Method for searching data in at least two databases

• US 20040243562A1
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Josenhans, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,363,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/275 implemented by means of portable electronic directories
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method and database system is disclosed for searching data in at least two databases (D_n), particularly for searching telephone directories or the like. To allow simultaneous access to two or more databases by means of speech recognition in order to perform a search therein as in a single database, a search term is input by speech via a voice controlled user interface (28) connected to a database primary control apparatus (26) and comprises speech recognition front end means (8, 9) for processing a sound sequence of a search term input by speech to obtain a comparable speech pattern (X) thereof. By means of speech recognition back end means (6) associated with databases (D₁-D₆), the comparable speech pattern (X) is compared with corresponding speech patterns (A_n,i) of database entries (E_n,i) to determine for each of the at least two databases (D_n) at least that database entry (E_n,j) the speech pattern (A_n,j) which best matches the comparable speech pattern (X) of the search term.

Claims

1. A method for searching data in at least two databases (D_n), in particular for searching telephone directory, address book or organizer entries or the like in at least two telephone directory, address book or organizer databases or the like, comprising the steps of:

inputting a search term by speech,

processing a sound sequence of the search term to obtain a comparable speech pattern (X) thereof,

comparing the comparable speech pattern (X) of the search term with corresponding speech patterns (A_n,i) of database entries (E_n,i) to determine for each entry (E_n,i) of the at least two databases (D_n) a measure m(X,A_n,i) for the matching distance between the compared speech patterns to determine at least that database entry (E_n,j) of each database (D_n) the speech pattern (A_n,j) of which matches the comparable speech pattern (X) of the search term best,

selecting that database entry (E_p,j) the speech pattern (A_p,j) of which matches the comparable speech pattern (X) of the search term best from the entries (E_n,j) determined in the previous step by searching that measure m_n(X,A_n,j) that indicates the best matching speech pattern of the database entries, and

outputting an identifier of that database entry (E_p,j) that has been selected in the previous step.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that for each database (D_n) a respective table is set up that contains all database entries (E_n,i) in the order in which their speech pattern (A_n,i) phonetically match the speech pattern (X) of the search term.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that processing the sound sequence of the search term results in a phoneme sequence used as comparable speech pattern (X).

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that that measure m_n(X,A_j) that indicates the closest matching distance between the compared speech patterns is determined in accordance with the following equation:

m_n(X,A_n,j)<

m(X,A_n,i) for all i≠

j

wherein i=1, 2, . . . k_n and k_n is the number of entries of n^th database (D_n).

5. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the measures m_n(X,A_j) indicating the best matching database entries (En_n,j) of each database (D_n) are compared to select that database entry (E_n,j) the speech pattern of which matches the comparable speech pattern of the search term best.

6. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the comparable speech pattern (X) of the search term is compared with the comparable speech patterns (A_n,j) of those database entries (E_n,j) that have been determined as that of the respective databases (D_n) that matches the search term best to determine for each of these entries (E_n,j) a measure m(X,A_n,j) for the matching distance between the compared speech patterns, and

at least that database entry (E_p,j) that matches the search term best of all is determined by searching that measure m_h(X,A_p,j) that indicates the best matching speech pattern of all the database entries (E_n,j) of all databases (D_n).

7. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that that measure m_h(X,A_p,j) that indicates the closest matching distance between the compared speech patterns is determined in accordance with the following equation:

m_h(X,A_p,j)<

m(X,A_n,j) for all n≠

p

wherein n=1, 2, . . . q and q is the number of databases (D_n) to be searched.

8. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the identifier of that database entry (E), the speech pattern (A) of which matches the comparable speech pattern (X) of the search term bests is entered as a search term for an alphanumeric search through the connected databases (D),

on the basis of the entered search term, the predecessor or a plurality of predecessors and the successor or a plurality of successors to the search term and, if available, the search term itself from each of the databases (D1-D6) are stored in a search table memory (27), and

the search term, if stored in the search table, or that term from the successors stored in the search table which comes closest after the entered search term is displayed.

9. A database system, in particular for carrying out the method for searching for data according to claim 1, having

at least two databases (D₁-D₆), each of which has an associated database control device (18′

-23′

) including speech recognition back end means (6) for comparing comparable speech patterns (X, A) including comparing means for such comparable speech patterns (X, A), for determining a measure m(X,A) for the matching distance between the compared speech patterns as well as for determining that entry of the database (D), the comparable speech pattern of which matches the comparable speech pattern of the search term best,

a database primary control apparatus (26)

which can be connected to the database control devices (18′

-23′

) for the purposes of transmitting data including comparable speech patterns (X, A) and control commands to the database control devices (18′

-23′

) and receiving them therefrom, and

which has a speech recognition middle part means (7) as well as an associated search table memory (27) which is able to store data transmitted from the database control devices (18′

-23′

), said speech recognition middle part means (7) comprises means for selecting that database entry (E_p,j), the speech pattern (A_p,j) of which matches the comparable speech pattern (X) of the search term best from the entries (E_n,j) supplied by the speech recognition back end means (6) of database control devices (18′

-23′

), and

a voice controlled user interface (28) for inputting control commands and search terms so as to control the system and simultaneously search data in the connected databases (D₁-D₆), the user interface (28) is connected to the database primary control apparatus (26) and comprises speech recognition front end means (8, 9) for processing a sound sequence of a search term input by speech including processing means for obtaining a comparable speech pattern (X).

10. A database system according to claim 9, characterized in that the speech recognition front end means (8, 9) comprises processing means for obtaining a phoneme sequence as comparable speech pattern (X).

11. A database system according to claim 9, characterized in that said speech recognition middle part means (7) comprises comparing means for comparing measures m_n(X,A) for the matching distances between the compared speech patterns and for selecting that database entry (E), the speech pattern of which matches the comparable speech pattern of the search term best.

12. A database system according to claim 9, characterized in that speech recognition middle part means (7) comprises comparing means for comparing speech patterns (X, A), for determining a measure m(X,A) for the matching distance between the compared speech patterns as well as for determining that entry, the comparable speech pattern of which matches the comparable speech pattern of the search term best.

13. A database system according to claim 9, characterized in that the database primary control apparatus (26) is connected to a database access interface (25) to which the database control devices (18′

-23′

) of the databases (D₁-D₆) can be connected for the purpose of interchanging data and control commands using communication links (14, 24, 17).

14. A database system according to claim 13, characterized in that the communication links (14, 17) provided are radio links.

15. A database system according to claim 13, characterized in that the communication links provided are infrared links.

16. A database system according to claim 13, characterized in that the communication links (24) provided are wired links.

17. A database system according to claim 9, characterized in that the databases are telephone directory, address book and/or appointments diary databases.

18. A database system according to claim 9, characterized in that the databases (D₁-D₆) are provided on various apparatuses, at least one of which is a telephone (10, 15), in particular a mobile telephone (10, 15).

19. A database system according to claim 9, characterized in that the database primary control apparatus (26) is provided in the telephone (10), in particular in the mobile telephone (10).

20. A database system according to claim 9, characterized in that a plurality of database primary control apparatuses (26) are provided, each of which is arranged in a different apparatus.