Controlling an output while receiving a user input

• US 20060247927A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Burger, Eric William, Robbins, Kenneth L.
• Application Number:
  US11/118,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20060247927A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/225
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/78 Detection of presence or absence of voice signals switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level

Abstract

While an output is presented to a user, an audio input that can include spoken input from the user is monitored. Presentation of the output is controlled while monitoring the audio input based on the monitoring. In the case of an audio output, the presentation can be controlled by attenuating the audio output according to the monitoring of the audio input. For example, a level of the audio output is reduced for continued presentation to the user after a desired signal is detected in the audio input. The output can include a prompt soliciting an input from a user, and the monitoring can include detecting the user'"'"'s spoken input in the input audio, for example, estimating a certainty that the audio input includes the user'"'"'s spoken input, or that such spoken input is in a desired grammar, such as in a desired list of commands or phrases. The approach is also applicable to video outputs.

Claims

1. A method for audio processing comprising:

monitoring an audio input that includes spoken input from a user; and

controlling presentation of an output to the user while monitoring the audio input, the presentation of the output being determined based on the monitoring of the audio input.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the output includes an audio output, and controlling the presentation of the output includes controlling a level of the audio output.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein controlling the presentation of the output includes attenuating the audio output according to the monitoring of the audio input.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein attenuating the audio output according to the monitoring of the audio input includes reducing a level of the audio output for continued presentation to the user after a desired signal is detected in the audio input.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein attenuating the audio output comprises attenuating the audio output according to a measure of presence of a desired signal in the monitored audio input.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the measure comprises a confidence of presence of speech.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the measure comprises a confidence of presence of desired speech.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the output includes a visual output, and the controlling the presentation includes controlling a visual characteristic of the visual output.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the output includes a solicitation of spoken input from a user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the output includes an audio prompt soliciting the spoken input from a user.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the output includes including visual display to the user.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein monitoring the audio input includes detecting the user'"'"'s spoken input in the audio input.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein detecting the user'"'"'s spoken input includes estimating a certainty that the audio input includes the user'"'"'s spoken input.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein controlling the presentation of the output includes controlling a presentation characteristic in a changing profile over time.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the output includes an audio output and controlling the presentation characteristic of the output includes attenuating the audio output in a changing profile over time.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the output includes visual output and controlling the presentation characteristic of the output includes making a transition in the visual output in a changing profile over time.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein making the transition includes fading between one visual output and another visual output.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein controlling the presentation of the output includes repeatedly adjusting a presentation characteristic in response to the monitored audio input.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein controlling the presentation includes adjusting the presentation characteristic at regular intervals.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the audio input includes computing a measure of presence of the user'"'"'s spoken input in the audio input.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein computing the measure of presence of the user'"'"'s spoken input in the audio input includes computing a measure that the user'"'"'s spoken input is in a desired grammar.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the desired grammar comprises a set of commands.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein controlling the presentation of the output includes processing the measure of the presence of the user'"'"'s spoken input to determine a quantity characterizing a presentation characteristic of the output.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein processing the measure of the presence includes filtering said measure.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein computing the measure of presence of speech include applying a speech recognition approach to determine the measure of presence of speech.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the output includes an audio output, and controlling the characteristic of the output includes increasing a level of the audio output for at least some audio inputs.

27. A system comprising:

means for monitoring an audio input that includes spoken input from a user; and

means for controlling a presentation of an output presented to the user while monitoring the audio input, the presentation of the output being determined based on the monitoring of the audio input.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the means for controlling the presentation of the output includes means for controlling a level of an audio output based on the monitoring of the audio input.

29. Software stored on computer-readable media comprising instructions when executed on a processing system cause the system to:

monitor an audio input that includes spoken input from a user; and

control presentation of an output presented to the user while monitoring the audio input, the presentation of the output being determined based on the monitoring of the audio input.

30. The software of claim 29 wherein controlling the presentation of the output includes controlling a level of an audio output based on the monitoring of the audio input.

31. An audio system comprising:

a prompt player;

a gain control module configured to attenuate an output of the prompt player; and

a voice detector configured to accept an audio input and provide a control signal to the gain control module;

wherein the voice detector is configured to provide a control signal that characterizes a measure of presence of a desired signal in the audio input, and the gain control module is configured to attenuate the output of the prompt player according to the measure of presence of the desired signal.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the audio system includes an interface from use with a telephone system such that the prompt player is configured to play the prompt to a telephone user at a remote handset, and the voice detector is configured to accept the audio input from the remote handset.

33. A method for controlling an output while receiving a user input, comprising:

presenting an output to a user;

monitoring an input from the user; and

controlling presentation of the output to the user while monitoring the input, the presentation of the output being determined based on the monitoring of the input; and

wherein at least one of the output to the user and the input from the user includes visual information.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein monitoring input from the user includes monitoring visual information associated with the user.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the visual information associated with the user includes facial information of the user.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein the visual information associated with the user includes gesture information.

37. The method of claim 33 wherein controlling presentation of the output includes controlling presentation of visual information to the user.