Zebra Technologies Corporation
Method and Apparatus for Providing Modular Speech Input to Client Applications

Abstract:

A computing device with an output assembly and microphone stores: an input mechanism identifier corresponding to a client application and indicating one of several input mechanisms; and speech recognition engine interfaces, executable independently of the client application to control respective speech recognition engines. The device executes the client application to generate a request for input data; responsive to the request generation, retrieves the input mechanism identifier; when the input mechanism identifier indicates a predetermined engine, provides the request to a corresponding speech recognition engine interface; executes the corresponding interface to control the predetermined engine to obtain audio data via the microphone, for conversion of the audio data to input data by the predetermined engine; receives the input data at the corresponding interface from the predetermined engine; returns the input data to the client application; and executes the client application to control the output assembly to present the input data.