Voice-actuated telephone directory-assistance system

• US 3,928,724 A
• Filed: 10/10/1974
• Issued: 12/23/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harold E. Byram, Roland D. Andersen, Ronald J. Lockard, Vincent L. Carney
• Original Assignee: Harold E. Byram, Roland D. Andersen, Ronald J. Lockard, Vincent L. Carney
• Inventors: Byram, Harold E., Lockard, Ronald J., Andersen, Roland D., Carney, Vincent L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US05/513,562
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 340/172.5,148,149R,152R,173AM,173SP 179/1SA,1SD,7.1R,27FF
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/44 Additional connecting arrangements for providing access to frequently-wanted subscribers, e.g. abbreviated dialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27; automatic redialling H04M3/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems

Abstract

To provide voice-controlled automatic directory-assistance to telephone users, a user is connected to a central voice-actuated directory-assistance system upon dialing the uniform directory assistance number, which system provides recorded instructions and responds to the spelled name of the subscriber by providing coded digital signals to a computer. The computer identifies the subscriber from the digital code and addresses a memory of recorded information that causes the telephone to verbally inform the user of the subscriber'"'"''"'"'s correct telephone number.

Claims

1. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system adapted to be connected to a telephone switching system for communication with any of a plurality of telephones comprising:

signal carrier means for receiving audio signals from said telephone switching system representing the names of subscribers;

return signal means for supplying audio signals to the telephone representing at least the telephone numbers of said subscribers in response to the audio signals from said signal carrier means;

said signal carrier means including means for receiving audio signals from said telephone switching system representing at least letters of the alphabet;

said return-signal means including conversion means for converting each of the audio signals representing letters of the alphabet to a signal compatible with a computer memory system and for applying said signals to said computer memory system.

2. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 1 in which the return signal means further comprises means for sending prerecorded audio signals to said telephone switching system to provide messages to the user of said telephone-switching system.

3. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 2 comprising:

interface means for converting audio signals representing spoken language to a digital code; and

means for recognizing the end of each word of said spoken language and for applying an end-of-word signal indicating the end of this word.

4. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 3 further comprising:

computer means for searching a memory for information corresponding to the information received from said interface means, whereby telephone numbers may be obtained from said computer means; and

means for initiating said searching operation upon receiving said end-of-word signal.

5. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system adapted to be connected to a telephone switching system for communication with any of a plurality of telephones, comprising:

signal carrier means for receiving audio signals from said telephone switching system representing at least letters of the alphabet;

interface means for converting each of the audio signals representing letters of the alphabet to a digital code and for applying said digital code to a computer in a form compatible with the computer.

6. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 5 in which said interface means includes means adapted to be connected to a computer for converting a digital signal received from said computer to an analogue signal for communication to said telephone.

7. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 6 in which said signal carrier means further includes means for receiving audio signals from said telephone switching system representing at least letters of the alphabet, numerals and control words.

8. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system according to claim 6 further including computer means for searching a memory for information corresponding to the information received from said interface means, whereby a telephone subscriber'"'"''"'"'s telephone number may be obtained from said computer means.

9. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system according to claim 8 in which said computer means includes:

storage means for storing subscriber identification;

input register means for storing said digital signals received from said interface means;

comparison means for comparing said digital signals received from said interface means with said information in said storage means and for generating a match comparison signal each time said digital signals received from said interface means are identical with at least a portion of said information in said storage means; and

means for reading iNformation from said storage means upon energization of said comparator by a match comparison signal.

10. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system according to claim 9 in which said computer means further includes:

temporary storage means for receiving and storing a portion of said subscriber identification from said memory means upon receiving said match comparison signals; and

means for determining if there is one or more than one matching subscriber identification in said temporary storage means.

11. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system according to claim 10 further including means for reading telephone numbers into said interface means upon an indication that only one address is stored in said temporary memory means.

12. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system according to claim 8 further including:

computer means for searching a memory for information corresponding to the information received from said interface means, whereby subscriber identification is obtained from said computer means;

said computer means including means for addressing said memory in accordance with a selected character of said subscriber identification;

means for searching the address of said memory means in accordance with further characters of said subscriber identification.

13. A voice-actuated directory-assistance system according to claim 7 further comprising:

memory means;

computer means for searching said memory means for information corresponding to said signal received from said carrier means, whereby subscriber identification can be obtained from said computer means;

comparator means for generating first, second and third comparison signals;

said comparator means including first signal means for generating said first comparison signal after said memory has been searched if no information corresponding to said subscriber identification has been found, second signal means for generating a second comparison signal when identification of a single subscriber only has been found after a search of said memory corresponding to said identification received from said carrier means; and

third signal means for generating a third comparison signal when identification of more than one subscriber has been found corresponding to the identification provided from said carrier means; and

readout means for reading said identification of a single subscriber to said interface means from said memory in response to said second comparison signal.

14. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 13 further comprising means for sending prerecorded audio signals to said telephone switching system to provide messages to the user of said telephone switching system in response to said first and said third comparison signals.

15. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 14 further including means for repetitively sending said message and means for terminating said repetitive sending of said message upon receiving an audio signal from said telephone switching system.

16. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system adapted to be connected to a telephone switching system for communication with any of a plurality of telephones comprising:

signal carrier means for receiving audio signals from said telephone switching system representing the names of subscribers;

return-signal means for supplying audio signals to the telephone representing at least the telephone numbers of said subscribers in response to the audio signals from said signal carrier means;

interface means for converting audio signals representing spoken language to a digital code; and

means for recognizing the end of each word of said spoken language and for applying an end-of-word signal indicating the end of this word.

17. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 16 further comprising:

coMputer means for searching a memory for information corresponding to the information received from said interface means, whereby telephone numbers may be obtained from said computer means; and

means for initiating said searching operation upon receiving said end-of-word signal.

18. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 15 further including means for sending a prerecorded message to said telephone switching system upon receiving an audio signal from said telephone switching system at the same time as the different message is being sent to the telephone switching system.

19. A voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance system in accordance with claim 18 further including means for generating a code representing different ones of said messages.

20. A method of providing subscriber telephone numbers to telephone users upon request comprising:

connecting a telephone user to a central voice-actuated automatic directory-assistance station upon the dialing of a predetermined number on the telephone by the user;

instructing the user with a recorded message upon said connection to spell the last name of the subscriber, the telephone number of whom he wishes;

encoding the spelled last name of the subscriber into a signal compatible with a computer memory;

transmitting said signal compatible with a computer memory to a register for addressing computer memory;

addressing the computer memory to obtain information concerning subscribers having the last name requested by the user.

21. A method according to claim 20 further including the steps of:

sending a recorded message to the user in the event that there is no subscriber with the last name requested, which message informs the user that there is no subscriber with such a last name;

sending to the user the telephone number of the subscriber when there is a single subscriber having a last name provided by the user; and

sending a recorded message to the user requesting that the user provide further identification of the subscriber.

22. A method according to claim 21 further comprising the steps of:

instructing the user to pronounce the control word when he is done spelling the last name of the subscriber;

initiating a search upon receiving the control word pronounced by the user.

23. A method according to claim 22 further comprising the steps of:

comparing the identification of a subscriber provided by a user with corresponding identification of subscribers stored in the memory bank of a computer;

recording at another memory location the identification of subscribers corresponding to that provided by the user;

requesting the user to provide further identification of the subscriber; and

comparing said further identification of subscribers with identification of the subscriber stored in said other location of the memory.