Automatic voice response system using voice recognition means and method of the same

• US 6,584,180 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nemoto, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chow, Ming
• Application Number:
  US09/761,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20010010714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.04, 379/88.16, 704/270.1, 704/275, 704/251, 704/252, 704/270, 704/200, 704/201
• US Class Current: 379/88.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set

Abstract

An automatic voice response section transfers voice input from a caller to a voice recognition section, and the voice recognition section generates a voice recognition result. The voice recognition result is synthesized at the voice response section into a voice confirmation message and sent back to the caller for confirmation that the voice input was correctly recognized. When a response by the caller to the confirmation message is negative, the automatic voice response section plays the previously received voice input from the caller as audio to a screener interface. A screener listens to the audio and enters a screener recognition result at the screener interface. The screener recognition result is synthesized into a voice response message by the voice response unit and transmitted to the caller for confirmation. Only if the caller responds negatively to the message based upon the screener recognition result is the call switched to an operator for manual handling of the callers special problems.

Claims

1. Automatic voice interaction apparatus for receiving a voice reguest from a caller and for transmitting a voice message to the caller comprising;

switching means for receiving a call and for connecting the call to;

automatic voice response means for storing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance and for synthesizing a voice message to the caller;

voice recognition means connected to receive the caller'"'"'s voice utterance for analyzing the voice utterance and for generating a voice recognition result, the voice recognition means connected to send the voice recognition result to the automatic voice response means for synthesis into a voice message to the caller;

screening means connected to receive stored voice utterances and reproduce voiced audio from a stored voice utterance when the caller responds negatively to a confirmation voice message synthesized by the voice response means from the voice recognition result generated by the voice recognition means, the screening means including means for receiving a voice recognition result entered by a person screening the reproduced voiced audio, the screening means connected to send the entered recognition result to the automatic voice response means for synthesis into a voice message to the caller;

operator interface means by which an operator and the caller directly talk with each other, the screening means controlling the switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to the operator interface means.

2. The automatic voice interaction apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

input means in the screening means for receiving input from the person screening the reproduced voiced audio for controlling the switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to the operator interface means.

3. The automatic voice interaction apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

logic means in the screening means for controlling the switching means to switch a call. from the automatic voice response means to the operator interface means when the caller has responded negatively to a confirmation voice message synthesized by the voice response means from a recognition result generated by the voice recognition means and has responded negatively to a confirmation voice message synthesized by the voice response means from a recognition result entered by the person screening the reproduced voiced audio.

4. The automatic voice interaction apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

storage means for storing a list of words to be recognized, the voice recognition means selecting a word from proposed words in the list of words corresponding to an intelligible response to a synthesized question message to generate a recognition result.

5. The automatic voice interaction apparatus of claim 1 further comprising;

logic means in the screening means for delaying reproducing voiced audio from a stored voice utterance when the voice recognition means has generated a plurality of recognition results from a voice utterance until the caller responds negatively to a confirmation voice message synthesized by the voice response section from a highest recognition probability recognition result generated by the voice recognition means and the caller responds negatively to a confirmation voice message synthesized by the voice response section from a second highest recognition probability recognition result generated by the voice recognition means.

6. The automatic voice interaction apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

logic means in the screening means for reproducing voiced audio from a stored voice utterance for a person screening the reproduced voiced audio without synthesizing a confirmation voice message when the voice recognition means has generated a plurality of recognition results from a caller'"'"'s voice utterance and a value of a recognition probability of each of the plurality of recognition results generated by the voice recognition means from the caller'"'"'s voice utterance all are less than a predetermined value.

7. Method of automatic voice interaction for receiving a voice request from a caller and for transmitting a voice message to the caller comprising the steps of:

receiving a call at automatic voice response means;

storing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance;

analyzing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance in voice recognition means for intelligible information;

generating a voice recognition result containing the intelligible information;

synthesizing the voice recognition result into a voice message to the caller;

and when the caller responds negatively to a confirmation voice message synthesized by the voice response means from the voice recognition result generated by the voice recognition means;

reproducing at a screener interface, voiced audio from the stored voice utterance;

receiving at the screener interface, a screener'"'"'s recognition result entered by a person screening the reproduced voiced audio;

synthesizing the screener'"'"'s recognition result into a voice message to the caller; and

controlling switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to an operator interface for allowing an operator to speak directly with the caller when the caller responds negatively to the synthesized voice message based upon the screener'"'"'s recognition result.

8. Method of claim 7 further comprising:

receiving input from a person screening the reproduced voiced audio at the screener interface for controlling the switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to the operator interface means.

9. Method of claim 7 further comprising:

selecting from a stored list of proposed words to be recognized, a word from proposed words in the list of words corresponding to an intelligible response to a synthesized question message to generate a recognition result.

10. Method of automatic voice interaction for receiving a voice request from a caller and for transmitting a voice message to the caller comprising the steps of:

receiving a call at automatic voice response means;

storing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance;

analyzing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance in voice recognition means for intelligible information;

generating a plurality of voice recognition results from the caller'"'"'s voice utterance;

transmitting a confirmation message based on the recognition result having a highest recognition probability to the caller when a recognition probability of more than one of the recognition results are higher than a predetermined value;

transmitting a confirmation message based on the recognition result of the second highest recognition probability to the caller when a response of the caller to the confirmation message based on the recognition result of the highest recognition probability is negative;

reproducing at a screener interface, voiced audio from the stored voice utterance when all of the responses of the caller to the confirmation messages based on the plurality of recognition results having recognition probabilities greater than the predetermined value are negative;

receiving at the screener interface, a screener'"'"'s recognition result entered by a person screening the reproduced voiced audio;

synthesizing the screener'"'"'s recognition result into a voice message to the caller; and

controlling switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to an operator interface for allowing an operator to speak directly with the caller when the caller responds negatively to the synthesized voice message based upon the screener'"'"'s recognition result.

11. Method of automatic voice interaction for receiving a voice request from a caller and for transmitting a voice message to the caller comprising the steps of:

receiving a call at automatic voice response means;

storing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance;

analyzing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance in voice recognition means for intelligible information;

generating a plurality of voice recognition results from the caller'"'"'s voice utterance;

reproducing at a screener interface, voiced audio from stored voice utterance when a recognition probability of each of the recognition results is lower than a predetermined value;

receiving at the screener interface, a screener'"'"'s recognition result entered by a person screening the reproduced voiced audio;

synthesizing the screener'"'"'s recognition result into a voice message to the caller; and

controlling switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to an operator interface for allowing an operator to speak directly with the caller when the caller responds negatively to the synthesized voice message based upon the screener'"'"'s recognition result.

12. A computer program product comprising:

a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for operating an automatic voice interaction system which receives a voice request from a caller and transmits a voice message to the caller comprising;

program code means for receiving a call at an automatic voice response system;

program code means for storing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance;

program code means for analyzing the callers voice utterance for intelligible information;

program code means for generating a voice recognition result containing the intelligible information;

program code means for synthesizing the voice recognition result into a voice message to the caller;

program code means for reproducing at a screener interface, voiced audio from stored voice utterance when the caller responds negatively to a confirmation voice message synthesized by the voice response means from the voice cognition result generated by the voice recognition means;

program code means for receiving at the screener interface, a screener'"'"'s recognition result entered by a screener of the reproduced voiced audio;

program code means for synthesizing the screener'"'"'s recognition result into a voice message to the caller; and

program code means for controlling switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to an operator interface for allowing an operator to speak directly with the caller when the caller responds negatively to the synthesized voice message based upon the screener'"'"'s recognition result.

13. Computer program product of claim 12 further comprising:

program code means for receiving input at the screener interface for controlling the switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to the operator interface means.

14. A computer program product comprising:

a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for operating an automatic voice interaction system which receives a voice request from a caller and transmits a voice message to the caller comprising;

program code means for receiving a call at an automatic voice response system;

program code means for synthesizing a question message for transmission to the caller;

program code means for storing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance which follows the question message;

program code means for analyzing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance for intelligible information by selecting from a stored list of proposed words to be recognized, a word from proposed words in the list of words corresponding to an intelligible response to the synthesized question message;

program code means for generating a voice recognition result corresponding to the intelligible information;

program code means for synthesizing the voice recognition result into a confirmation voice message to the caller;

program code means for reproducing at a screener interface, voiced audio from stored voice utterance when the caller responds negatively to the confirmation voice message;

program code means for receiving at the screener interface, a screener'"'"'s recognition result entered by a screener of the reproduced voiced audio;

program code means for synthesizing the screener'"'"'s recognition result into a confirmation voice message to the caller; and

program code means for controlling switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to an operator interface for allowing an operator to speak directly with the caller when the caller responds negatively to the synthesized confirmation voice message.

15. A computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for operating an automatic voice interaction system which receives a voice request from a caller and transmits a voice message to the caller comprising:

program code means for receiving a call at an automatic voice response system;

program code means for storing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance;

program code means for analyzing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance for intelligible information

program code means for generating a plurality of voice recognition results corresponding to the intelligible information;

program code means for transmitting a confirmation message based on the recognition result having a highest recognition probability to the caller when a recognition probability of more than one of the recognition results are higher than a predetermined value;

program code means for transmitting a confirmation message based on the recognition result of the second highest recognition probability to the caller when a response of the caller to the confirmation message based on the recognition result of the highest recognition probability is negative;

program code means for reproducing at a screener interface, voiced audio from the stored voice utterance when all of the responses of the caller to the confirmation messages based on the plurality of recognition results having recognition probabilities greater than the predetermined value are negative;

program code means for receiving at the screener interface, a screener'"'"'s recognition result entered by a screener of the reproduced voiced audio;

program code means for synthesizing the screener'"'"'s recognition result into a confirmation voice message to the caller; and

program code means for controlling switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to an operator interface for allowing an operator to speak directly with the caller when the caller responds negatively to the synthesized confirmation voice message.

16. A computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for operating an automatic voice interaction system which receives a voice request from a caller and transmits a voice message to the caller comprising:

program code means for receiving a call at an automatic voice response system;

program code means for storing the callers voice utterance;

program code means for analyzing the caller'"'"'s voice utterance for intelligible information.

program code means for generating a plurality of voice recognition results corresponding to the intelligible information;

program code means for reproducing at a screener interface, voiced audio from the stored voice utterance when a recognition probability of each of the voice recognition results is lower than a predetermined value;

program code means for receiving at the screener interface, a screener'"'"'s recognition result entered by a screener of the reproduced voiced audio;

program code means for synthesizing the screener'"'"'s recognition result into a confirmation voice message to the caller; and

program code means for controlling switching means to switch a call from the automatic voice response means to an operator interface for allowing an operator to speak directly with the caller when the caller responds negatively to the synthesized confirmation voice message.

17. An automatic voice response system comprising:

automatic voice response means for receiving a voice from a caller and for transmitting a message to the caller;

voice recognition means for analyzing the voice and for generating a voice recognition result;

screener interface means for reproducing the voice and for entering the voice recognition result by a screener thereof;

operator interface means by which an operator and the caller directly talks with each other; and

line exchanging means for switching a talking with the caller between the automatic voice response means and the operator interface means,

wherein the automatic voice response means transfers the voice of the caller to the voice recognition means, the voice recognition means generates the voice recognition result to transmit it to the automatic voice response means, and the automatic voice response means transmits a confirmation message based on the voice recognition result to the caller;

when a response by the caller to the confirmation message is negative, the automatic voice response means supplies the voice of the caller already received to the screener interface means, the automatic voice response means receives the voice recognition result from the screener interface means to transmit the confirmation message based on the voice recognition result to the caller; and

when the response by the caller to the confirmation message is negative, the line exchanging means switches the talking of the caller from the automatic voice response means to the operator interface means.