Interactive voice response apparatus capable of distinguishing between user's incoming voice and outgoing conditioned voice prompts

• US 6,603,836 B1
• Filed: 03/16/1998
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Johnston, Robert D
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foster, Roland G.
• Application Number:
  US09/043,252
• Time in Patent Office: 1,968 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.04, 379/88.07, 379/88.08, 379/88.16, 379/88.24, 379/208, 379/351, 379/406, 379/407, 379/410, 379/411, 379/386, 379/208.01, 704/200, 704/231, 704/233
• US Class Current: 379/88.16
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• 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 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• 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 1/46 comprising means for distinguishing between a signalling current of predetermined frequency and a complex current containing that frequency, e.g. speech current

Abstract

An interactive apparatus allows the user to interrupt an outgoing prompt and remove component which is normally found in the users'"'"' responses (e.g., a frequency band) from the outgoing output prompt. An input signal analysis unit in the apparatus is able to detect the response of the user (and distinguish it from an echo of the outgoing prompt) by noting the presence of the component which is lacking from the outgoing prompt. As an alternative, the apparatus may force spaced timeslots in the outgoing signal to silence. In that case, the input signal analysis unit can detect the presence of the user'"'"'s signal over a predetermined time interval. As well as being applicable to apparatuses which involve the user in prompt/response dialogues, the invention is also useful in relation to the interruption of messages being replayed by voice-controllable answerphones of the like.

Claims

1. An interactive apparatus comprising:

signal output means arranged in operation to output an output signal representative of conditioned speech;

signal input means arranged in operation to receive an input signal, said input signal being representative of a user'"'"'s spoken command on said user issuing a spoken command;

wherein the output signal representing the conditioned speech has had a predetermined speech component removed therefrom, the removed predetermined component being present in the user'"'"'s spoken command; and

command detection means operable to detect a user'"'"'s command spoken during issuance of the conditioned speech by detecting the presence of said removed predetermined component in said input signal.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 which further comprises:

means for conditioning a signal representing speech so as to provide said signal representative of said conditioned speech.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said conditioning means comprises a digital filter for removing the predetermined component from the conditioned speech.

4. An apparatus as in claim 1 in which said removed predetermined speech component comprises one or more portions of the frequency spectrum.

5. An apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the mid-point of said portion lies in the range 1000 Hz to 1500 Hz.

6. An apparatus as in claim 5 in which the mid-point lies in the range 1200 Hz to 1300 Hz.

7. An apparatus as in claim 4 in which the width of said portion falls within the range 80 Hz to 120 Hz.

8. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising:

means for converting said signal representative of conditioned speech to conditioned speech; and

means for converting a user'"'"'s spoken command to a signal representative thereof.

11. A communications network including an apparatus as in claim 1.

9. A method of detecting a user'"'"'s spoken command to an interactive apparatus, said method comprising:

outputting a signal representative of conditioned speech, wherein said signal representing conditioned speech has had a speech signal component removed therefrom, the removed signal component being present in users'"'"' spoken commands;

monitoring an input signal to the interactive apparatus for the presence of said component; and

detecting the presence of the user'"'"'s spoken command in said input signal by detecting the presence of said removed signal component during issuance of the conditioned speech.

10. A method as in claim 9 further comprising:

conditioning a signal representing speech to provide said signal representative of conditioned speech.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein said conditioning involves replacement of temporally spaced short time slots of a speech signal with silence.

13. An interactive apparatus comprising:

signal output means arranged in operation to output a signal representative of conditioned speech;

signal input means arranged in operation to receive a signal representative of a user'"'"'s spoken command;

wherein the signal representing the conditioned speech has had a speech component removed therefrom, the removed component being present in the signal representing said spoken command;

wherein the removed component is a frequency within one or more portions of the frequency spectrum between 80 Hz and 1500 Hz or a plurality of spaced short time segments; and

command detection means operable to detect a user'"'"'s command spoken during issuance of the conditioned speech by detecting the component removed from the signal representing the conditioned speech in an input provided to the signal input means.