Digital dictation system having a central station that includes component cards for interfacing to dictation stations and transcription stations and for processing and storing digitized dictation segments

• US 5,812,882 A
• Filed: 10/18/1994
• Issued: 09/22/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MModal IP LLC (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: Lanier Worldwide Incorporated (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Inventors: Henion, Scott Gregory, Allen, James Glen, Raji, Alexander David
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Anderson I.
• Application Number:
  US08/324,903
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 369/25, 395/823, 395/824, 395/181, 395/182.05, 395/182.12, 395/283, 395/2.09, 395/2.44, 395/873, 364/514 A, 364/251.7, 364/256.8, 345/156
• US Class Current: 710/72
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/10 with dictation recording and playback systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A modular digital dictation system that can be easily modified to service a variable number of dictation stations and transcription stations. The modular digital dictation station comprises a central station for receiving digitized dictation signals from a network of dictation stations, storing the voice portion of the digitized dictation signals as digitized dictation segments, and routing the digitized dictation segments to a network of transcription stations. The central station includes a plurality of line interface and signal processing cards. The number of line interface and signal processing cards connected to the central station determines how many dictation stations and transcription stations the modular digital dictation station can service. The line interface cards may be removed from or connected to the central station during operations. A fast search program is provided to quickly find files containing desired digitized dictation segments stored in the central station. The fast search program uses arrays of identification numbers to quickly retrieve the files. The first array stores the address of the files in memory in the order in which the files are created. The second array stores identification numbers corresponding to each file in the order in which the files are created. The structure of the second array facilitates quickly finding an identification number. The position of the identification in the second array corresponds to a location in the first array containing the address in the file in memory. The position of the identification number in the second array is therefore used to calculate the location of the file in memory.

Claims

1. In a digital dictation network of the type having a plurality of dictation stations, each capable of generating a sequence of digitized dictation signals that comprise a digitized dictation segment and a digitized identification signal containing information corresponding to said digitized dictation segment, and a plurality of transcription stations for transcribing said digitized dictation segments, a modular digital dictation system comprising:

a central station receiving said digitized diction signals from said dictation stations and transferring said digitized dictation segments to said transcription stations, said central station including component cards, each of said component cards providing at least one of a plurality of functions, said functions including interfacing said dictation stations and said transcription stations to said central station, processing said digitized dictation segments, transferring said digitized dictation signals between said component cards, and storing said digitized dictation segments in a memory device, wherein the number of said component cards connected to said central station by an operator of said central station determines the maximum number of said dictation stations and transcription stations that can be serviced by said central station, and wherein the number of said component cards connected to said central station can be varied by an operator of said central station.

2. The modular digital dictation system of claim 1, wherein said digitized dictation segments comprise a dictation session, and said digitized dictation segments may be stored in different locations in said memory device.

3. The modular digital dictation system of claim 1, wherein said functions further include detecting the presence of said component cards and initializing said detected component cards.

30. The modular digital dictation system of claim 1, said central station further including a controller, said controller controlling the transfer of said digital dictation segments between said signal processing card and said memory device, and further controlling the storage and retrieval of said digitized dictation segments in said memory device.

4. In a digital dictation network of the type having a plurality of dictation stations, each capable of generating a sequence of digitized dictation signals that comprise a digitized dictation segment and a digitized identification signal containing information corresponding to said digitized dictation segment, and a plurality of transcription stations for transcribing said digitized dictation segments, a modular digital dictation system comprising:

at least one line interface card, each line interface card capable of multiplexing said digitized dictation signals received from said dictation stations and demultiplexing said digitized dictation segments transmitted to said transcription stations;

at least one signal processing card, each said signal processing card compressing said digitized dictation signals received from said dictation stations and expanding said digitized dictation segments transmitted to said transcription stations, and wherein each said signal processing card communicates with at least one of said line interface cards;

a timing card, generating control signals and a clock for synchronizing said digitized dictation signals communicated between said line interface cards and said signal processing cards;

a data bus connecting said line interface cards to said signal processing cards, wherein a variable number of line interface cards and signal processing cards may be electrically connected to said data bus, thereby varying the number of dictation stations and transcription stations that can be serviced by said modular digital dictation system;

a memory device for storing said digitized dictation signals and connected to each of said signal processing cards; and

a controller controlling the transfer of digital dictation signals between said memory device and said signal processing cards, said controller controlling storage and retrieval of said digitized dictation signals in said memory device.

5. The modular digital dictation system of claim 4 wherein said line interface cards may be connected and disconnected from said data bus during operation of said modular digital dictation system.

6. The modular digital dictation system of claim 5 further including a plurality of transceivers on said timing card, said transceivers capable of receiving and transferring digitized dictation signals in μ

-law format, and said timing card further including a multiplexer for transferring said digitized dictation signals in μ

-law format from said transceivers to said data bus and including a demultiplexer for transferring said digitized dictation signals from said data bus to said transceivers.

7. The modular digital dictation system of claim 5, wherein said line interface cards include extended power and ground pins so that said line interface cards may be connected and disconnected from said data bus without halting activity on said data bus.

8. The modular digital dictation system of claim 4 wherein said data bus is comprised of four time division multiplexed busses, each time division multiplexed bus capable of transmitting up to 32 channels of said digitized dictation signals, and wherein said timing card provides timing and control signals for communication on said four time division multiplexed busses, and each of said dictation stations and said transcription stations is serviced by one of said channels on said four time division multiplexed busses.

9. The modular digital dictation system of claim 4 wherein the memory device is connected to said signal processing cards by an AT ISA bus.

10. In a digital dictation and transcription network of the type having a plurality of dictation stations, each capable of generating a sequence of digitized dictation signals that comprise a digitized dictation segment, containing digitized voice signals, and a digitized identification signal, containing information corresponding to said dictation segment, and a plurality of transcription stations, each capable of receiving digitized dictation signals, a modular digital dictation system comprising;

a plurality of line interface cards multiplexing digitized dictation signals received from said dictation stations and demultiplexing said digitized dictation signals transmitted to said transcription stations;

a plurality of signal processing cards, each signal processing card connected to at least one of said line interface cards, said signal processing cards compressing said digitized dictation segments received from said plurality of dictation stations and expanding said digitized dictation segments that are transmitted to said transcription stations;

a data bus connecting said line interface cards and said signal processing cards, wherein a variable number of said line interface cards and said signal processing cards can be connected via said data bus;

a timing card connected to said line interface cards and said signal processing cards, controlling data transfer between said line interface cards and said signal processing cards on said data bus;

a memory device, for storing said digitized dictation segments;

a second memory device containing information relating to said digitized dictation signals; and

a controller controlling storage of said digitized dictation segments in files in said memory device, each file containing a digitized dictation segment and a header containing at least a portion of said digitized information signal, and wherein said controller retrieves information from said second memory device that relates to said digitized dictation segments and places said information in said headers.

11. The modular digital dictation system of claim 10 wherein said controller labels each of said files with a unique identification number.

12. The modular digital dictation system of claim 10 wherein said controller selects to which transcription station each of said files will be sent based in part on said information in said headers.

13. The modular digital dictation system of claim 10 wherein said controller is characterized by a central processing unit, an operating system and a line card task program running on said central processing unit that controls the storage, retrieval and transferal of said files.

14. The modular digital dictation system of claim 10, wherein each of said signal processing cards further includes a secondary controller and a tertiary controller, said secondary controller interacting with said controller to transfer digitized dictation signals between said controller and said signal processing cards, and said tertiary controller interacting with said timing card to transfer digitized dictation signals between said signal processing cards and said line interface cards.

15. The modular digital dictation system of claim 10 wherein said memory storage device and said signal processing cards communicate digitized dictation signals via an AT ISA bus.

16. The modular digital dictation system of claim 10 wherein said data bus connecting said signal processing cards and said line interface cards is a time division multiplexed bus.

17. The digital dictation system of claim 16 further including a plurality of connectors on said time division multiplexed bus to which said line interface cards and said signal processing cards can be connected.

18. The digital dictation system of claim 10 wherein each said signal processing card comprises a plurality of digital signal processors operating in parallel, whereby each of said signal processing cards can process digitized dictation signals over a plurality of channels.

19. In a digital dictation and transcription network of the type having a plurality of dictation stations and a plurality of transcription stations, a modular digital dictation system, including:

a line interface card connected to said dictation stations, said line interface card receiving from said dictation stations digitized dictation signals representing modulated voice signals to be transcribed, and said line interface card transferring said digitized dictation signals received from said dictation stations onto a time division multiplexed data bus;

a signal processing card connected to said line interface card and receiving said digitized dictation signals output from said line interface card, said signal processing card compressing said digitized dictation signals;

said time division multiplexed data bus connecting said line interface card and said signal processing card being capable of connecting a variable number of line interface cards and signal processing cards; and

a controller, receiving digitized dictation signals output from said signal processing card, and controlling;

(a) the storing of said digitized dictation signals as discrete files in a memory storage device, each discrete file corresponding to one dictation session by a user of one of said dictation stations;

(b) affixing headers to said files; and

(c) retrieving said digitized dictation signals from said memory storage device and transferring said digitized dictation signals through said signal processing card and said line interface card to one of said transcription stations.

20. In a digital dictation and transcription network of the type having a plurality of dictation stations and a plurality of transcription stations, a modular digital dictation system, including:

a line interface card connected to said dictation stations, said line interface card receiving from said dictation stations digitized dictation signals representing modulated voice signals to be transcribed, and said line interface card transferring said digitized dictation signals received from said dictation stations onto a time division multiplexed data bus;

a signal processing card connected to said line interface card and receiving said digitized dictation signals output from said line interface card, said signal processing card compressing said digitized dictation signals;

a timing card connected to said time division multiplexed data bus for detecting said signal processing card and said line interface card, and for initializing a variable number of signal processing cards and line interface cards; and

a controller for receiving said digitized dictation signals output from said signal processing card, and for controlling the transfer of said digitized dictation signals between said signal processing card and a memory storage device.

21. The modular digital dictation system of claim 20, wherein said timing card periodically polls said time division multiplexed data bus to determine whether a new line interface card or a new signal processing card is connected to said time division multiplexed data bus.

22. The modular digital dictation system of claim 20, wherein said controller controls:

(a) storing of said digitized dictation signals as discrete files in said memory storage device, each discrete file corresponding to one dictation session by a user of one of said dictation stations;

(b) affixing headers to said files; and

(c) retrieving said digitized dictation signals from said memory storage device and transferring said digitized dictation signals through said signal processing card and said line interface card to one of said transcription stations.

23. The modular digital dictation system of claim 22, wherein said controller selects to which transcription station each of said files will be sent based, in part, on information in said headers.

24. The modular digital dictation system of claim 20, wherein said controller is characterized by a central processing unit, an operating system and a line card task program, running on said central processing unit, for controlling the storage, retrieval and transferal of said files.

25. The modular digital dictation system of claim 20, wherein said signal processing card comprises a secondary controller and a tertiary controller, said secondary controller interacting with said controller to transfer digitized dictation signals between said controller and said signal processing card, and said tertiary controller interacting with said timing card to transfer digitized dictation signals between said signal processing card and said line interface card.

26. The digital dictation system of claim 20, wherein said signal processing card processes digitized dictation signals over a plurality of channels using a plurality of digital signal processors operating in parallel.

27. In a digital dictation network of the type having a plurality of dictation stations, each capable of generating a sequence of digitized dictation signals that comprise a digitized dictation segment and a digitized identification signal containing information corresponding to said digitized dictation segment, and a plurality of transcription stations for transcribing said digitized dictation segments, a modular digital dictation system comprising:

a central station receiving said digitized diction signals from said dictation stations, storing said digitized dictation segments in a memory device and transferring said digitized dictation segments to said transcription stations, said central station including component cards for multiplexing said digitized dictation signals received from said dictation stations and demultiplexing said digitized dictation segments transmitted to said transcription stations, for compressing said digitized dictation signals received from said dictation stations and expanding said digitized dictation segments transmitted to said transcription stations, and for controlling the storage and retrieval of said digitized dictation signals in said memory device, wherein the number of said component cards connected to said central station determines the maximum number of said dictation stations and transcription stations that can be serviced by said central station, and wherein the number of said component cards connected to said central station can be varied by an operator of said central station.

28. The modular digital dictation system of claim 27, wherein one of said component cards detects the presence of other said component cards and initializes said detected component cards.

29. In a digital dictation network of the type having a plurality of dictation stations, each capable of generating a sequence of digitized dictation signals that comprise a digitized dictation segment and a digitized identification signal containing information corresponding to said digitized dictation segment, and a plurality of transcription stations for transcribing said digitized dictation segments, a modular digital dictation system comprising:

a central station receiving said digitized diction signals from said dictation stations, storing said digitized dictation segments in a memory device and transferring said digitized dictation segments to said transcription stations, said central station including component cards comprising a line interface card that interfaces said dictation stations and said transcription stations to said central station, a signal processing card that processes said digitized dictation segments in said central station, and a timing card that controls the transfer of digitized dictation signals between said signal processing card and said line interface card, wherein the number of said component cards connected to said central station determines the maximum number of said dictation stations and transcription stations that can be serviced by said central station, and wherein the number of said component cards connected to said central station can be varied by an operator of said central station.