Integrated voice navigation system and method

• US 20040054523A1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Movius Interactive Corporation
• Original Assignee: Glenayre Electronics Incorporated (EDCI Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Backhaus, George
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,159 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

An integrated voice navigation system 40 is disclosed. The voice navigation system (40) includes a voice messaging system (44), a speech recognition system (46), a voice channel (50) and a control link (52). A caller is connected to the voice messaging system (44) via PSTN (42). The voice messaging system (44) is in turn connected to the speech recognition system (46). Specifically, the voice messaging system (44) and speech recognition system (46) are connected via both the voice channel (50) and the control link (52). The voice channel (50) provides an audio communications pathway between the caller and the speech recognition system (46), while the control link (52) provides an out-of-band communications pathway between the voice messaging system (44) and the speech recognition system (46).

Claims

1. An integrated voice-controlled messaging system comprising:

a voice messaging system including a voice messaging application optimized for voice activation; and

a speech recognition system coupled to the voice messaging system via a control link, the control link providing a communications pathway for out-of-band messages between the voice messaging system and speech recognition system;

the voice messaging system operable to (1) receive an incoming call from a caller;

(2) provide audio data to the caller eliciting a spoken response; and

(3) send at least one out-of-band message to the speech recognition system via the control link requesting the speech recognition system to open an audio path between the speech recognition system and the voice messaging system and to receive and interpret the spoken response to be provided from the caller over the audio path; and

the speech recognition system operable to (1) receive the at least one out-of-band message from the voice messaging system;

(2) receive and interpret the spoken response from the caller by correlating the spoken response to a command recognizable by the voice messaging system; and

(3) send an out-of-band message to the voice messaging system comprising the command.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice messaging system is further operable to perform at least one task in response to the command.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said voice messaging system includes:

a processing unit for executing the voice messaging application optimized for voice activation;

a telephony interface for receiving an incoming call from a caller;

a voice storage board and switch matrix for providing audio data to the caller;

another switch matrix for establishing an audio path to the speech recognition system; and

a voice messaging network interface for sending out-of-band messages to and receiving out-of-band messages from the speech recognition system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said speech recognition system includes:

a speech recognition network interface for receiving out-of-band messages from and sending out-of-band messages to the voice messaging system;

a telephony interface for receiving the spoken response from the caller; and

a processing unit for executing the speech recognition application and interpreting the spoken response from the caller.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said speech recognition system is further operable to provide a synchronization cue to a caller via the audio path to indicate its readiness to receive a spoken response from the caller.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said speech recognition system includes an application for providing said synchronization cue and for error handling in the receipt of spoken responses.

7. An integrated voice-controlled messaging system comprising:

a voice messaging system; and

a speech recognition system coupled to the voice messaging system via a control link, the speech recognition system including a speech recognition application and a voice messaging application, the control link providing a communications pathway for out-of-band messages between the voice messaging system and the speech recognition system;

the voice messaging system operable to (1) receive an incoming call from a caller;

and (2) connect the call to the speech recognition system via an audio channel pursuant to at least one out-of-band message sent to the speech recognition system over the control link; and

the speech recognition system operable to (1) control the processing of the call by providing at least one audio prompt eliciting a spoken response from the caller, receiving the spoken response via the audio channel, interpreting the spoken response, and performing at least one task associated with the interpreted response; and

(2) use the control link to send out-of-band messages to and receive out-of-band messages from the voice messaging system.

8. An integrated voice-controlled messaging system comprising:

a voice messaging system to which an incoming call from a caller is connected; and

a speech recognition system coupled to the voice messaging system, the voice messaging system operable to (1) control the processing of the call;

(2) communicate with the speech recognition system via a control link using an out-of-band communications protocol; and

(3) establish an audio path to the speech recognition system,

the speech recognition system operable to receive a spoken response from the caller via the established audio path and provide application state information to the voice messaging system when requested by an out-of-band protocol message from the voice messaging system via the control link.

9. An integrated voice-controlled messaging system comprising:

a voice messaging system to which an incoming call from a caller is connected; and

a speech recognition system coupled to the voice messaging system,

the voice messaging system operable to provide a voice channel to the speech recognition system for communication with the caller by sending at least one out-of-band message to the speech recognition system over a control link requesting that the voice channel be established,

the speech recognition system operable to (1) control the processing of the call by sending at least one audio prompt to the caller and receiving at least one spoken response from the caller via the voice channel; and

(2) communicate with the voice messaging system via the control link using an out-of-band communications protocol.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the speech recognition system sends at least one out-of-band message to the voice messaging system with a request from the group consisting of (1) a request to retrieve data;

(2) a request to store data;

or (3) a request to delete data.

11. A method of providing integrated voice-controlled messaging, said method comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a caller at a voice messaging system;

providing audio data from the voice messaging system to the caller, said data eliciting a spoken response;

opening a voice channel from the caller to a speech recognition system via the voice messaging system;

sending at least one out-of-band message from the voice messaging system to the speech recognition system requesting the speech recognition system to receive the spoken response via the voice channel and to provide application state information back to the voice messaging system via at least one out-of-band message.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sending at least one out-of-band message from the speech recognition system to the voice messaging system via a control link, said at least one out-of-band message indicating the requested application state information.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

performing at least one task at the voice messaging system in response to the application state information.

14. A method of providing integrated voice controlled messaging, said method comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a caller at a voice messaging system;

opening a voice channel between the caller and a speech recognition system via the voice messaging system;

controlling the call at the speech recognition system by;

(i) providing at least one prompt to the caller from the speech recognition system via the voice channel, said at least one prompt eliciting a spoken response from the caller;

(ii) receiving a spoken response at the speech recognition system from the caller via the voice channel;

(iii) interpreting the response at the speech recognition system and performing at least one task associated with the interpreted response; and

(iv) using the voice messaging system for data storage and retrieval, said data storage requests and retrievals provided by out-of-band messaging via a control link between the speech recognition system and voice messaging system.