Abstract: A graphical tool is provided for allowing a developer of a speech-enabled application to create and edit grammars for speech recognition. The tool provides a user interface that has two editing modes, which the user can quickly and easily switch between. In the first editing mode, the user can specifying a grammar by writing or editing a Grammar Specification Language (GSL) listing. In response to such user inputs, the tool automatically generates or modifies a set of displayable graphical objects representing the grammar. In the second editing mode, the displayable objects are displayed, such that each object represents one or more speech expressions, and the logical relationships between the expressions are graphically represented. The user may edit the set of displayed objects in the second editing mode, including adding or deleting objects, modifying an expression represented by an object, or altering the logical relationships between the expressions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating modifiable and combinable Speech Objects for use in an interactive voice response (IVR) environment. Each Speech Object is for acquiring a particular type of information from a speaker during an interaction between the speaker and a speech recognition mechanism. A Speech Object is an instantiation of a user-extensible class that includes properties, such as prompts and grammars, associated with the corresponding type of interaction. A Speech Object further includes logic for controlling the interaction with the user when executed in a processing system. A Speech Object can be subclassed to add additional properties and functionality to create customized Speech Objects, or such properties can be altered at runtime. Multiple Speech Objects, each for acquiring a particular type of information, can be combined to form a compound Speech Object.