Voice label processing apparatus and method

• US 6,529,585 B2
• Filed: 08/20/1998
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yaniro, Jr., Daniel J., Ng, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Escalante, Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US09/137,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20020071527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,657 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 379/93.15, 379/352, 379/353, 379/355.01, 379/355.02, 379/355.03, 379/355.04, 379/355-5-3, 704/270.1, 704/275, 704/270, 704/243, 704/231
• US Class Current: 379/88.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27

Abstract

An apparatus and method for processing voice labels and establishing communication connections between a calling party and a called party based on the voice labels. When the calling party wishes to establish a communication with the called party, the calling party activates his/her user device and speaks a voice label into the audio receiver of the user device. The calling party'"'"'s voice is then converted into analog voice signals (or data voice signals if a data network is being used) and transmitted to a voice label processor. The voice label processor receives the voice signals and extracts at least one feature pattern from the voice signals that identifies the voice label to which it corresponds. The voice label processor then searches a voice label database for the occurrence of the at least one feature pattern and retrieves a predefined voice label code corresponding to the feature pattern from the voice label database and sends a calling party identifier and the retrieved voice label code to a destination identifier determination device. The destination identifier determination device searches a user profile database for an entry corresponding to the calling party identifier. If such an entry is present, the destination identifier determination device searches the entry for the voice label code and retrieves the corresponding destination identifier. The destination identifier determination device then sends the destination identifier to the voice label processor which establishes a communication link to the called party using the retrieved destination identifier.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a communication connection between a source device and a destination device, comprising:

receiving a voice label input signal from the source device;

converting the voice label input signal into a voice label code;

wherein the converting of the voice label input signal comprises;

extracting at least one feature pattern from the voice label input signal; and

generating the voice label code, the generated voice label code being a voice label code that corresponds to a predetermined feature pattern that matches the extracted feature pattern, wherein the step of generating a voice label code includes comparing the at least one extracted feature pattern with predetermined feature patterns, and retrieving the voice label code directly from a voice label database based on the comparison of the at least one extracted feature pattern to the predetermined feature patterns, and wherein the predetermined feature patterns and voice label codes corresponding to the predetermined feature patterns are stored in the voice label database;

converting the voice label code into a destination identifier; and

establishing the communication connection between the source device and the destination device based on the destination identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating a voice label code includes determining if the at least one extracted feature pattern matches a predetermined feature pattern within a predetermined tolerance.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of converting the voice label code into a destination identifier includes retrieving the destination identifier from a user profile database based on the voice label code.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving a calling party identifier from said source device and wherein said step of retrieving the destination identifier includes:

searching the user profile database for an entry corresponding to the calling party identifier received; and

searching the entry for the voice label code, wherein the destination identifier retrieved is the destination identifier that corresponds to the voice label code in the entry corresponding to the calling,party identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the calling party identifier includes at least one of a telephone number, a calling card number, a credit card number, a social security number, a personal identification number and a name.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the source device and the destination device are in communication with at least one network and wherein the step of establishing a communication connection includes issuing routing commands to the at least one network instructing the at least one network to establish a communication path between the source device and the destination device.

7. An apparatus for establishing a communication connection between at least two communication devices, comprising:

a voice label processor;

a destination identifier determination device, wherein the voice label processor receives a voice label input signal from a source communication device and determines a voice label code based on the voice label input signal, the destination identifier determination device determines a destination identifier based on the voice label code retrieved, and wherein the voice label processor establishes the communication connection between the source communication device and a destination communication device based on the destination identifier; and

a voice label database, wherein the voice label processor extracts at least one feature pattern from the voice label input signal and compares the at least one extracted feature pattern with predetermined feature patterns stored with a corresponding voice label code in the voice label database, and wherein the voice label processor directly retrieves a voice label code corresponding to a predetermined feature pattern that matches the extracted feature pattern within a predetermined tolerance.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a user profile database, wherein the voice label processor receives a calling party identifier from the source communication device, and

wherein the destination identifier determination device determines the destination identifier by:

searching the user profile database for an entry corresponding to the calling party identifier received; and

searching the entry for the voice label code, wherein the destination identifier is the destination identifier that corresponds to the voice label code in the entry corresponding to the calling party identifier.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the calling party identifier includes at least one of a telephone number, a calling card number, a credit card number, a social security number, a personal identification number and a name.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the source communication device and destination communication device are in communication with at least one network, and wherein the voice label processor establishes the communication connection between the source communication device and a destination communication device by issuing routing commands to the at least one network instructing the at least one network to establish a communication path between the source communication device and the destination communication device.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the voice label processor and the destination identifier determination device are located remote from one another.