System and method for providing remote automatic speech recognition and text to speech services via a packet network

• US 6,604,077 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2002
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharp, Robert Douglas, Dragosh, Pamela Leigh, Roe, David Bjorn
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks-Harold, Marsha D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Azad, Abul K.
• Application Number:
  US10/067,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20020091528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270.1, 704/243, 704/251, 704/231, 704/235, 704/260, 704/255, 704/275, 704/270
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• 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: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A system and method of operating an automatic speech recognition service using a client-server architecture is used to make automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text to speech (TTS) services accessible at a client location remote from the location of the main ASR and TTS engines. The present invention utilizes client-server communications over a packet network, such as the Internet or a wireless network, where the ASR/TTS server receives a grammar from the client or selects from a locally stored plurality of grammars, receives information representing speech from the client, performs speech recognition, and returns information based upon the recognized speech to the client.

Claims

1. A method of operating an automatic speech recognition service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network, the method comprising:

(a) receiving from the client over the packet network a grammar identifier associated with one of a plurality of grammars;

(b) based on the grammar identifier, selecting a grammar from the plurality of grammars;

(c) receiving from the client over the packet network information representing speech;

(d) recognizing the received speech information by applying an automatic speech recognition algorithm in accordance with the selected grammar; and

(e) sending information based on the recognized speech over the packet network to the client.

2. The method of operating an automatic speech recognition service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 1, wherein the packet network is an Internet Protocol network.

3. The method of operating an automatic speech recognition service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 2, wherein the packet network is a wireless network.

4. The method of operating an automatic speech recognition service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 1, wherein the grammar identifier is a uniform resource locator-compatible address.

5. The method of operating an automatic speech recognition service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 4, wherein the plurality of grammars is stored remotely from the automatic speech recognition service.

6. The method of operating an automatic speech recognition service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 1, wherein the plurality of grammars is stored local to the automatic speech recognition service.

7. The method of operating an automatic speech recognition service of claim 1, wherein steps (c), (d) and (e) are repeated in an exchange of information between the client and a server operating the automatic speech recognition service.

8. The method of operating an automatic speech recognition service of claim 1, wherein the automatic speech recognition service is used to provide information in a form.

9. The method of operating an automatic speech recognition service of claim 8, wherein providing information in a form relates to a user purchasing a product.

10. A method of exchanging information between a client and a server, the server operating an automatic speech recognition and text to speech service remotely accessible by the client over a packet network, the method comprising, at the server:

(a) receiving from the client a grammar identifier associated with one of a plurality of grammars;

(b) based on the grammar identifier, selecting a grammar from the plurality of grammars; and

(c) repeatedly, as a user provides speech to the client;

(i) receiving speech-related information from the client;

(ii) using the selected grammar, recognizing the speech-related information by applying an automatic speech recognition algorithm; and

(iii) sending information to the client based on the recognized speech.

11. A method of operating a text to speech service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network, the method comprising:

(a) receiving from the client over the packet network a grammar identifier associated with one of a plurality of grammars;

(b) based on the grammar identifier, selecting a grammar from the plurality of grammars;

(c) receiving from the client over the packet network information representing speech;

(d) recognizing the received speech information by applying an automatic speech recognition algorithm in accordance with the selected grammar;

(e) generating synthetic speech in response to the recognized speech; and

(f) transmitting the synthetic speech over the packet network to the client.

12. The method of operating a text to speech service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 11, wherein the packet network is an Internet Protocol network.

13. The method of operating a text to speech service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 12, wherein the packet network is a wireless network.

14. The method of operating a text to speech service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 11, wherein the grammar identifier is a uniform resource locator-compatible address.

15. The method of operating a text to speech service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 11, wherein the plurality of grammars is stored local to the text to speech service.

16. The method of operating a text to speech service remotely accessible by a client over a packet network of claim 15, wherein the plurality of grammars is stored remotely from the text to speech service.

17. The method of operating text to speech service of claim 11, wherein steps (c), (d), (e) and (f) are repeated in an exchange of information between the client and a server operating the text to speech service.

18. The method of operating text to speech service of claim 11, wherein the text to speech service enables a user to purchase a product or service.

19. A method of exchanging information between a client and a server, the server operating an automatic speech recognition and text to speech service remotely accessible by the client over a packet network, the method comprising:

(a) receiving from the client a grammar identifier associated with one of a plurality of grammars;

(b) based on the grammar identifier, selecting a grammar from the plurality of grammars; and

(c) repeatedly, as a user provides speech to the client;

(i) receiving speech-related information from the client;

(ii) using the selected grammar, recognizing the speech-related information by applying an automatic speech recognition algorithm; and

(iii) generating synthetic speech based on the recognized speech-related information; and

(iv) transmitting the synthetic speech to the client.

20. A method of exchanging information between a client and a server, the server operating an automatic speech recognition and text to speech service remotely accessible by the client over a packet network, the method comprising, at the client:

(a) transmitting to the text to speech service a grammar identifier associated with one of a plurality of grammars, wherein based on the grammar identifier, the text to speech service may select a grammar from the plurality of grammars; and

(b) repeatedly, as a user provides speech to the client;

(i) transmitting speech-related information to the text to speech service, wherein the text to speech service may recognize the speech-related information; and

(ii) receiving generating synthetic speech based on the recognized speech-related information from the text to speech service.