Interactive voice message retrieval

• US 20060018446A1
• Filed: 07/24/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Marmasse, Natalia, Lakshmipathy, Vidya, Schmandt, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.170
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• 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 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings

Abstract

A method for exchanging voice messages that may be employed in an answering machine, in wired or wireless telephone, or in an voice messaging system. An incoming voice message from a message source is received and recorded, parsed into segments, and the parsed message is played back to a listener, pausing between each of the parsed segments to accept and record a spoken response from the listener. A reply message is returned to the original message source that includes each such spoken response along with a snippet extracted from the particular segment responded to in the original message. The listener may also interrupt the playback of the voice message at any time to record a response.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging voice messages comprising, in combination, the steps of:

receiving and recording an incoming voice message from a message source,

parsing said voice message into segments,

reproducing said voice message to a listener while pausing between each of said segments to accept and record a spoken response from said listener, and

transmitting a reply message including each such spoken response to said message source.

2. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of parsing said voice message into segments comprises the step of detecting segment-delimiting pauses in the content of said voice message.

3. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 2 wherein said step of detecting segment-delimiting pauses includes the step of detecting the presence of intervals in said voice message having a low average magnitude.

4. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 3 wherein said intervals of low average magnitude are preceded by an abrupt reduction in the average magnitude of said voice message and followed by an abrupt increase in the average magnitude of said voice message.

5. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 3 wherein said step of detecting segment delimiting pauses includes the step of detecting the presence of single syllables having a duration which exceeds predetermined threshold duration.

6. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 3 wherein said step of detecting the presence of intervals in said voice message having a low average magnitude comprises detecting intervals in said voice message having an average magnitude less than a predetermined threshold magnitude.

7. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 2 wherein said step of detecting segment delimiting pauses includes the step of detecting the presence of single syllables having an extended duration.

8. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 2 wherein said step of detecting segment delimiting pauses includes the step of detecting the presence of intervals in said voice message having a low average magnitude and the presence of single syllables of extended duration in said voice message.

9. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step performed during the reproduction of said voice message of accepting an interrupt command from said listener and thereafter recording a spoken response from said listener.

10. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 9 wherein said step of detecting segment-delimiting pauses includes the step of detecting the presence of intervals in said voice message having a low average magnitude.

11. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 9 wherein said step of detecting segment-delimiting pauses includes the step of detecting the presence of intervals in said voice message having a low average magnitude and the presence of single syllables of extended duration in said voice message.

12. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 9 wherein said reply message comprises the combination of each such spoken response and at least a portion of that segment of said voice message reproduced immediately before the recording of each such spoken response.

13. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 1 wherein said reply message comprises the combination of each such spoken response and at least a portion of that segment of said voice message reproduced immediately before the recording of each such spoken response.

14. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 13 wherein said portion of that segment has a predetermined maximum duration.

15. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 14 wherein said portion of that segment is time compressed to reduce its duration while preserving its information content.

16. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 13 wherein said reply message further includes pauses following each such spoken response.

17. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 13 further comprising the step performed during the reproduction of said voice message of accepting an interrupt command followed by recording a spoken response from said listener.

18. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting a reply message to said message source comprises establishing a telephone connection to said message source and transmitting said reply message via said telephone connection.

19. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting a reply message to said message source comprises establishing an Internet connection to said message source and transmitting said reply message via said Internet connection.

20. A method for exchanging voice messages as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting a reply message to said message source comprises transmitting said reply message as a part of an email message to said message source.