System and method for speech recognition by multi-pass recognition using context specific grammars

• US 20030125948A1
• Filed: 01/02/2003
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telelogue Inc (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telelogue Inc (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Lyudovyk, Yevgeniy
• Application Number:
  US10/334,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20030125948A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/257
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/183 using context dependencies, e.g. language models

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system, method and apparatus for automatically recognizing and/or processing an input such as a user'"'"'s communication. A user'"'"'s communication may be received at a first speech recognizer and a recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication may be generated. An informational database may be searched to find a list of matching entries that match the recognized result. A context specific grammar may be generated based on the list of matching entries. A refined recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication may be generated based on the context specific grammar.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s communication at a first speech recognizer;

generating a recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication by the first speech recognizer;

searching an informational database to find a list of matching entries that match the recognized result;

generating a context specific grammar based on the list of matching entries;

generating a refined recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on the context specific grammar;

searching the informational database to find a list of new matching entries that match the refined recognized result; and

outputting the list of new matching entries.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the recognized result by the first speech recognizer based on the user'"'"'s communication and an initial grammar.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the recognized result of the first speech recognizer includes a list of N-best recognized entries.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the list of N-best recognized entries includes one entry.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the list of N-best recognized entries includes more than one entry.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the initial grammar is a uni-gram grammar.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the initial grammar is a bi-gram grammar.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the initial grammar is a tri-gram grammar.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of matching entries includes a list of M-best matching entries.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the list of M-best matching entries includes one entry.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the list of M-best matching entries includes more than one entry.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the refined recognized result is generated by a second speech recognizer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information database is a listings database.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the refined recognized result is generated by the first speech recognizer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the refined recognized result includes a list of new N-best recognized entries.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of new matching entries includes a list of new M-best matching entries.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein outputting the list of new matching entries comprises:

outputting an entry from the list of new matching entries to a user.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

outputting the list of new matching entries to an output manager.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the list of new matching entries comprises:

outputting the list of new matching entries to a context specific grammar generator.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a new context specific grammar based on the list of new matching entries.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

generating a new refined recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on the new context specific grammar.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

searching the informational database for a list of refined matching entries that match the new refined recognized result.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

outputting the list of refined matching entries.

24. The method of claim 23, outputting the list of refined matching entries further comprises:

outputting an entry from the list of refined matching entries to a user.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

outputting the list of refined matching entries to the context specific grammar generator.

26. An apparatus comprising:

a speech recognizer that is to receive a user'"'"'s communication and generate a recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication;

a matcher that is to search an informational database to find a list of matching entries that match the recognized result; and

a context specific grammar generator that is to generate a context specific grammar based on the list of matching entries, wherein the speech recognizer is to generate a refined recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on the context specific grammar.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

a second matcher that is to search the informational database to find a list of new matching entries that match the refined recognized result.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

an output manager that is to output the list of new matching entries to a user.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the matcher is to search the informational database to find a list of new matching entries that match the refined recognized result.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

an initial grammar, wherein the speech recognizer is to generate a recognized result for the user'"'"'s communication based on the initial grammar.

36. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising:

an initial grammar, wherein the first speech recognizer is to generate a recognized result for the user'"'"'s communication based on the initial grammar.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the initial grammar is a statistical grammar.

31. An apparatus comprising:

a first speech recognizer that is to receive a user'"'"'s communication and generate a recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication;

a matcher that is to search an informational database to find a list of matching entries that match the recognized result;

a context specific grammar generator that is to generate a context specific grammar based on the list of matching entries; and

a second speech recognizer that is to generate a refined recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on the context specific grammar.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the first speech recognizer and the second speech recognizer are the same speech recognizer.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

a second matcher that is to search the informational database to find a list of new matching entries that match the refined recognized result.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

an output manager that is to output the list of new matching entries to a user.

35. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the matcher is to search the informational database to find a list of new matching entries that match the refined recognized result.

38. A method comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s communication at a first speech recognizer;

generating a recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication by the first speech recognizer;

searching an informational database to find a list of matching entries that match the recognized result;

generating a context specific grammar based on the list of matching entries; and

generating a refined recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on the context specific grammar.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

searching the informational database to find a list of new matching entries that match the refined recognized result.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

outputting the list of new matching entries.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein outputting the list of new matching entries comprises:

outputting the list of new matching entries to a context specific grammar generator.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

generating a new context specific grammar based on the list of new matching entries.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising:

generating a new refined recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on the new context specific grammar.

44. The method of claim 39, wherein the list of new matching entries includes a list of new M-best matching entries.

45. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

generating the recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on an initial grammar.

46. The method of claim 38, wherein the recognized result of the first speech recognizer includes a list of N-best recognized entries.

47. The method of claim 38, wherein the list of matching entries includes a list of M-best matching entries.

48. The method of claim 38, wherein the refined recognized result is generated by the first speech recognizer.

49. The method of claim 38, wherein the refined recognized result includes a list of new N-best recognized entries.

50. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of executable instructions, the plurality of instructions comprising instructions to:

receive a user'"'"'s communication at a first speech recognizer;

generate a recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication by the first speech recognizer;

search an informational database to find a list of matching entries that match the recognized result;

generate a context specific grammar based on the list of matching entries; and

generate a refined recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on the context specific grammar.

51. The machine-readable medium of claim 50 having stored thereon additional executable instructions, the additional instructions comprising instructions to:

search the informational database to find a list of new matching entries that match the refined recognized result.

52. The machine-readable medium of claim 51 having stored thereon additional executable instructions, the additional instructions comprising instructions to:

output the list of new matching entries.

53. The machine-readable medium of claim 52 having stored thereon additional executable instructions, the additional instructions comprising instructions to:

output the list of new matching entries to a context specific grammar generator.

54. The machine-readable medium of claim 53 having stored thereon additional executable instructions, the additional instructions comprising instructions to:

generate a new context specific grammar based on the list of new matching entries.

55. The machine-readable medium of claim 54 having stored thereon additional executable instructions, the additional instructions comprising instructions to:

generate a new refined recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on the new context specific grammar.

56. The machine-readable medium of claim 50 having stored thereon additional executable instructions, the additional instructions comprising instructions to:

generate the recognized result of the user'"'"'s communication based on an initial grammar.