Patents by Inventor Robert L. Chambers

Robert L. Chambers has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8725505
    Abstract: A computer implemented method and system for speech recognition are provided. The method and system generally maintain a set of verbs for speech recognition commands. Upon recognizing utterance of a verb of the set in combination with an invalid object or objects for the verb, the method and system generate an indication relative to the verb and invalid object. The indication can include informing the user that the system is unsure how to execute the command associated with the verb with the invalid object. The method and system can then receive a user input to specify how the verb and invalid object should be treated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David Mowatt, Robert L. Chambers
  • Patent number: 8620652
    Abstract: The disclosed speech recognition system enables users to define personalized, context-aware voice commands without extensive software development. Command sets may be defined in a user-friendly language and stored in an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file. Each command object within the command set may include one or more user configurable actions, one or more configurable rules, and one or more configurable conditions The command sets may be managed by a command set loader, that loads and processes each command set into computer executable code. The command set loader may enable and disable command sets. A macro processing component may provide a speech recognition grammar to an API of the speech recognition engine based on currently enabled commands. When the speech recognition engine recognizes user speech consistent with the grammar, the macro processing component may initiate the one or more computer executable actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Chambers, Brian King
  • Patent number: 8532269
    Abstract: Architecture that employs a combination of in-band signaling (e.g., DTMF) with speech recognition to deliver usability improvements. The in-band signaling allows the user to indicate to the system when a barge-in operation is occurring and/or when to start listening to subsequent speech input and optionally, when to stop listening for further speech input. The in-band signaling can be utilized during a telephone call and using wireline and wireless telephones. Moreover, the architecture can be incorporated at the platform level requiring little, if any, application changes to support the new mode of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Chambers, Larry Coryell, Karen J. Kaushansky, Julian James Odell, Jim C. Chou
  • Patent number: 8473295
    Abstract: Upon selection of a displayed word, a list of alternatives for the selected word is displayed. Each alternative in the list has an associated symbol. A speech signal is then decoded to identify a list of possible words and the list of possible words is displayed with each possible word having an associated symbol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David Mowatt, Robert E. Dewar, Robert L. Chambers, Felix Gerard Torquil Ifor Andrew, Oliver Scholz
  • Patent number: 8224656
    Abstract: A method, program storage device and mobile device provide speech disambiguation. Audio for speech recognition processing is transmitted by the mobile device. Results representing alternates identified to match the transmitted audio are received. The alternates are displayed in a disambiguation dialog screen for making corrections to the alternates. Corrections are made to the alternates using the disambiguation dialog screen until a correct result is displayed. The correct result is selected. Content associated with the selected correct result is received in parallel with the receiving of the results representing alternates identified to match the transmitted audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Oliver Scholz, Robert L. Chambers, Julian James Odell
  • Patent number: 8224644
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for utilizing a client-side cache for utterance processing to facilitate network based speech recognition. An utterance comprising a query is received in a client computing device. The query is sent from the client to a network server for results processing. The utterance is processed to determine a speech profile. A cache lookup is performed based on the speech profile to determine whether results data for the query is stored in the cache. If the results data is stored in the cache, then a query is sent to cancel the results processing on the network server and the cached results data is displayed on the client computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew K. Krumel, Shuangyu Chang, Robert L. Chambers
  • Patent number: 8166388
    Abstract: Overlaying electronic ink over a document. A typical scenario may be where one it would be useful to mark up a document with electronic ink, such as by making handwritten comments, drawings, and the like over the underlying document. In some embodiments, a developer may easily define an inking surface, such as a transparent or opaque window, over a document. The inking surface may act as an input interface such that a user may write onto the inking surface such that is appears that the document itself is being marked up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Gounares, Steve Dodge, Tobiasz A. Zielinski, Arin J. Goldberg, Eugene A. Tsimberg, Todd A. Torset, Robert L. Chambers, Timothy H. Kannapel, Rudolph Balaz, Subha Bhattacharyay, Manoj K. Biswas, Bodin Dresevic, Stephen A. Fisher, Brigette E. Krantz, Shiraz M. Somji
  • Patent number: 8140994
    Abstract: An object is associated with one or more controls in a software application. An object associated with a control determines the operation of the data entry user interface when the data entry user interface is being employed to enter data into the control. More particularly, the object may communicate interface e characteristics to a component that is responsible for providing the user interface to the user. Such a component may be, for example, a shared software module that renders the user interface on a display, receives input data from the user through the user interface, and routes the entered data to a designated destination. Alternately, the object itself may create a user interface having the specified characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Kyril Feldman, Robert L Chambers, Steve Dodge, Takanobu Murayama, Tobias Zielinski, Todd A Torset, Thomas R Wick, Adrian J Garside
  • Patent number: 7996225
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus that utilize a context-free grammar written in a markup language format. The markup language format provides a hierarchical format in which grammar structures are delimited within and defined by a set of tags. The markup language format also provides grammar switch tags that indicate a transitions from the context-free grammar to a dictation grammar or a text buffer grammar. In addition, the markup language format provides for the designation of code to be executed when particular grammar structures are recognized from a speech signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Philipp H. Schmid, Ralph Lipe, Erik C. Ellerman, Robert L. Chambers
  • Patent number: 7925987
    Abstract: A control and its associated programming interface for allowing entry of electronic ink, editing and other manipulation of the ink, and/or recognition of the ink. Ink may be stored in a data structure such as an ink object that permits later retrieval by applications. As is the case with text that may be bolded, underlined, italicized, and the like, the describe control and its programming interface may permit ink information to be manipulated as easily as text, while providing the richness of handwritten ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Gounares, Steve Dodge, Tobiasz A. Zielinski, Arin J. Goldberg, Kyril Feldman, Todd A. Torset, Robert L. Chambers, Richard K. Sailor
  • Publication number: 20110015928
    Abstract: Techniques to provide automatic speech recognition at a local device are described. An apparatus may include an audio input to receive audio data indicating a task. The apparatus may further include a local recognizer component to receive the audio data, to pass the audio data to a remote recognizer while receiving the audio data, and to recognize speech from the audio data. The apparatus may further include a federation component operative to receive one or more recognition results from the local recognizer and/or the remote recognizer, and to federate a plurality of recognition results to produce a most likely result. The apparatus may further include an application to perform the task indicated by the most likely result. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2009
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Julian J. Odell, Robert L. Chambers
  • Publication number: 20100324910
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to provide speech recognition services over a network using a standard interface are described. In an embodiment, a technique includes accepting a speech recognition request that includes at least audio input, via an application program interface (API). The speech recognition request may also include additional parameters. The technique further includes performing speech recognition on the audio according to the request and any specified parameters; and returning a speech recognition result as a hypertext protocol (HTTP) response. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Robert L. Chambers, Michael Bodell, Daphne Luong, Annie Wong, Faustinus K. Gozali, Andrew Ho, Rod Philander, Corby Anderson
  • Publication number: 20100183126
    Abstract: Architecture that employs a combination of in-band signaling (e.g., DTMF) with speech recognition to deliver usability improvements. The in-band signaling allows the user to indicate to the system when a barge-in operation is occurring and/or when to start listening to subsequent speech input and optionally, when to stop listening for further speech input. The in-band signaling can be utilized during a telephone call and using wireline and wireless telephones. Moreover, the architecture can be incorporated at the platform level requiring little, if any, application changes to support the new mode of operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Chambers, Larry Coryell, Karen J. Kaushansky, Julian James Odell, Jim C. Chou
  • Publication number: 20100161328
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for utilizing a client-side cache for utterance processing to facilitate network based speech recognition. An utterance comprising a query is received in a client computing device. The query is sent from the client to a network server for results processing. The utterance is processed to determine a speech profile. A cache lookup is performed based on the speech profile to determine whether results data for the query is stored in the cache. If the results data is stored in the cache, then a query is sent to cancel the results processing on the network server and the cached results data is displayed on the client computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew K. Krumel, Shuangyu Chang, Robert L. Chambers
  • Patent number: 7742923
    Abstract: A numbering scheme is disclosed for implementation in the context of an application display. A user is able to select an item on the display by speaking a number corresponding to a desired control item. In some cases, the screen can include so many numbers that the user loses context and is unable to identify which number they want to select. For this reason, in one embodiment, a temporal switching mechanism is implemented wherein periodic switches (e.g., second-long intervals) occur between showing numbered items and showing a non-numbered screen. In one embodiment, an optional secondary confirmation step is implemented wherein the user sees only the item they just selected and has the chance to (a) learn the programmatic name of the item they selected and/or (b) either confirm and proceed with their selection, or cancel. In one embodiment, the optional secondary confirmation step is omitted if the user speaks a number followed by a predetermined command word.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan Terry Bickel, Oscar E. Murillo, David Mowatt, Robert L. Chambers, Oliver Scholz
  • Patent number: 7715630
    Abstract: The present invention relates to interfacing with electronic ink. Ink is stored in a data structure that permits later retrieval by applications. The ink includes stroke information and may include property information. Through various programming interfaces, one may interact with the ink through methods and setting or retrieving properties. Other objects and collections may be used as well in conjunction with the ink objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Mircosoft Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Gounares, Steve Dodge, Timothy H. Kannapel, Rudolph Balaz, Subha Bhattacharyay, Manoj K. Biswas, Robert L. Chambers, Bodin Dresevic, Stephen A. Fisher, Arin J. Goldberg, Gregory Hullender, Brigette E. Krantz, Todd A. Torset, Jerome J. Turner, Andrew Silverman, Shiraz M. Somji
  • Patent number: 7680514
    Abstract: A portable wireless-enabled system includes an input transducer (for example, a microphone), an output transducer (for example, a speaker) and a wireless transceiver system. Also included, is a memory having a programmable user speech profile. A processor system controls operation of the input transducer, the output transducer, the wireless transceiver system and the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel B. Cook, David Mowatt, Oliver Scholz, Oscar E. Murillo, Robert L. Chambers, Ryan T. Bickel
  • Patent number: 7643999
    Abstract: A system and method for positioning a software User Interface (UI) window on a display screen is provided, wherein the method includes displaying the software UI window on the display screen and identifying at least one suitable location on the display screen responsive to an active target window area of a target application UI window. The method further includes determining whether the software UI window is disposed at the at least one suitable location on the display screen and if the software UI window is disposed in a location other than the at least one suitable location on the display screen, positioning the software UI window at the at least one suitable location on the display screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Chambers, Oliver Scholz, Oscar E. Murillo, David Mowatt
  • Patent number: 7624018
    Abstract: Speech recognition utilizing categories and prefixes is disclosed. Categories identify types of recognition and allow different grammars and prefixes for each category. Categories can be directed to specific applications and/or program modules. Uttering a prefix allows users to easily direct text to specific grammars for enhanced recognition, and also to direct the recognized text to the appropriate application/module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Chambers, Bo-June Hsu, Oscar H. Newkerk, III, Philipp H. Schmid, David Jeremy Guy Wood
  • Publication number: 20090234647
    Abstract: A method, program storage device and mobile device provide speech disambiguation. Audio for speech recognition processing is transmitted by the mobile device. Results representing alternates identified to match the transmitted audio are received. The alternates are displayed in a disambiguation dialog screen for making corrections to the alternates. Corrections are made to the alternates using the disambiguation dialog screen until a correct result is displayed. The correct result is selected. Content associated with the selected correct result is received in parallel with the receiving of the results representing alternates identified to match the transmitted audio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Oliver Scholz, Robert L. Chambers, Julian James Odell