application content of the application, and updating data of the application-specific VCDF in response to detecting the change in the application content.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising providing the updated application-specific VCDF to the global speech engine.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising passing a parameter to the application indicating that the voice command is being used to launch the application.

12. A computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions for specifying voice commands for an application, comprising:
loading an application-specific Voice Command Definition File (VCDF) for the application into a global speech engine that is used by different applications;
receiving an utterance at the global speech engine;
determining, from the received utterance, a command portion that specifies a command for an application to execute;
identifying an application-specific VCDF to analyze the command portion, wherein the application-specific VCDF comprises definitions for voice commands associated with the application and a navigation location element for launching the application in a state corresponding with an identified voice command;
identifying, using the application-specific VCDF, a voice command based on the command portion; and
launching the application in a state defined by the identified application-specific VCDF based on the navigation location element and the identified voice command.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12 , wherein the application-specific VCDF includes different listen for elements that each define a different syntax on how to recognize the voice command based on the command portion.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13 , wherein the listen for elements for the command comprises a phrase list parameter that represents any one of a list of items that are defined in a phrase list specified within the application-specific VCDF.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13 , wherein the listen for elements for the command defines at least one of: a garbage parameter that instructs the speech engine to disregard content in the utterance based on the location of the content within the utterance and an optional parameter in the utterance that specifies that a command is recognized when the optional parameter is in the utterance and when the optional parameter is not in the utterance.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 14 , further comprising updating the list of items in the phrase list defined in the application-specific VCDF in response to receiving an update to the application-specific VCDF from the application.

17. A system for specifying voice commands for an application, comprising:
a display that is configured to receive touch input;
a processor and memory;
an operating environment executing using the processor;
a display showing content; and
a voice command manager that is configured to perform actions comprising:
receiving, at a global speech engine, an utterance comprising a command portion that specifies a command for the application to execute;
identifying, from the command portion, an application-specific Voice Command Definition File (VCDF) for the, wherein the identified application-specific VCDF comprises definitions for voice commands associated with the application, listen for elements that each define a syntax on how to recognize a voice command, and a navigation element for launching the application in state corresponding with an identified voice command;
identifying, using the application-specific VCDF, a voice command based on the command portion; and
launching the application in a state defined by the identified application-specific VCDF based on the navigation element and the identified voice command.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the listen for elements for the command comprises a phrase list parameter that represents any one of a list of items that are defined in a phrase list specified within the application-specific VCDF.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the listen for elements for the command defines at least one of: a garbage parameter that instructs the speech engine to disregard content in the utterance based on the location of the content within the utterance and an optional parameter in the utterance that specifies that a command is recognized when the optional parameter is in the utterance and when the optional parameter is not in the utterance.

20. The system of claim 18 , further comprising updating the list of items in the phrase list defined in the application-specific VCDF

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Bishop F Avery
• Wilson Travis
• Chambers Robert
• Brown Robert

Classifications

• G10L15/22 Primary

  Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue · CPC title

• G06F3/16

  Sound input; Sound output (speech processing G10L) · CPC title

• G10L15/063

  Training · CPC title

• G10L2015/0635

  updating or merging of old and new templates; Mean values; Weighting · CPC title

• G10L15/193

  Formal grammars, e.g. finite state automata, context free grammars or word networks · CPC title