Context based identification of non-relevant verbal communications

• US 10,089,067 B1
• Filed: 12/26/2017
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Abuelsaad, Tamer E., Boss, Gregory J., Moore, John E., Rendahl, Randy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Thuykhanh
• Application Number:
  US15/854,417
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1815 Semantic context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word meaning
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/025 Phonemes, fenemes or fenones being the recognition units
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0272 Voice signal separating
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2038 Call context notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/569 using the instant speaker's algorithm speech detection per se G10L25/78

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes identifying a first set of utterances from a plurality of utterances. The plurality of utterances is associated with a conversation and transmitted via a plurality of audio signals. The computer-implemented method further includes mining the first set of utterances for a first context. The computer-implemented method further includes determining that the first context associated with the first set of utterances is not relevant to a second context associated with the conversation. The computer-implemented method further includes dynamically muting, for at least a first period of time, a first audio signal in the plurality of audio signals corresponding to the first set of utterances. A corresponding computer system and computer program product are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying a first set of utterances from a plurality of utterances, wherein;

the plurality of utterances is associated with a conversation; and

the plurality of utterances is transmitted via a plurality of audio signals;

mining the first set of utterances for a first context;

determining that the first context associated with the first set of utterances is not relevant to a second context associated with the conversation;

responsive to determining that the first context is not relevant to the second context, dynamically muting, for at least a first period of time, a first audio signal in the plurality of audio signals corresponding to the first set of utterances;

responsive to dynamically muting the first audio signal;

transmitting a notification that the first audio signal is muted;

generating a transcript of the first set of utterances corresponding to the first audio signal that is muted;

presenting the transcript in conjunction with the conversation;

monitoring the first audio signal corresponding to the first set of utterances; and

determining that a second set of utterances corresponding to the first audio signal is relevant to the conversation;

responsive to determining the second set of utterances is relevant to the conversation, dynamically unmuting, for at least a second period of time, the first audio signal;

identifying a location from which a second audio signal in the plurality of audio signals is transmitted;

determining, based on the location, that the second audio signal include one or more utterances that are not relevant to the conversation;

responsive to the determination;

dynamically lowering volume of the second audio signal;

identifying an identity of a speaker associated with a third audio signal;

determining, based on the identity of the speaker, that the third audio signal include one or more utterances that are not relevant to the conversation; and

responsive to the determination;

dynamically lowering volume of the third audio signal.