Method and system for the processing of voice information

• US 20040042591A1
• Filed: 05/07/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Sattler, Jurgen, Geppert, Nicholas Andre
• Application Number:
  US10/430,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20040042591A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for processing voice data from a call between a first human party and a second or more human parties. The call may be analyzed either fully or in part with an automated voice recognition system to convert spoken comments into text automatically. The results of voice recognition may be provided to at least one of the second human parties either fully or in part. Further, in one embodiment, the automated voice recognition system is linkable to at least one of a database system and an expert system.

Claims

1. A method for processing voice data from a call between a first human party and a second or more human parties, the method comprising:

analyzing the call either fully or in part with an automated voice recognition system to convert spoken comments into text automatically, the automated voice recognition system being linkable to at least one of a database system and an expert system; and

providing the results of voice recognition either fully or in part to at least one of the second human parties.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the call is a phone call made by the first human party to the second human party.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, further comprising accepting the phone call with an automated attendant system and forwarding the call with the automated attendant system to the second party.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising automatically establishing, with an automated attendant system, a call connection to the first party.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the automated attendant system comprises an automated interactive voice response system (IVRS).

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising providing the first party of the call with standard call structures.

7. A method in accordance with claim 3, further comprising providing at least one computer to be used for the automated attendant system or the voice recognition system.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising performing voice recognition with a plurality of computers in parallel.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising performing voice recognition using a multiple of processes on one computer in parallel.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising performing voice recognition in a computer network system in parallel.

11. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising storing voice data from the call in at least a largely unchanged state.

12. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein analyzing the call comprises performing voice recognition with information about the current call status being taken into account.

13. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein analyzing the call comprises performing voice recognition that is tailored individually to a request for analysis.

14. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein analyzing the call comprises performing voice recognition with at least one of dictation recognition, grammar recognition, single word recognition and keyword spotting.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein dictation recognition, grammar recognition, single word recognition and keyword spotting are used in parallel.

16. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein voice recognition is performed repeatedly.

17. A method in accordance with claim 14, wherein voice recognition is performed with dynamic adjustment.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, wherein the vocabulary for performing voice recognition is varied and/or adjusted.

19. A method in accordance with claim 17, further comprising classifying voice data from the call with keyword spotting as part of a first recognition step for the dynamic adjustment of the voice recognition.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19, further comprising reexamining the voice data as part of an additional recognition step by adding specific vocabulary.

21. A method in accordance with claim 20, further comprising iteratively performing additional recognition steps that are controlled by recognition probabilities.

22. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising extracting additional information by using the link.

23. A method in accordance with claim 22, wherein the additional information is extracted from at least one of the database system and expert system in order to dynamically control the voice recognition.

24. A method in accordance with claim 22, further comprising providing at least one of the result of analyzing the call and the additional information in a graphical and/or orthographical representation.

25. A method in accordance with claim 24, wherein at least one of the result of analyzing the voice data and the additional information is provided with time delay.

26. A method in accordance with claim 24, wherein at least one of the result of analyzing the voice data and the additional information is provided to the second party nearly synchronously.

27. A method in accordance with claim 26, wherein at least one of the result of analyzing the voice data and the additional information is provided to the second party during the call.

28. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising enabling the second party to at least partially control the voice recognition.

29. A method in accordance with claim 28, wherein enabling the second party comprises permitting the second party to load user profiles to facilitate voice recognition.

30. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising providing additional information from at least one of a database system and expert system to facilitate voice recognition.

31. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising storing the result of analyzing the call as text.

32. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the method is used in a call center.

33. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising integrating the method as part of a total program of a computer program.

34. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising integrating the method to train agents of a call center.

35. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising training the voice recognition system on the voice of at least one of the first party and the second party, wherein the second party is an agent of a call center.

36. A method in accordance with claim 35, further comprising increasing the recognition rate of the voice recognition system by having the agent repeat single words spoken by the first party, so that the voice recognition system can analyze the voice data of a trained voice.

46. A computer program product with program code means that are stored on a computer-readable storage medium and suitable to execute a method in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 36 when executed on a computer.

37. A system for processing voice data from a call between a first human party and a second or more human parties, the system comprising:

an automated voice recognition system for analyzing voice data from the call to recognize and extract text from the voice data automatically, the voice recognition system being linkable with one or more devices to record the voice data; and

means for representing the recognized and extracted text to the second or more human parties, wherein the means for representing is connected directly or indirectly with the voice recognition system.

38. A system in accordance with claim 37, wherein the voice recognition system is connected with at least one automated attendant system.

39. A system in accordance with claim 38, wherein the voice recognition system is connected to a plurality of automated attendant systems.

41. A system in accordance with claim 38, wherein the at least one automated attendant system comprises an automated interactive voice response system (IVRS).

42. A system in accordance with claim 37, wherein the voice recognition system comprises one or a plurality of computers.

43. A system in accordance with claim 38, wherein the at least one automated attendant system comprises one or a plurality of computers.

44. A system in accordance with claim 42 or 43, wherein the plurality of computers are connected in the form of a network.

45. A system in accordance with claim 44, wherein the network comprises a client/server structure.

40. A system in accordance with 38, wherein the at least one automated attendant system comprises a stationary or mobile phone.