Abstract: Some example embodiments include a method of dynamically publishing directory information for a plurality of interactive voice response (‘IVR’) systems. The method includes receiving, by the IVR directory service on behalf of one of the IVR systems, a web services update request. The method includes determining, by the IVR directory service in response to the web services update request, updated directory information for the IVR system. The method includes updating the IVR system directory with the updated directory information for the IVR system. The method includes generating an updated voice mode user interface to reflect the updated IVR system directory with the updated directory information for the IVR system. The generating includes creating one more voice dialogs in accordance with the directory information, the one or more voice dialogs specifying a call flow defining the interaction between a caller and the IVR directory service.

Abstract: Establishing a multimodal advertising personality for a sponsor of a multimodal application, including associating one or more vocal demeanors with a sponsor of a multimodal application and presenting a speech portion of the multimodal application for the sponsor using at least one of the vocal demeanors associated with the sponsor.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for dynamically publishing directory information for a plurality of interactive voice response (‘IVR’) systems through an IVR directory service that include: providing a description of a web services publication interface for the IVR directory service; receiving, on behalf of one or more IVR systems, web services publication requests through the publication interface; determining, in response to the web services publication requests, directory information for each IVR system requesting publication; adding the directory information for each IVR system to an IVR system directory; generating a voice mode user interface to reflect the directory information for each IVR system added to the IVR system directory; and interacting, using the voice mode user interface, with a caller to identify a particular IVR system in dependence upon the IVR system directory and query information provided by the caller and to connect the caller with the identified IVR system.

Abstract: Signaling correspondence between a meeting agenda and a meeting discussion includes: receiving a meeting agenda specifying one or more topics for a meeting; analyzing, for each topic, one or more documents to identify topic keywords for that topic; receiving meeting discussions among participants for the meeting; identifying a current topic for the meeting in dependence upon the meeting agenda; determining a correspondence indicator in dependence upon the meeting discussions and the topic keywords for the current topic, the correspondence indicator specifying the correspondence between the meeting agenda and the meeting discussion; and rendering the correspondence indicator to the participants of the meeting.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are described for invoking tapered prompts in a multimodal application implemented with a multimodal browser and a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction with the multimodal application, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes. Embodiments include identifying, by a multimodal browser, a prompt element in a multimodal application; identifying, by the multimodal browser, one or more attributes associated with the prompt element; and playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element.

Abstract: Establishing a preferred mode of interaction between a user and a multimodal application, including evaluating, by a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, user modal preference, and dynamically configuring multimodal content of the multimodal application in dependence upon the evaluation of user modal preference.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for adjusting a speech engine for a mobile computing device based on background noise, the mobile computing device operatively coupled to a microphone, that include: sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates; generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment; and configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for adjusting a speech engine for a mobile computing device based on background noise, the mobile computing device operatively coupled to a microphone, that include: sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates; generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment; and configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are described for invoking tapered prompts in a multimodal application implemented with a multimodal browser and a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of user interaction with the multimodal application, the modes of user interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes. Embodiments include identifying, by a multimodal browser, a prompt element in a multimodal application; identifying, by the multimodal browser, one or more attributes associated with the prompt element; and playing a speech prompt according to the one or more attributes associated with the prompt element.

Abstract: Establishing a preferred mode of interaction between a user and a multimodal application, including evaluating, by a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, user modal preference, and dynamically configuring multimodal content of the multimodal application in dependence upon the evaluation of user modal preference.

Abstract: Dynamically generating a vocal help prompt in a multimodal application that include detecting a help-triggering event for an input element of a VoiceXML dialog, where the detecting is implemented with a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application is operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, and the multimodal application has no static help text. Dynamically generating a vocal help prompt in a multimodal application according to embodiments of the present invention typically also includes retrieving, by the VoiceXML interpreter from a source of help text, help text for an element of a speech recognition grammar, forming by the VoiceXML interpreter the help text into a vocal help prompt, and presenting by the multimodal application the vocal help prompt through a computer user interface to a user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products for testing a grammar used in speech recognition for reliability in a plurality of operating environments having different background noise that include: receiving recorded background noise for each of the plurality of operating environments; generating a test speech utterance for recognition by a speech recognition engine using a grammar; mixing the test speech utterance with each recorded background noise, resulting in a plurality of mixed test speech utterances, each mixed test speech utterance having different background noise; performing, for each of the mixed test speech utterances, speech recognition using the grammar and the mixed test speech utterance, resulting in speech recognition results for each of the mixed test speech utterances; and evaluating, for each recorded background noise, speech recognition reliability of the grammar in dependence upon the speech recognition results for the mixed test speech utterance having that recorded background noise.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are described for establishing a multimodal personality for a multimodal application that include selecting, by the multimodal application, matching vocal and visual demeanors and incorporating, by the multimodal application, the matching vocal and visual demeanors as a multimodal personality into the multimodal application.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for adjusting a speech engine for a mobile computing device based on background noise, the mobile computing device operatively coupled to a microphone, that include: sampling, through the microphone, background noise for a plurality of operating environments in which the mobile computing device operates; generating, for each operating environment, a noise model in dependence upon the sampled background noise for that operating environment; and configuring the speech engine for the mobile computing device with the noise model for the operating environment in which the mobile computing device currently operates.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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 he detected and the application operation can be responsively executed in accordance with the specified speech-enabled markup.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for modifying a grammar of a hierarchical multimodal menu that include monitoring a user invoking a speech command in a first tier grammar, and adding the speech command to a second tier grammar in dependence upon the frequency of the user invoking the speech command. Adding the speech command to a second tier grammar may be carried out by adding the speech command to a higher tier grammar or by adding the speech command to a lower tier grammar. Adding the speech command to a second tier grammar may include storing the speech command in a grammar cache in the second tier grammar.

Abstract: Dynamically generating a vocal help prompt in a multimodal application that include detecting a help-triggering event for an input element of a VoiceXML dialog, where the detecting is implemented with a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application is operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, and the multimodal application has no static help text. Dynamically generating a vocal help prompt in a multimodal application according to embodiments of the present invention typically also includes retrieving, by the VoiceXML interpreter from a source of help text, help text for an element of a speech recognition grammar, forming by the VoiceXML interpreter the help text into a vocal help prompt, and presenting by the multimodal application the vocal help prompt through a computer user interface to a user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products for testing a grammar used in speech recognition for reliability in a plurality of operating environments having different background noise that include: receiving recorded background noise for each of the plurality of operating environments; generating a test speech utterance for recognition by a speech recognition engine using a grammar; mixing the test speech utterance with each recorded background noise, resulting in a plurality of mixed test speech utterances, each mixed test speech utterance having different background noise; performing, for each of the mixed test speech utterances, speech recognition using the grammar and the mixed test speech utterance, resulting in speech recognition results for each of the mixed test speech utterances; and evaluating, for each recorded background noise, speech recognition reliability of the grammar in dependence upon the speech recognition results for the mixed test speech utterance having that recorded background noise.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer program products are described for establishing a multimodal personality for a multimodal application that include selecting, by the multimodal application, matching vocal and visual demeanors and incorporating, by the multimodal application, the matching vocal and visual demeanors as a multimodal personality into the multimodal application.