Localizing and verifying utterances by audio fingerprinting

• US 10,546,585 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2017
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Huyen X
• Application Number:
  US15/858,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20190206396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/31 Voice input
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/60 Security, fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for enhancing the security of a user device such as a voice command device. A computing device associated with the user device may be configured to receive an indication of a trigger, such as a predetermined word or passcode. In response to receiving the indication of the trigger, the computing device may be configured to determine a verification signal marker and to cause transmission of the verification signal marker. The computing device may receive an audio input comprising a voice command and a detected signal marker and verify the voice command based on a comparison of the detected signal marker and the verification signal marker. In response to the verifying the voice command, the computing device may be configured to cause execution of an operation associated with the voice command such as tuning to a specific channel on a nearby set-top box.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a trigger;

determining, based on the indication of the trigger, a verification signal marker;

causing transmission of the verification signal marker;

receiving an audio input comprising a home automation command and a detected signal marker;

verifying, based on a comparison of the detected signal marker and the verification signal marker, the home automation command; and

causing, based on the verifying the home automation command, execution of an operation associated with the home automation command.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger comprises detection of at least one of a predetermined word or sound by a user device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein causing transmission of the verification signal marker comprises causing transmission of the verification signal marker via a device located within a reception area of the user device.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining an audio device within a reception area of the user device, wherein causing transmission of the verification signal marker comprises causing transmission of the verification signal marker via the determined audio device.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining a plurality of audio devices within a reception area of the user device; and

selecting one or more preferred audio devices of the plurality of audio devices, wherein causing transmission of the verification signal marker comprises causing transmission of the verification signal marker via the select one or more preferred audio devices.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selecting one or more preferred audio devices is based on one or more of a location of the one or more preferred audio devices and a signal strength associated with the one or more preferred audio devices.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a characteristic of the home automation command is determined based on the selected one or more preferred audio devices.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the verification signal marker comprises an audio water mark.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising distinguishing, based on a predetermined frequency of the detected signal marker, the detected signal marker from the home automation command.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by an audio device and based on detection of a trigger, a signal marker;

transmitting, by the audio device, at least the signal marker; and

receiving, by a user device, an audio signal comprising a home automation command and the signal marker, wherein the signal marker is configured to be compared to one or more verified markers to verify the home automation command, and wherein execution of an operation associated with the home automation command is dependent upon verification of the home automation command.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitting the signal marker comprises transmitting the signal marker at a predetermined audio frequency.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined frequency is outside of a frequency band of the home automation command.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving the signal marker comprises receiving an indication to transmit the signal marker at a predetermined time, and wherein the transmitting the signal marker comprises transmitting the signal marker at the predetermined time.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the user device comprises a microphone configured to receive the home automation command.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, by a user device, a first audio input indicative of a trigger;

determining, based on the receiving the first audio input, a verification signal marker;

causing transmission of the verification signal marker;

receiving a second audio input comprising a home automation command and a detected signal marker;

verifying, based on a comparison of the detected signal marker and the verification signal marker, the home automation command; and

causing, based on the verifying the home automation command, execution of an operation associated with the home automation command.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user device comprises a microphone configured to receive the first audio input.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the home automation command is associated with one or more of a content system and a premises management system.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the causing transmission of the verification signal marker comprises causing transmission of a plurality of verification signal markers, each of the plurality verification signal markers being generated by one of a plurality of audio devices.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the verification signal marker comprises a random noise fingerprint.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the verifying the home automation command comprises authenticating a source of the home automation command.