Teleconference speaker identification

• US 20030231746A1
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hunter, Karla Rae, Martin, Ronald Bruce
• Application Number:
  US10/172,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20030231746A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/41 using speaker recognition speaker recognition per se G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

The present invention provides a method to allow conference call participants to determine the identity of the current speaker without interrupting the call by verbally requesting the identity of the speaker. When a conference call is established, a conference bridge initiates a connection to an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system. The conference bridge prompts each participant as they join the call to repeat words on a predetermined list. The repeated words are sent to the ASR system, where a voice profile is generated for each conference participant. When a conference participant wishes to know the identity of the current speaker, the participant notifies the conference bridge. The conference bridge sends the request to the ASR system, where a comparison is made between the voice of the current speaker and the voice templates. When a match is found, the identity of the current speaker is returned to the requesting participant.

Claims

1. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in a communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a conference call including a plurality of users at a conference bridge;

bridging an Automatic Speech Recognition System (ASR) onto the conference call;

prompting each of the plurality of users to speak predetermined words;

receiving spoken words in response to the prompting; and

sending the spoken words to the ASR.

2. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of prompting each of the plurality of users to speak predetermined words comprises playing a list of words for each of the plurality of users to repeat.

3. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of prompting each of the plurality of users to speak predetermined words comprises requesting each of the plurality of users to identify themselves.

4. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in a communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

accepting a request for speaker identification from a requesting user at a conference bridge;

transmitting the request for speaker identification to an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system;

accepting speaker identification from the ASR system; and

transmitting speaker identification to the requesting user.

5. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 4, the method further comprising the step of blocking the request for speaker identification from being transmitted to all parties on the conference bridge.

6. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of transmitting the requests for speaker identification to the ASR system comprises sending a message from the conference bridge to the ASR system.

7. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of accepting speaker identification from the ASR system comprises receiving a message at the conference bridge from the ASR system.

8. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of transmitting speaker identification comprises transmitting speaker identification via analog signals.

9. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of transmitting speaker identification comprises transmitting speaker identification via data packets.

10. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of transmitting speaker identification comprises transmitting speaker identification via a multimedia stream.

11. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of transmitting speaker identification comprises sending a message including speaker identification to a user terminal associated with the requesting user.

12. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 4, wherein the step of transmitting speaker identification comprises connecting the ASR system to a conference port of the requesting user.

13. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in a communication system in accordance with claim 4, further comprising releasing conference ports at the conclusion of the call at the conference bridge.

14. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in a communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a voice profile for each user in a conference call in an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system;

accepting a request for speaker identification of the current speaker from a requesting user; and

sending speaker identification to the requesting user.

15. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 14, wherein the step of receiving voice profile information comprises receiving predetermined words spoken by each user.

16. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 15, further comprising the step of generating a voice template for each user on the conference call.

17. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 16, further comprising the step of associating a user identification with the voice template.

18. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 14, further comprising the step of determining speaker identification.

19. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 14, wherein the step of sending speaker identification to the requesting user comprises transmitting a message including a user identification to the conference bridge.

20. A method of providing teleconference speaker identification in accordance with claim 14, wherein the step of sending speaker identification to the requesting user comprises playing an audio identification of the teleconference speaker over a voice path to the conference bridge.