Interface to a speech processing system

• US 6,618,703 B1
• Filed: 10/26/1999
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: PerSay Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimoni, Guy, Peres, Renana
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US09/426,904
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275, 704/246, 704/273, 379/88.02, 379/88.01, 379/88.03
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/54 Object oriented software
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• 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

Abstract

An application programming interface (API) for enabling, a calling application to instruct a speech processing system to perform operations including online audio acquisition and algorithmic speech processing operations includes acquisition interface means for enabling the calling application to instruct the speech processing system to acquire online audio from an external communication channel, and processing interface means for enabling the calling application to instruct the speech processing system to perform at least one of the algorithmic speech processing operations on said acquired audio. The acquisition interface means and the processing interface means include object-oriented classes. The external communication channel is selected from a group including a particular time slot of a telephone trunk, a particular telephone extension and an audio file of a remote audio storage.

Claims

1. An application programming interface (API) for enabling a calling application to instruct a speech processing system to perform operations including online audio acquisition and algorithmic speech processing operations, the API comprising:

acquisition interface means for enabling the calling application to instruct the speech processing system to acquire online audio from an external communication channel;

processing interface means for enabling the calling application to instruct the speech processing system to perform at least one of the algorithmic speech processing operations on said acquired audio; and

calibration interface means for enabling the calling application to instruct the speech processing system to perform at least one calibration operation.

2. An API according to claim 1, wherein said calibration interface means comprises object-oriented classes.

3. An API according to claim 1, wherein the API further comprises:

at least one parameter, settable by the calling application, which determines whether the calibration operations are performed automatically when there is enough input to the calibration operations.

4. A method of providing an application programming interface (API) for enabling a calling application to instruct a speech processing system to perform operations including online audio acquisition and algorithmic speech processing operations, the method comprising the steps of:

providing acquisition interface means for enabling the calling application to instruct the speech processing system to acquire online audio from an external communication channel; and

providing processing interface means for enabling the calling application to instruct the speech processing system to perform at least one of the algorithmic speech processing operations on said acquired audio; and

providing calibration interface means for enabling the calling application to instruct the speech processing system to perform at least one calibration operation.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said calibration interface means comprises object-oriented classes.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

providing at least one parameter, settable by the calling application, which determines whether the calibration operations are performed automatically when there is enough input to the calibration operations.