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Submission request to W3C (W3C Team Comment)


XHTML+Voice Profile

Submission Request

We, W3C members International Business Machines, Motorola, Inc., and Opera Software hereby submit to the Consortium the following specification, comprising the following document attached hereto:

  1. Specification of XHTML+Voice as an XHTML modularization profile ---see attached specification.

  2. XML Schema files that normatively define profile XHTML+Voice ---see xhtml+voice-schema.zip

  3. Associated DTD and driver files that normatively define profile XHTML+Voice ---see attached zip archive xhtml+voice-dtd.zip

which collectively are referred to as "the submission". We request the submission be known as the XHTML+Voice submission.

Abstract

Profile XHTML+Voice brings spoken interaction to standard WWW content by integrating a set of mature WWW technologies such as XHTML and XML Events with XML vocabularies developed as part of the W3C Speech Interface Framework. The profile includes voice modules that support speech synthesis, speech dialogs, command and control, speech grammars, and the ability to attach Voice handlers for responding to specific DOM events, thereby re-using the event model familiar to web developers. Voice interaction features are integrated directly with XHTML and CSS, and can consequently be used directly within XHTML content.

The XHTML+Voice profile is designed for Web clients that support visual and spoken interaction. To this end, this document first re-formulates VoiceXML 2.0as a collection of modules. These modules, along with Speech Synthesis Markup Language and Speech Recognition Grammar Format are then integrated with XHTML using XHTML modularization to create the XHTML+Voice profile. Finally, we integrate the result with module XML-Events so that voice handlers can be invoked through a standard DOM2 EventListener interface.

Intellectual property Rights

IBM
IBM may own patents or patent applications which apply to the XHTML+Voice specification being submitted to the W3C. If implementation of a W3C standard based on the XHTML+Voice specification requires the use of IBM patents, IBM will grant, upon written request, a non-exclusive license under such patents on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. IBM expressly disclaims any and all warranties regarding this "Contribution" including any warranty that this "Contribution" does not violate the rights of others or is fit for a particular purpose.
Motorola
Motorola may own patents or patent applications which apply to the XHTML+Voice specification submitted to the W3C. If implementation of a W3C standard based on the XHTML+Voice specification requires the use of Motorola patents, Motorola will grant, upon written request, a non-exclusive license under such patents on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. Motorola expressly disclaims any and all warranties regarding this "Contribution" including any warranty that this "Contribution" does not violate the rights of others or is fit for a particular purpose.
Opera Software
Opera software does not own patents which apply to the XHTML+Voice specification being submitted to the W3C.

Names

The following are registered marks refered to in this request or the submission:

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

Specification

We hereby grant to the W3C, a perpetual, nonexclusive, royalty-free, world-wide right and license under any of our copyrights in this contribution to copy, publish and distribute the contribution, as well as a right and license of the same scope to any derivative works prepared by the W3C and based on, or incorporating all or part of the contribution. We further agree that any derivative works of this contribution prepared by the W3C shall be solely owned by the W3C.

Implementation

The submitters submit this work under the RAND licence.

Suggested action

We suggest that the Consortium publish this document as a note in order to educate the WWW community of how XML vocabularies developed as part of the W3C Speech Interface Framework may be integrated with XHTML and XML Events using XHTML modularization to bring spoken interaction to the WWW. The believe that this will encourage interoperability amongst disparate clients and contribute to the creation of ubiquitous WWW access.

Resources

To help with this effort, we have re-formulated the VoiceXML 2.0 (the dialog markup language being developed as part of the W3C Speech Interface Framework) as a set of modular DTDs and XML Schema definitions. We are working actively in the voice browser working group, and as part of this effort expect to provide the resources needed to keep this modular description synchronized with the final versions of the W3C Speech Interface Framework. IBM and Motorola are also working actively in other W3C working groups such as DOM to define an platform-independent, interoperable WWW; this profile leverages our contribution to these efforts by re-using W3C technologies such as XML-Events.

Change control

Once this submission is acknowledged by the W3C and the suggested action of publishing as a Note is taken, should any changes be required to the document, we would expect future versions to be produced by W3C process as appropriate. Alternatively, we would update the document as necessary to keep the modularization profile in line with evolving open standards.

Contact

Inquiries from the public or press about this submission should be directed to:

IBM
Thomas W. Houy, thouy@us.ibm.com
Motorola
Greg Johnson, qa2041@email.mot.com
Opera Software
Pal A. Hvistendahl, Opera Software, pal@opera.com

Submitted

this (30th day of November, 2001),
Arnaud Le Hors, IBM, lehors@us.ibm.com
Chuck Powers, Motorola, chuck.powers@motorola.com
Håkon Wium Lie, Opera Software, howcome@opera.com