Merging of speech interfaces from concurrent use of devices and applications

US6615177B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Sony International (Europe) GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Stefan Rapp · Schramberg, DE
• Silke Goronzy · Erlangen, DE
• Ralf Kompe · Schkölen, DE
• Peter Buchner · Kirchheim unter Teck, DE
• Franck Giron · Lagny-sur-Marne, FR
• Helmut Lucke · Beckum, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 11, 2000
• Grant date: Sep 2, 2003
• Expiry date: Apr 11, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M2201/40
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

According to the present invention network devices that can be controlled via a speech unit included in the network can send a device-document describing its functionality and its speech interface to said speech unit. The speech unit combines those documents to a general document that forms the basis to translate recognized user-commands into user-network-commands to control the connected network-devices. A device-document comprises at least the vocabulary and the commands associated therewith for the corresponding device. Furtheron, pronunciation, grammar for word sequences, rules for speech understanding and dialog can be contained in such documents as well as the same information for multiple languages or information for dynamic dialogs in speech understanding. It is possible that one device contains several documents and dynamically sends them to the speech unit in case they are needed. Furtheron, the present invention enables a device to change its functionality dynamically based on changing content, since a network device send its specifications regarding its speech capabilities to the speech unit while the speech unit is in use.