Pausing a VoiceXML dialog of a multimodal application

1. A method for pausing or resuming a VoiceXML dialog processed by a multimodal application, the method implemented with the 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 operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, the VoiceXML interpreter interpreting the VoiceXML dialog to be paused, the method comprising:

providing a script variable to hold a pause keyword or a resume keyword that a script evaluates to when at least a portion of a user utterance is received via the multimodal application, and matches one or more words in a pause control grammar specified by the multimodal application;

generating a pause event when the VoiceXML interpreter evaluates the script to the pause keyword; wherein generating the pause event is supported by utilizing a VoiceXML Form Interpretation Algorithm (FIA); wherein the FIA interprets the dialog instructions sequentially to identify the dialogs operating under one or more non-voice modes or one or more voice modes;

responsive to the pause event, temporarily pausing the VoiceXML dialog by the VoiceXML interpreter;

generating a resume event when the VoiceXML interpreter evaluates the script to the resume keyword; and

responsive to the resume event, resuming the VoiceXML dialog.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

when the pause event is generated for dialogs operating under one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘TTS’) engine without listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the VoiceXML dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine and waiting by the multimodal application for the resume event; and

resuming the VoiceXML dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

when the pause event is generated for dialogs operating under one or more voice modes, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘TTS’) engine and listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the VoiceXML dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, stopping listening for voice input, stopping a no-input timer, and

waiting for the resume event; and

resuming the VoiceXML dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, resuming listening for voice input, and restarting the no-input timer.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating by the multimodal application a pause event when focus changes from a graphical user interface (GUI) window presented by the multimodal application to a different window.

5. An apparatus for pausing or resuming a VoiceXML dialog of process by a multimodal application, the apparatus implemented with the 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 operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, the VoiceXML interpreter interpreting the VoiceXML dialog to be paused, the apparatus comprising a computer processor and a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

providing a script variable to hold a pause keyword or a resume keyword that a script evaluates to when at least a portion of a user utterance is received via the multimodal application, and matches one or more words in a pause control grammar specified by the multimodal application;

generating a pause event when the VoiceXML interpreter evaluates the script to the pause keyword; wherein generating the pause event is supported by utilizing a VoiceXML Form Interpretation Algorithm (FIA); wherein the FIA interprets the dialog instructions sequentially to identify the dialogs operating under one or more non-voice modes or one or more voice modes;

responsive to the pause event, temporarily pausing the VoiceXML dialog by the VoiceXML interpreter;

generating a resume event when the VoiceXML interpreter evaluates the script to the resume keyword; and

responsive to the resume event, resuming the VoiceXML dialog.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:

when the pause event is generated for dialogs operating under one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘TTS’) engine without listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the VoiceXML dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine and waiting by the multimodal application for the resume event; and

resuming the VoiceXML dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:

when the pause event is generated for dialogs operating under one or more voice modes, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘TTS’) engine and listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, stopping listening for voice input, stopping a no-input timer, and

waiting for the resume event; and

resuming the VoiceXML dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, resuming listening for voice input, and restarting the noinput timer.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the computer memory includes computer program instructions capable of generating by the multimodal application a pause event when focus changes from a graphical user interface (GUI) window presented by the multimodal application to a different window.

9. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions for pausing a VoiceXML dialog being process by a multimodal application, the computer-executable instructions comprising a multimodal application capable of operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, the VoiceXML interpreter capable of interpreting the VoiceXML dialog to be paused or resumed, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by at least one processor, performing a method of:

providing a script variable to hold a pause keyword or a resume keyword that a script evaluates to when at least a portion of a user utterance is received via the multimodal application, and matches one or more words in a pause control grammar specified by the multimodal application;

generating a pause event when the VoiceXML interpreter evaluates the script to the pause keyword; wherein generating the pause event is supported by utilizing a VoiceXML Form Interpretation Algorithm (FIA); wherein the FIA interprets the dialog instructions sequentially to identify the dialogs operating under one or more non-voice modes or one or more voice modes;

responsive to the pause event, temporarily pausing the VoiceXML dialog by the VoiceXML interpreter;

generating a resume event when the VoiceXML interpreter evaluates the script to the resume keyword; and

responsive to the resume event, resuming the VoiceXML dialog.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 9 wherein:

when the pause event is generated for dialogs operating under one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘TTS’) engine without listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the VoiceXML dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine and waiting by the multimodal application for the resume event; and

resuming the VoiceXML dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 9 wherein:

when the pause event is generated for dialogs operating under one or more voice modes, the multimodal application is playing a prompt through a text-to-speech (‘TTS’) engine and listening for voice input;

temporarily pausing the VoiceXML dialog further comprises suspending by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, stopping listening for voice input, stopping a no-input timer, and

waiting for the resume event; and

resuming the VoiceXML dialog further comprises resuming by the multimodal application play of the prompt through the TTS engine, resuming listening for voice input, and restarting the noinput timer.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises generating by the multimodal application a pause event when focus changes from a graphical user interface (GUI) window presented by the multimodal application to a different window.