System and Method for Evaluating Speech Exposure

• US 20130158977A1
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Senior, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/159,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20130158977A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/60 for measuring the quality of voice signals

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for detecting and analyzing speech spoken in the vicinity of a user. The detected speech may be analyzed to determine the quality, volume, complexity, language, and other attributes. A value metric may be calculated for the received speech, such as to inform parents of a child'"'"'s progress related to learning to speak, or to provide feedback to a foreign language learner. A corresponding device may display the number of words, the value metric, or other information about speech received by the device.

Claims

1. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

14-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method comprising:

storing one or more attributes of speech, the one or more attributes relating to an analysis of speech;

receiving an update to the one or more attributes from a user to obtain user updated attributes, the user updated attributes reflecting at least one feature of speech desired by the user;

receiving audible speech spoken near the user;

calculating, by a processor, a value metric of the received speech based on the user updated attributes; and

providing an indication of the value metric of the received speech.

2. The method of claim 22, wherein the value metric is based upon at least the determined language of the received speech, and indicates the language in which at least a portion of the audible speech was spoken.

3. The method of claim 22, wherein the value metric is based upon at least the source of the received speech, and indicates whether the received speech originated from a human speaker or from an electronic source.

4. The method of claim 22, wherein the value metric is based upon at least the quality of the received speech, and indicates at least one of:

volume, speaker proximity, speaker accent, level of background noise, type of background noise, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 22, wherein the value metric is based upon at least the complexity of the received speech and indicates at least one of:

word frequency, sentence perplexity, sentence construction variation, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 21, further comprising discriminating speech spoken by the user from speech spoken by a speaker other than the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the value metric of the received speech is determined for the speech spoken by the user.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the value metric of the received speech is determined for the speech spoken by a speaker other than the user.

10. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining a number of words present in the received speech; and

presenting the number of words present in the received speech.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the number of words present in the speech is a number of words in the received speech that meet a predefined criterion, the criterion based upon at least one selected from the group of:

language, source, quality, or complexity of the received speech.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the number of words present in the speech is a number of words in the received speech that are determined to have been directed at the user by the speaker.

13. The method of claim 22, wherein the value metric of the received speech is a number of words in the received speech that meets a requirement relating to the determined language, source, quality, complexity, or combination thereof of the received speech.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining a language, source, quality, complexity, or a combination thereof of the received speech, wherein the at least one feature of speech desired by the user includes the language, source, quality, complexity, or combination thereof of the received speech.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

obtaining a location of the user;

determining a pattern of the value metric with respect to the location of the user; and

providing an indication of pattern of the value metric of the received speech at the location.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining a duration of the received speech; and

determining an approximate number of words in the received speech based on the duration; and

providing an indication of the approximate number of words in the received speech.

25. A method comprising:

obtaining a location of a user;

receiving audible speech spoken near the user at the location;

determining a language, source, quality, complexity, or a combination thereof of the received speech;

calculating, by a processor, a value metric of the received speech, the value metric based upon the determined language, source, quality, complexity, or combination thereof of the received speech;

determining a pattern of the value metric with respect to the location of the user; and

providing an indication of pattern of the value metric of the received speech at the location.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the value metric is based upon at least the source of the received speech, and indicates whether the received speech originated from a human speaker or from an electronic source.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining a duration of the received speech; and

determining an approximate number of words in the received speech based on the duration; and

providing an indication of the approximate number of words in the received speech.

28. A method comprising:

receiving audible speech spoken near a user;

determining a duration of the received speech;

determining an approximate number of words in the received speech based on the duration; and

providing an indication of the approximate number of words in the received speech.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising discriminating speech directed at the user from other speech in the received speech, wherein determining the duration of the received speech comprises determining a specific duration of the speech directed at the user, and determining the approximate number of words in the received speech comprises determining an approximate number of words in the speech directed at the user based on the specific duration of the speech directed at the user.