Simultaneous speaker-independent voice recognition and verification over a telephone network

• US 5,297,194 A
• Filed: 06/22/1992
• Issued: 03/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: VCS Industries, Inc. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Schalk, Thomas B., Hunt, Alan K.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US07/901,742
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 381/42, 381/43, 379/88, 379/91, 379/189, 379/199, 379/89, 379/188
• US Class Current: 379/88.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/40 by quorum, i.e. whereby two or more security principals are required
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/24 the user being prompted to utter a password or a predefined phrase
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords

Abstract

The present invention describes a system and method for enabling a caller to obtain access to services via a telephone network by entering a spoken password having a plurality of digits. Preferably, the method includes the steps of: (1) prompting the caller to speak the password beginning with a first digit and ending with a last digit thereof, (2) recognizing each spoken digit of the password using a speaker-independent voice recognition algorithm, (3) following entry of the last digit of the password, determining whether the password is valid, and (4) if the password is valid, verifying the caller'"'"'s identity using a voice verification algorithm.

Claims

1. A system for enabling an authorized user to obtain access to one or more services via a telephone network by speaking a password having a plurality of digits, comprising:

a digital processor;

storage means connected to the digital processor for storing;

voice recognition feature transformation data and voice recognition class reference data derived from a first plurality of training speakers over a telephone network;

voice verification feature transformation data derived from a second plurality of training speakers over a telephone network;

voice verification class reference data comprising data derived from users authorized to access the services;

speech processing means controlled by the digital processor for receiving spoken digits and generating speech feature data;

voice recognition means controlled by the digital processor, comprising;

transformation means for receiving the speech feature data generated for the spoken digits and the voice recognition feature transformation data and in response thereto generating voice recognition parameter data for the spoken digits;

decision means connected to the transformation means for receiving the voice recognition parameter data and the voice recognition class reference data and in response thereto generating outputs indicating the spoken digits; and

voice verification means controlled by the digital processor for determining whether a caller is an authorized user, comprising;

transformation means for receiving the speech feature data generated for the spoken digits and the voice verification feature transformation data and in response thereto generating voice verification parameter data for the spoken digits; and

verifier means connected to the transformation means of the voice verification means for receiving the voice verification parameter data and the voice verification class reference data and in response thereto generating an output indicating whether the caller is an authorized user.

2. A method for enabling a caller to obtain access to one or more services via a telephone network by speaking a password having a plurality of digits, comprising the steps of:

prompting the caller to speak the password beginning with a first digit and ending with a last digit thereof;

generating speech feature data for each spoken digit;

applying the speech feature data and voice recognition feature transformation data to a voice recognition feature transformation to generate a first set of parameters for each spoken digit, the first set of parameters for use in a voice recognition system;

applying the speech feature data and voice verification feature transformation data to a voice verification feature transformation to generate a second set of parameters for each spoken digit, the second set of parameters for use in a voice verification system;

recognizing the password using the first set of parameters; and

following entry of the last digit of the password, verifying the caller'"'"'s identity using the second set of parameters.

3. A method for enabling a caller to obtain access to one or more services via a telephone network by speaking a password having a plurality of characters, comprising the steps of:

prompting the caller to speak the password;

generating first and second sets of parameters for each spoken character using a voice recognition feature transformation and a voice verification feature transformation, respectively, the first sets of parameters for use in a voice recognition system and the second sets of parameters for use in a voice verification system;

recognizing the password using the first sets of parameters;

following entry of the password, using the second sets of parameters to attempt to verify the caller'"'"'s identity;

if the caller'"'"'s identity cannot be verified, prompting the caller to answer at least one personal question associated with the password;

determining whether the question is answered correctly; and

if the question is answered correctly, accepting the caller'"'"'s identity.

4. The method as described in claim 3 further including the step of:

if the question is answered incorrectly, rejecting the caller'"'"'s identity.