Audio verification

• US 10,277,581 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2015
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chandrasekharan, Manjana, Horiguchi, Keiko, Stent, Amanda Joy, Baeza-Yates, Ricardo Alberto, Kuwano, Jeffrey, Thomas, Achint Oommen, Chang, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lesniewski, Victor
• Application Number:
  US14/847,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20170068805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/06 Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/003 Changing voice quality, e.g. pitch or formants
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for audio verification. An audio signal, comprising a code for user verification, may be identified. A second audio signal is created comprising speech. The audio signal and the second audio signal may be altered to comprise a same or similar volume, pitch, amplitude, and/or speech rate. The audio signal and the second audio signal may be combined to generate a verification audio signal. The verification audio signal may be presented to a user for the user verification. Verification may be performed to determine whether the user has access to content or a service based upon user input, obtained in response to the user verification audio signal, matching the code within the user verification audio signal. In an example, the user verification may comprise verifying that the user is human.

Claims

1. A system of audio verification comprising:

a processor; and

memory comprising processor-executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause implementation of an audio generation component configured to;

identify an audio signal comprising a code for user verification;

extract one or more audio segments in real-time from an on-going audio stream;

create a second audio signal comprising speech based upon the one or more audio segments extracted in real-time from the on-going audio stream;

identify a pitch and a volume of the audio signal at a first time;

identify a second pitch and a second volume of the second audio signal at a second time, wherein the pitch of the audio signal and the second pitch of the second audio signal are not within a threshold pitch similarity, and wherein the volume of the audio signal and the second volume of the second audio signal are not within a threshold volume similarity;

determine an average pitch between the pitch of the audio signal and the second pitch of the second audio signal;

determine an average volume between the volume of the audio signal and the second volume of the second audio signal;

alter the pitch of the audio signal and the second pitch of the second audio signal to be the average pitch at a third time;

alter the volume of the audio signal and the second volume of the second audio signal to be the average volume at a fourth time;

combine the audio signal and the second audio signal to generate a verification audio signal in response to;

determining that the pitch of the audio signal at the third time and the second pitch of the second audio signal at the third time are both the average pitch so that a bot is unable to discern a difference between the pitch of the audio signal and the second pitch of the second audio signal when the audio signal and the second audio signal are combined; and

determining that the volume of the audio signal at the fourth time and the second volume of the second audio signal at the fourth time are both the average volume so that a bot is unable to discern a difference between the volume of the audio signal and the second volume of the second audio signal when the audio signal and the second audio signal are combined;

present the verification audio signal to a user for the user verification, the user verification comprising verifying that the user is human; and

verify whether the user has access to content or a service based upon user input, obtained in response to the verification audio signal, matching the code within the verification audio signal.

2. The system of claim 1, the audio generation component configured to:

identify a speaking rate of the audio signal; and

identify a second speaking rate of the second audio signal.

3. The system of claim 2, the audio generation component configured to:

alter at least one of the speaking rate of the audio signal or the second speaking rate of the second audio signal until the speaking rate and the second speaking rate are within a threshold speaking rate similarity.

4. The system of claim 1, the audio generation component configured to:

identify an amplitude of the audio signal; and

identify a second amplitude of the second audio signal.

5. The system of claim 4, the audio generation component configured to:

alter at least one of the amplitude of the audio signal or the second amplitude of the second audio signal until the amplitude and the second amplitude are within a threshold amplitude similarity.

6. The system of claim 1, the audio generation component configured to:

create the second audio signal utilizing a first audio segment and a second audio segment.

7. The system of claim 6, the audio generation component configured to at least one of:

extract at least one of the first audio segment or the second audio segment from an audio content database;

or

generate at least one of the first audio segment or the second audio segment utilizing a random speech generator.

8. The system of claim 6, the audio generation component configured to:

randomly extract one or more portions from at least one of the first audio segment or the second audio segment; and

randomly stitch the one or more portions together to create the second audio signal.

9. The system of claim 6, the audio generation component configured to:

randomly extract one or more portions from at least one of the first audio segment or the second audio segment;

randomly layer the one or more portions over each other to create a layered segment and a second layered segment; and

stitch the layered segment and the second layered segment together to create the second audio signal.

10. The system of claim 6, the audio generation component configured to:

randomly extract one or more portions from at least one of the first audio segment or the second audio segment;

randomly stitch the one or more portions together to create an initial second audio signal; and

reverse the initial second audio signal to create the second audio signal.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second audio signal comprises computer generated speech.

12. The system of claim 1, the audio generation component configured to:

provide the user with an option to enter the user input audibly;

responsive to the user entering the user input audibly, identify acoustic features that are indicative of a human voice; and

responsive to the acoustic features indicating that the user input was spoken by the human voice, verify the user access to the content or the service.

13. The system of claim 1, the audio generation component configured to:

provide the user an option to enter the user input audibly;

responsive to the user entering the user input audibly, identify acoustic features that are indicative of a human voice; and

responsive to the acoustic features indicating the user input was not spoken by a human voice, deny the user access to the content or the service.

14. A method of audio verification comprising:

identifying an audio signal comprising a code for user verification;

extracting one or more audio segments in real-time from an on-going audio stream;

creating a second audio signal comprising speech based upon the one or more audio segments extracted in real-time from the on-going audio stream;

identifying a speaking rate and an amplitude of the audio signal at a first time;

identifying a second speaking rate and a second amplitude of the second audio signal at a second time, wherein the speaking rate of the audio signal and the second speaking rate of the second audio signal are not within a threshold speaking rate similarity, and wherein the amplitude of the audio signal and the second amplitude of the second audio signal are not within a threshold amplitude similarity;

altering the speaking rate of the audio signal and the second speaking rate of the second audio signal by altering the speaking rate be more similar to the second speaking rate at the second time and altering the second speaking rate to be more similar to the speaking rate at the first time until the speaking rate and the second speaking rate are within the threshold speaking rate similarity at a third time;

altering the amplitude of the audio signal and the second amplitude of the second audio signal by altering the amplitude be more similar to the second amplitude at the second time and altering the second amplitude to be more similar to the amplitude at the first time until the amplitude and the second amplitude are within the threshold amplitude similarity at a fourth time;

combining the audio signal and the second audio signal to generate a verification audio signal in response to;

determining that the speaking rate of the audio signal at the third time and the second speaking rate of the second audio signal at the third time are within the threshold speaking rate similarity so that a bot is unable to discern a difference between the speaking rate of the audio signal and the second speaking rate of the second audio signal when the audio signal and the second audio signal are combined; and

determining that the amplitude of the audio signal at the fourth time and the second amplitude of the second audio signal at the fourth time are within the threshold amplitude similarity so that a bot is unable to discern a difference between the amplitude of the audio signal and the second amplitude of the second audio signal when the audio signal and the second audio signal are combined;

presenting the verification audio signal to a user for the user verification, the user verification comprising verifying that the user is human; and

verifying whether the user has access to content or a service based upon user input, obtained in response to the verification audio signal, matching the code within the verification audio signal.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising:

identifying a pitch of the audio signal;

identifying a second pitch of the second audio signal; and

altering at least one of the pitch of the audio signal or the second pitch of the second audio signal until the pitch and the second pitch are within a threshold pitch similarity.

16. The method of claim 14, comprising:

identifying a volume of the audio signal;

identifying a second volume of the second audio signal; and

altering at least one of the volume of the audio signal or the second volume of the second audio signal until the volume and the second volume are within a threshold volume similarity.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising:

creating the second audio signal utilizing a first audio segment and a second audio segment.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising at least one of:

extracting at least one of the first audio segment or the second audio segment from an audio content database;

or

generating at least one of the first audio segment or the second audio segment utilizing a random speech generator.

19. A system of audio verification comprising:

a processor; and

memory comprising processor-executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause implementation of an audio generation component configured to;

identify an audio signal comprising a code for user verification;

extract one or more audio segments in real-time from an on-going audio stream;

create a second audio signal comprising speech based upon the one or more audio segments extracted in real-time from the on-going audio stream;

identify at least two of a pitch, an amplitude, a volume or a speaking rate of the audio signal;

identify at least two of a second pitch, a second amplitude, a second volume or a second speaking rate of the second audio signal, wherein at least two of the pitch of the audio signal and the second pitch of the second audio signal are not within a threshold pitch similarity, the volume of the audio signal and the second volume of the second audio signal are not within a threshold volume similarity, the amplitude of the audio signal and the second amplitude of the second audio signal are not within a threshold amplitude similarity or the speaking rate of the audio signal and the second speaking rate of the second audio signal are not within a threshold speaking rate similarity;

at least two of;

alter at least one of the pitch of the audio signal or the second pitch of the second audio signal until the pitch and the second pitch are within the threshold pitch similarity;

alter at least one of the volume of the audio signal or the second volume of the second audio signal until the volume and the second volume are within the threshold volume similarity;

alter at least one of the amplitude of the audio signal or the second amplitude of the second audio signal until the amplitude and the second amplitude are within the threshold amplitude similarity;

or

alter at least one of the speaking rate of the audio signal or the second speaking rate of the second audio signal until the speaking rate and the second speaking rate are within the threshold speaking rate similarity;

combine the audio signal and the second audio signal to generate a verification audio signal in response to at least two of;

determining that the pitch of the audio signal and the second pitch of the second audio signal are within the threshold pitch similarity so that a bot is unable to discern a difference between the pitch of the audio signal and the second pitch of the second audio signal when the audio signal and the second audio signal are combined;

determining that the volume of the audio signal and the second volume of the second audio signal are within the threshold volume similarity so that a bot is unable to discern a difference between the volume of the audio signal and the second volume of the second audio signal when the audio signal and the second audio signal are combined;

determining that the amplitude of the audio signal and the second amplitude of the second audio signal are within the threshold amplitude similarity so that a bot is unable to discern a difference between the amplitude of the audio signal and the second amplitude of the second audio signal when the audio signal and the second audio signal are combined;

or

determining that the speaking rate of the audio signal and the second speaking rate of the second audio signal are within the threshold speaking rate similarity so that a bot is unable to discern a difference between the speaking rate of the audio signal and the second speaking rate of the second audio signal when the audio signal and the second audio signal are combined;

present the verification audio signal to a user for the user verification, the user verification comprising verifying that the user is human; and

verify whether the user has access to content or a service based upon user input, obtained in response to the verification audio signal, matching the code within the verification audio signal.

20. The system of claim 19, the on-going audio stream corresponding to at least one of a news show, a radio show or a talk show.