Nuance Communications, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Charles W Cross

Frank Lawrence Jania

Leslie Robert Wilson

Brian Daniel Goodman

Steven Gary Woodward

Darren Mark Shaw

Michael C Hollinger

Igor Roditis Jablokov

Gerald Matthew McCobb

Marc White

Soonthorn Ativanichayaphong

Hilary A Pike

Yan Zun Li

Daniel M Smith

Michael A Zaitzeff

David W Wintermute

Nicolae D Metianu

Mark E Trumbo

Vladimir Bergl

David B Lewis

A computer-implemented method of ambient ad hoc project management can include defining a project and associating a project decay function with the project, wherein the project decay function regulates a rate at which project health declines. Responsive to detecting a project event, one or more parameters of the project decay function can be determined from the project event. Project health can be calculated according to the project decay function using the parameter(s). An indication of the project health can be output.

Ambient project management

Indexing digitized speech with words represented in the digitized speech, with a multimodal digital audio editor operating on a multimodal device supporting modes of user interaction, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal digital audio editor operatively coupled to an ASR engine, including providing by the multimodal digital audio editor to the ASR engine digitized speech for recognition; receiving in the multimodal digital audio editor from the ASR engine recognized user speech including a recognized word, also including information indicating where, in the digitized speech, representation of the recognized word begins; and inserting by the multimodal digital audio editor the recognized word, in association with the information indicating where, in the digitized speech, representation of the recognized word begins, into a speech recognition grammar, the speech recognition grammar voice enabling user interface commands of the multimodal digital audio editor.

Indexing digitized speech with words represented in the digitized speech

A method, system and apparatus for voice enabling a user preference interface in a multimodal content browser. A method for voice enabling a user preference interface in a multimodal content browser can include matching voice input to a bound command in a speech grammar and invoking logic in the user preference interface consistent with the bound command in the speech grammar. The matching step can include comparing voice input to entries in a markup language specified speech grammar and locating the bound command in the specified speech grammar based upon the comparison. In this regard, the method further can include identifying a variable in the bound command, looking up the variable in a table, retrieving a corresponding parameter for the variable from the table, and replacing the variable with the corresponding parameter in the bound command.

Enabling voice selection of user preferences

Automatic speech recognition implemented with a speech recognition grammar of a multimodal application in an ASR engine, the multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction including a voice mode, the multimodal application operatively coupled to the ASR engine, including: matching by the ASR engine at least one static rule of the speech recognition grammar with at least one word of a voice utterance, yielding a matched value, the matched value specified by the grammar to be required for processing of a dynamic rule of the grammar; and dynamically defining at run time the dynamic rule of the grammar as a new static rule in dependence upon the matched value, the dynamic rule comprising a rule that is specified by the grammar as a rule that is not to be processed by the ASR until after the at least one static rule has been matched.

Automatic speech recognition with dynamic grammar rules

Exemplary methods, systems, and products are disclosed for synchronizing visual and speech events in a multimodal application, including receiving from a user speech; determining a semantic interpretation of the speech; calling a global application update handler; identifying, by the global application update handler, an additional processing function in dependence upon the semantic interpretation; and executing the additional function. Typical embodiments may include updating a visual element after executing the additional function. Typical embodiments may include updating a voice form after executing the additional function. Typical embodiments also may include updating a state table after updating the voice form. Typical embodiments also may include restarting the voice form after executing the additional function.

Synchronizing visual and speech events in a multimodal application

A method, system and apparatus for enabling voice clicks in a multimodal page. In accordance with the present invention, a method for enabling voice clicks in a multimodal page can include toggling a display of indicia binding selected user interface elements in the multimodal page to corresponding voice logic; and, processing a selection of the selected user interface elements in the multimodal page through different selection modalities. In particular, the toggling step can include toggling a display of both indexing indicia for the selected user interface elements, and also a text display indicating that a voice selection of the selected user interface elements is supported.

Enabling voice click in a multimodal page

A method for speech enabling an application can include the step of specifying a speech input within a speech-enabled markup. The speech-enabled markup can also specify an application operation that is to be executed responsive to the detection of the speech input. After the speech input has been defined within the speech-enabled markup, the application can be instantiated. The specified speech input can then be detected and the application operation can be responsively executed in accordance with the specified speech-enabled markup.

Enabling speech within a multimodal program using markup

A method of coordinating the presentation of multiple modes of interaction for network-based electronic content can include receiving a markup language document of a first modality and identifying within the markup language document a reference to another markup language document of a second and different modality. The markup language document of the first modality can be modified by removing the reference. The modified markup language document of the first modality can be provided to an associated browser.

Method and system for distributed coordination of multiple modalities of computer-user interaction

A system and a method for inputting/outputting device specific data that does not bind I/O device specific information to the application program until runtime is provided. This allows an application program developer to support a new I/O device without redesigning the application program to accommodate the new information and then compiling the new version of the application program. The system includes an Object Input/Output Manager (OIOM), a device dictionary, a plurality of I/O device modules, a plurality of I/O devices, and an I/O channel. The OIOM controls the overall flow of the system. The device dictionary and the I/O device modules contain I/O device specific information that is not known to the application program at the time it is compiled. When an application program needs to input or output device specific data, the user is presented with a list of I/O devices and selects one. After receiving the user's selection, the application program commands the OIOM to input or output the device specific data. The OIOM then gets the system name of the I/O device, loads the corresponding I/O device module, adds the I/O device specific information to the data object, and commands the I/O device module to input or output the data object. After the data object has been input or output, control passes back to the OIOM and finally to the application program.

Growing community of inventors

Wellington, FL, United States of America

Charles W Cross