Service platform

• US 5,881,135 A
• Filed: 11/08/1996
• Issued: 03/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Hughes, Patrick Michael, Watts, Martin Owen, Forse, Nicholas John Arnold, Elliston, Dave Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S.
• Application Number:
  US08/745,687
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/210, 379/85, 379/269
• US Class Current: 379/88.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management

Abstract

A service platform provides automated speech based services over a telephone network. It includes a speech processor with associated memory, to provide services such as speech recognition, speaker recognition, speaker verification and speech synthesis. A line interface terminates a number of telephony channels of the network while a speech bus carries speech signals between the line interface and the speech processor. A control processor controls routing of speech signals over the speech bus and a control bus connects the control processor with the speech processor and the line interface. A separate memory holds speech processing software and a data link connects the memory with the speech processor to load programs into the speech processor during run time in the event that appropriate software does not exist on the speech processor in a free state.

Claims

1. A service platform for the provision of automated speech based services over a telephone network, said platform comprising:

a plurality of general purpose speech processors, each including associated memory and being selectively programmable to provide a specific speech based service defined by a control program loaded into its associated memory;

a common program memory holding plural control programs for respectively different speech based services and coupled to each of said general purpose speech processors to permit a selected one of said control programs to be downloaded to the associated memory of a particular one of said speech processors; and

means operable in a first mode in which a speech processor resource and a control program are provided during a particular incoming telephony call only as and when needed, so that speech processor resources and control programs required to handle an earlier part of the particular incoming telephony call are made available to service other telephony calls during a subsequent ongoing part of said particularly incoming call.

2. A service platform as in claim 1 including means operable in a second mode in which a speech processor resource and a speech-based service control program to provide a particular speech-based service are committed in respect of a different particular telephony call before that different call is answered.

3. A service platform as in claim 1 wherein said means operable in said second mode is operable for all calls of at least one particular class of calls being handled by the service platform.

4. A service platform as in claim 3 wherein the class of a call is determined on the basis of the called telephone number.

5. A service platform as in claim 3 wherein said means operable in said first mode is operable for all calls not in said at least one particular class.

6. A service platform for the provision of automated speed based services over a telephone network, said platform comprising:

a plurality of general purpose speech processors, each including associated memory and being selectively programmable to provide a specific speech based service defined by a control program loaded into its associated memory;

a common program memory holding plural control programs for respectively different speech based services and coupled to each of said general purpose speech processors to permit a selected one of said control programs to be downloaded to the associated memory of a particular one of said speech processors; and

wherein the platform includes an expert which determines the initial configuration in which control programs are loaded into the speech processors during initialization of the platform.

7. A service platform as in claim 6 wherein the expert system includes means to dynamically monitor usage of the platform, the expert system controlling reconfiguration of control programs loaded into the speech processors in order to provide an appropriate mix of speech processing functions to meet the demands made by the telephony call traffic being received by the platform.

8. A service platform for the selective provision of one of a plurality of different automated speech-based services over a telephone network, said platform comprising:

a plurality of general purpose speech processors, each being selectively programmable to provide a specific one of said plural speech-based services defined by a respectively corresponding one of plural control programs when loaded thereinto;

a common program source containing said plural control programs and coupled to each of said general purpose speech processors to download a selected one of said control programs to a particular one of said speech processors; and

a controller connected to the telephone network so as to selectively route voice signals between a selected active telephone line and a selected one of said general purpose speech processors while also substantially simultaneously, in real-time, selectively downloading one of said control programs to that some selected one of the general purpose speech processor so as to substantially immediately, in real-time therein, begin to perform the respectively corresponding selected specific speech-based service with respect to voice signals on a then connected active telephone line.

9. A service platform as in claim 8 operable in a first mode in which a speech processor resource and a control program are provided during a particular incoming telephony call only as and when needed, so that speech processor resources and control programs required to handle an earlier part of the particular incoming telephony call are made available to service other telephony calls during a subsequent ongoing part of said particular incoming call.

10. A service platform as in claim 9 including means operable in a second mode in which a speech processor resource and a speech-based service control program to provide a particular service are committed in respect of a different particular telephony call before that different call is answered.

11. A service platform as in claim 10 wherein said means operable in said second mode is operable for all calls of at least one particular class of calls being handled by the service platform.

12. A service platform as in claim 11 wherein the class of a call is determined on the basis of the called telephone number.

13. A service platform as in claim 11 wherein said means operable in said first mode is operable for all calls not in said at least one particular class.

14. A service platform as in claim 8 wherein the platform includes an expert system which determines the initial configuration in which control programs are loaded into the speech processors during initialization of the platform.

15. A service platform as in claim 14 wherein the expert system includes means dynamically monitor usage of the platform, the expert system controlling reconfiguration of control programs loaded into the speech processors in order to provide an appropriate mix of speech processing functions to meet the demands made by the telephony call traffic being received by the platform.

16. A method for the selective real-time provision of successive different automated speech-based services to an incoming telephone call over a telephone network during said telephony call, said method comprising:

(i) selectively routing voice signals between a selected active telephone line and a selected one of plural general purpose speech processors;

(ii) substantially simultaneously, in real-time, selectively downloading one of plural control programs to that same selected one of the general purpose speech processors so as to substantially immediately, in real-time therein, begin to perform the respectively corresponding selected specific speech-based service with respect to voided signals on a then connected active telephone line; and

(iii) repeating step (ii) during an ongoing active telephone line connection so as to successively provide different specific speech-based services over said ongoing active telephone line connection.

17. A method as in claim 16 further comprising an initial step, before step (i), of:

(a) reserving the future availability of processor and control program resources anticipated to be necessary for servicing an incoming call before answering said incoming call by establishment of an active telephone line connection.

18. A method as in claim 17 wherein said incoming call is diverted or not answered unless the anticipated resources are available.

19. A method as in claim 16 wherein:

a speech processor resource and a control program are provided during a particular incoming telephony call only as and when needed, so that speech processor resources and control programs required to handle an earlier part of the particular incoming telephony call are made available to service other telephony calls during a subsequent ongoing part of said particular incoming call.

20. A method as in claim 19 including the step of:

committing a speech processor resource and a speech-based service control program to provide a particular service in respect of a different particular telephony call before that different call is answered.

21. A method as in claim 20 wherein said committing step is performed for all calls of at least one particular class of calls being handled.

22. A method as in claim 21 wherein the class of a call is determined on the basis of the called telephone number.

23. A method as in claim 21 wherein said committing step is performed for all calls not in said at least one particular class.

24. A method as in claim 16 further comprising the step of:

determining an initial configuration in which control programs are loaded into the speech processors during initialization.

25. A method as in claim 24 including dynamically monitoring usage of the resources and, in response, controlling reconfiguration of control programs loaded into the speech processors in order to provide an appropriate mix of speech processing functions to meet the demands made by the telephony call traffic being received.