Automatic capture of intonation cues in audio segments for speech applications

• US 20050125236A1
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Published: 06/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lewis, James R., Michelini, Vanessa V., Gomez, Felipe, Agapi, Ciprian, Sullivan, Sibyl C.
• Application Number:
  US10/956,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125236A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/24 Speech recognition using non-acoustical features

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for automatically capturing intonation cues in audio segments in speech applications. The method can include identifying planned audio segments in the speech application program, the audio segments containing audio text to be recorded and associated file names. The method further can include extracting the audio segments from the speech application program and processing the extracted audio segments to create an audio text recordation plan. Finally, the method can include further processing the audio text recordation plan to account for intonation cues.

Claims

1. A method of automatically capturing intonation cues in audio segments for speech application programs, the method comprising:

identifying planned audio segments in the speech application program, the audio segments containing audio text to be recorded and associated file names;

extracting the audio segments from the speech application program;

processing the extracted audio segments to create an audio text recordation plan; and

,

further processing the audio text recordation plan to account for intonation cues.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of further processing the audio text recordation plan comprises the steps of:

locating intonation cues within audio segment text in the planned audio segments; and

,

re-forming names for corresponding audio files to account for the located intonation cues.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

identifying codes corresponding to the located intonation cues; and

,

performing the re-forming step using the identified codes.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the intonation cues include cues selected from the group consisting of exclamation points, question marks, commas, periods, colons and semi-colons.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing step comprises the steps of:

determining if the extracted audio segment contains more than one sentence of audio text; and

modifying the extracted audio segments to obtain audio segments containing only one sentence of audio text, if the extracted audio segments contain more than one sentence of audio text.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the processing step further comprises the step of sorting the extracted audio segments.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the processing step further comprises the steps of:

identifying an initial audio segment containing audio text;

identifying duplicate audio segments containing a corresponding audio file name identical to an audio file name for the initial audio segment; and

deleting the duplicate audio segments.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the speech application program language is VoiceXML.

9. A machine readable storage having stored thereon a computer program for automatically capturing intonation cues in audio segments in a speech application program, the computer program comprising a routine set of instructions which when executed by a machine cause the machine to perform the steps of:

identifying planned audio segments in the speech application program, the audio segments containing audio text to be recorded and associated file names;

extracting the audio segments from the speech application program;

processing the extracted audio segments to create an audio text recordation plan; and

,

further processing the audio text recordation plan to account for intonation cues.

10. The machine readable storage of claim 9, wherein the step of further processing the audio text recordation plan comprises the steps of:

locating intonation cues within audio segment text in the planned audio segments; and

,

re-forming names for corresponding audio files to account for the located intonation cues.

11. The machine readable storage of claim 10, further comprising a routine set of instructions which when executed by the machine further cause the machine to perform the steps of:

identifying codes corresponding to the located intonation cues; and

,

performing the re-forming step using the identified codes.

12. The machine readable storage of claim 10, wherein the intonation cues include cues selected from the group consisting of exclamation points, question marks, commas, periods, colons and semi-colons.

13. The machine readable storage of claim 9, wherein the processing step comprises the steps of:

determining if the extracted audio segment contains more than one sentence of audio text; and

modifying the extracted audio segments to obtain audio segments containing only one sentence of audio text, if the extracted audio segments contain more than one sentence of audio text.

14. The machine readable storage of claim 13, wherein the processing step further comprises the step of sorting the extracted audio segments.

15. The machine readable storage of claim 14, wherein the processing step further comprises the steps of:

identifying an initial audio segment containing audio text;

identifying duplicate audio segments containing a corresponding audio file name identical to an audio file name for the initial audio segment; and

deleting the duplicate audio segments.

16. The machine readable storage of claim 9, wherein the speech application program language is VoiceXML.

17. A system for automatically capturing intonation cues in audio segments in a speech application program, the audio segments containing audio text to be recorded and associated file names, the system comprising a computer having a central processing unit, the central processing unit extracting audio segments from a speech application program, processing the extracted audio segments in order to create an audio text recordation plan, and further processing the audio text recordation plan to account for intonation cues.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein further processing the audio text recordation plan comprises locating intonation cues within audio segment text in the planned audio segments;

and, re-forming names for corresponding audio files to account for the located intonation cues.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the central processing unit further identifies codes corresponding to the located intonation cues;

and, performs the re-forming using the identified codes.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the intonation cues include cues selected from the group consisting of exclamation points, question marks, commas, periods, colons and semi-colons.