Electronic audio communications system with voice command features
First Claim
1. An electronic communications message system for being coupled to any private branch exchange or central office for receiving, storing and forwarding audio messages from a user'"'"'s telephone facilities, comprising:
- electronic digital signal processing means for controlling the operation of the message system;
access means for enabling an audio message originator to access the message system through said signal processing means from a telephone unit of the private branch exchange;
digital memory means controlled by said electronic digital signal processing means for storing digital representations of an audio message originating from the telephone unit of the private branch exchange;
means for storing selected recipient telephone station addresses associated with digital representations of audio messages stored in said digital memory means;
means for accessing said stored digital representations associated with particular telephone station addresses;
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An advanced electronic communication system is provided for the deposit, storage and delivery of audio messages. A Voice Message System (10) interconnects multiple private branch exchanges (12) of a subscriber with a central telephone office (22). Individual subscriber users may access the Voice Message System (10) through ON NET telephones (18) or OFF NET telephones (24). The Voice Message System (10) includes an administrative subsystem (60), call processor subsystem (62) and a data storage subsystem (64). The Voice Message System (10) enables the user to deposit a message in data storage subsystem (64) for automatic delivery to other addresses connected to the system. The Voice Message System (10) also enables the user to access the system through voice commands which are received and compared to prestored speaker independent digital templates. Once an authorized user has accessed a system, the system allows the authorized user to determine if any messages have been in the data storage subsystem (64) for him. After accessing the system, the speaker utilizes voice commands to control the system, which voice commands are received and compared to prestored speaker dependent digital templates. In response to these commands, prerecorded instructional messages are deposited in the data storage subsystem (64) for instructing a user on his progress in using the system.
318 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An electronic communications message system for being coupled to any private branch exchange or central office for receiving, storing and forwarding audio messages from a user'"'"'s telephone facilities, comprising:
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electronic digital signal processing means for controlling the operation of the message system; access means for enabling an audio message originator to access the message system through said signal processing means from a telephone unit of the private branch exchange; digital memory means controlled by said electronic digital signal processing means for storing digital representations of an audio message originating from the telephone unit of the private branch exchange; means for storing selected recipient telephone station addresses associated with digital representations of audio messages stored in said digital memory means; means for accessing said stored digital representations associated with particular telephone station addresses; - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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2. means for reproducing the audio messages from the stored digital representations;
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means for transmitting the reproduced audio messages from said means for reproducing to said selected recipient telephone stations; unauthorized user access means for controlling unauthorized user access to the message system; and said means for controlling unauthorized access to the system comprising; first means for storing in said digital memory means speaker independent digital templates representative of speaker independent identification codes, each identification code representative of an authorized user, first means for receiving from a telephone station of the system voice commands of a user attempting access, first comparing means for comparing said received spoken voice commands with the speaker independent digital templates, means for allowing access to the system by the user attempting access to the system when the received spoken voice commands compare true with a stored one of the speaker independent digital templates indicating an authorized user; said means for enabling a user to access the message system through signals transmitted from a telephone station comprising; second means for storing in said digital memory means speaker dependent digital templates representative of speaker dependent commands, each speaker dependent command representative of a control function for interfacing with said electronic digital processing means to allow control of the operation of the message system, second means for receiving from a telephone station of the system voice commands of the authorized user, second comparing means for comparing said received spoken voice commands of the authorized user with the speaker dependent digital templates and outputting to said electronic digital processing means a command corresponding to the one of said speaker dependent digital templates which compares true with the received spoken voice commands.
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9. An electronic communications message system for being coupled to a private branch exchange or central office for receiving, storing and forwarding audio messages from a user'"'"'s telephone facilities, comprising:
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electronic digital signal processing means for controlling the operation of the message system; digital memory means controlled by said electronic digital signal processing means for storing digital representations of the audio messages; means for storing in said memory means digital representations of audio messages transmitted from a telepone station; means for storing selected recipient telephone station addresses associated with digital representations of audio messages stored in said memory means; means for accessing said stored digital representations associated with particular telephone station addresses; means for reproducing the audio messages from the stored digital representations; means for transmitting the reproduced audio messages from said means for reproducing to said selected recipient telephone stations; means for storing in said memory means a distinctive identification code for each authorized user of the message system; unauthorized user access means for controlling unauthorized user access to the system by allowing access for deposit or receipt of an audio message only upon entry by a user seeking access of an identification code corresponding to one of a plurality of pre-stored authorized identification codes, said means for controlling unauthorized user access comprising; means for storing in said digital memory means speaker independent digital templates representative of speaker independent identification codes, each identification code representative of an authorized user, means for receiving from a telephone station of the system spoken voice commands of a user attempting access, first means for comparing said spoken voice commands with the speaker independent digital templates, and means for allowing access to the system by the user attempting access to the system when the received spoken voice commands compare true with a stored one of the speaker independent digital templates indicating an authorized user; means for storing in said memory means in direct association with each authorized identification code a plurality of speaker dependent command word templates in digital format, each speaker dependent template including a set of values representative of the characteristic features of the audio signal produced by the voice of the user corresponding to that identification code speaking one of a plurality of command words indicative of a specific control function which the user desires to cause said digital signal processing means to effect in the operation of said message system; means responsive to entry of an authorized identification code by a user seeking access to the message system for allowing access and selecting the plurality of speaker dependent templates associated with that identification code; means responsive to the operational state of the message system being in one of a plurality of control receptive states for receiving and storing in said memory means digital representations of audio signals produced by a user'"'"'s voice speaking one of a plurality of command words from the telephone station allowed access; second means for comparing the stored digital representation of the spoken command word with the selected speaker dependent templates to determine if a match exists between said stored representation of the spoken command word and one of said selected speaker dependent templates; and means responsive to said second comparing means for comparing and indicative of a match, within a preselected degree of variation, between the stored digital representation of the command word and one of the selected speaker dependent templates for producing an output signal to said electronic digital signal processing means and effecting the control function in the message system associated with the matched speaker dependent template.
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14. A method for storing audio messages transmitted from a user'"'"'s telephone station to a message system and for subsequently forwarding the stored audio messages from the message system to a selected message addressee, comprising:
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providing access to the system in order to allow a message originating user to transmit audio signals through the telephone station; storing an identification code for each authorized user; storing in association with each identification code a plurality of speaker independent command word templates, each speaker independent template including a set of values representative of distinctive characteristic features of an actual spoken voice associated with that identification code speaking one of a plurality of command words representative of an authorized identification code; requiring each user seeking access to the message system to transmit an identification code through the telephone station; receiving from a telephone station of the system voice commands of a user attempting access; comparing the received spoken voice commands of the user attempting access with the stored speaker independent command word templates; allowing access to the system in response to the transmission of an authorized identification code that matches the one of the speaker independent command word templates associated with that code; storing in association with each authorized identification code a plurality of command word digital speaker dependent templates, each speaker dependent template including a set of values representative of the distinctive characteristic features of an authorized user associated with that code and the actual voice speaking one of a plurality of the command words indicative of a specific control function which the authorized user desires to cause in the operation of the message system, each of the speaker dependent templates associated with the identification code of the authorized user; receiving and storing, in response to the operational state of the message system being in one of a plurality of control receptive states, digital representations of audio signals produced by the voice of an authorized user speaking one of a plurality of command words from a telephone station; comparing the stored digital representations of the spoken command word with the selected speaker dependent templates associated with the indentification code of the authorized user; and producing an output signal to effect a specific control function of which the spoken command word is indicative in the operation of the message system in response to a match between the stored digital representation of the spoken command word and one of the selected speaker dependent templates.
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Specification