Apparatus and method for audio analysis

• US 20060212295A1
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nice Ltd
• Original Assignee: Nice Systems Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Wasserblat, Moshe, Pereg, Oren
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/252
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/69 for evaluating synthetic or decoded voice signals

Abstract

An apparatus and method for an improved audio analysis process is disclosed. The improvement concerns the accuracy level of the results and the rate of false alarms produced by the audio analysis process. The proposed apparatus and method provides a three-stage audio analysis route. The three-stage analysis process includes a pre-analysis stage, a main analysis stage and a post analysis stage.

Claims

1. A method for improving the performance levels of an at least one audio analysis engine designed to process an at least one audio interaction segment captured in an environment, the method comprising the steps of:

examining the at least one audio interaction segment; and

estimating the quality of the performance of the at least one audio analysis engine based on the results of the examination of the at least one audio interaction segment;

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the environment is a call center or a financial institution.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

processing the at least one audio interaction segment by the at least one audio analysis engine; and

evaluating at least one result of the at least one audio analysis engine processing the at least one audio interaction segment; and

discarding the at least one result of the at least one audio analysis engine processing the at least one audio interaction segment.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of filtering the at least one audio interaction segment from being processed by the audio analysis engine, based on the quality estimated for the audio interaction segment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the quality is estimated based on at least one from the group consisting of:

at least one result of the examination of the at least one audio interaction segment;

the at least one audio analysis engine;

at least one threshold;

estimated integrity of the at least one audio interaction segment.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the threshold is associated with the workload of the environment.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the threshold is associated with environmental estimated performance of the at least one audio analysis engine.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of classifying an at least one audio interaction into segments.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the segments are of predefined types, to include any one of the following:

speech, music, tones, noise, silence.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein discarding the at least one result of the at least one audio analysis engine processing the at least one audio segment comprises the step of disqualifying the at least one result.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of determining an at least one environmental estimated performance of the at least one audio analysis engine.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the quality of the performance of the at least one audio analysis engine is determined by an at least one quality parameter of the audio signal of the at least one audio interaction segment.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the quality of the performance of the at least one audio analysis engine is determined by a weighted sum of the at least one quality parameter of the audio signal of the at least one audio interaction segment.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the weighted sum employs weights acquired during a training stage.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the weighted sum employs weights determined using linear prediction.

16. The method of claim 3 wherein the evaluating of the at least one result comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

verifying the at least one result with an at least one second audio analysis engine;

verifying the at least one result with an at least one additional activation of the at least one audio analysis engine;

receiving a certainty level provided by the at least one audio analysis engine for the at least one result;

calculating the workload of the environment;

calculating the results previously acquired in the environment;

receiving the computer telephony information related to the at least one audio interaction segment.

17. An apparatus for improving the accuracy levels of an at least one audio analysis engine designed to process an at least one audio interaction segment captured in an environment, the apparatus comprising

a quality evaluator component for determining the quality of the at least one audio interaction segment;

and

a pre-analysis performance estimator and rule engine component for evaluating the performance of the at least one audio analysis engine designed to process the at least one audio interaction segment, prior to processing the at least one audio interaction segment by the at least one audio analysis engine and passing the at least one audio interaction segment to the at least one audio analysis engine according to an at least one rule.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the environment is a call center or a financial institution.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the rule engine component compares the estimated performance of the at least one audio analysis engine processing the at least one audio interaction segment to an at least one threshold.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising an audio classification component for classifying an at least one audio interaction into segments.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a component for determining an at least one environmental estimated performance of the at least one audio analysis engine.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising an audio interaction analysis performance estimator component for determining the value of an at last one quality parameter for the at least one audio interaction segment.

23. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a statistical quality profile calculator component for generating a statistical quality profile of the environment.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the statistical quality profile calculator component determines an at least one weight to be associated with an at least one quality parameter.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising an analysis performance estimator component for estimating the environmental performance of the at least one audio analysis engine.

26. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a database.

27. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a post-processing rule engine for determining whether to qualify, disqualify, re-analyze or verify at least one result reported by the at least one audio analysis engine processing the at least one audio interaction segment.

28. An apparatus for improving an at least one result provided by an at least one audio analysis engine designed to process an at least one audio interaction segment captured in an environment, subsequent to the processing, the apparatus comprising a post-processing rule engine for determining whether to qualify, disqualify, re-analyze or verify the at least one result.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the environment is a call center or a financial institution.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 further comprising a results certainty examiner component for determining the certainty of the at least one result.

31. The apparatus of claim 28 further comprising a focused post analyzer component for re-analyzing the at least one result.

32. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the rule engine comprises at least one rule for considering the workload of the environment.

33. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the rule engine comprises at least one rule for considering the results previously acquired in the environment.

34. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the rule engine comprises at least one rule for considering computer telephony information related to the at least one interaction.

35. The apparatus of claim 28 further comprising:

a quality evaluator component for determining the quality of the at least one audio interaction segment; and

a pre-analysis performance estimator and rule engine component for evaluating the performance of the at least one audio analysis engine designed to process the at least one audio interaction segment, prior to processing the at least one audio interaction segment by the at least one audio analysis engine and passing the at least one audio interaction segment to the at least one audio analysis engine according to an at least one rule.

36. An apparatus for improving an at least one result provided by an at least one first audio analysis engine designed to process an at least one audio interaction segment captured in an environment, the apparatus comprising:

a quality evaluator component for determining the quality of the at least one audio interaction segment; and

a pre-analysis performance estimator and rule engine component for evaluating the performance of the at least one audio analysis engine designed to process the at least one audio interaction segment, prior to processing the at least one audio interaction segment by the at least one audio analysis engine and passing the at least one audio interaction segment to the at least one audio analysis engine according to an at least one rule; and

a post-processing rule engine for determining whether to qualify, disqualify, re-analyze or verify the at least one result.