System and method of voice information dissemination over a network using semantic representation

• US 6,678,659 B1
• Filed: 12/20/1999
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Swisscom AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Original Assignee: Swisscom AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Van Kommer, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): McFadden, Susan
• Application Number:
  US09/446,362
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 704/260, 704/270, 704/275, 704/270.1, 379/88.01, 379/88.1, 379/88.17, 379/88.13, 379/143, 379/93.22, 379/144.05
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• 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 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4581 Sending message identifiers instead of whole messages notification of incoming messages in packet-switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services
• 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 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53316 Messaging centre selected by message originator
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

A system of voice information diffusion through a packet-switching telecommunications network starting from a platform for an automatic voice teleservice system. The message diffused by the platform, can be listened to from a plurality of terminals. The messages are transmitted through the telecommunications network in coded form, the code including a semantic representation of messages, and then are converted into audio signals at a network access point of the packet switching telecommunications network. The network access points are distributed geographically and can generally be accessed by a local tariff call.

Claims

1. A system for disseminating voice information through a telecommunications network, comprising:

at least one first device connected to the telecommunications network and including means to disseminate messages in the telecommunications network; and

at least one second device allowing communication with the at least one first device to be established through the telecommunications network (4), and provided with acoustical emission means allowing listening to audio signals corresponding to the messages disseminated by the at least one first device,

wherein the messages are transmitted through the telecommunications network in coded form based on a code, the code including a semantic representation of the messages,

and wherein the at least one second device is connected to the telecommunications network through at least one distributed network access point, the at least one network access point including voice synthesis means configured to convert the coded messages into audio signals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one first device is a platform for a system of automatic voice teleservice.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of network access points distributed geographically, wherein the messages dispatched by the at least one first device destined for at least one second device is transmitted in coded form until a network access point close to the at least one second device, synthesizes the coded messages into audio signals and transmits the audio signals in the form of radio signals to the at least one second device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of network access points are distributed over a plurality of geographic regions, and wherein a language of the audio signals synthesized from the coded messages by the voice synthesis means upon a predominant language at a geographic location of one of the plurality of network access points.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications network is a packet transmission network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the telecommunications network is an Internet network, and wherein the at least one second device is an Internet terminal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the telecommunications network is a packet transmission network, and wherein a plurality of the disseminated messages can be multiplexed inside each packet.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one network access point includes speech recognition means for converting audio signals coming from the at least one second device into coded messages including a semantic representation of the audio signals, and means for dispatching the coded messages in the telecommunications network, and wherein the at least one first device is configured to receive the coded messages.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one first device is a platform for a system of automatic voice information that allows interactive dialogues, and is configured to analyze the coded messages dispatched by the least one second device and to disseminate a response in the telecommunications network based on the coded messages received.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for disseminating messages in the telecommunications network includes means for storing the coded messages, and means for reading the stored messages.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for disseminating messages in the telecommunications network includes means for storing the coded messages in the form of audio signals, means for reading the stored messages and speech recognition means for converting the audio signals into coded messages including a semantic representation.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the semantic representation optimizes a length of coded messages likely to be frequently transmitted through the telecommunications network.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the code includes a representation of a semantic prediction of the disseminated messages.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the coded messages include information characterizing at least one of a voice and a prosody.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one network access point comprises a cache memory storing the messages disseminated by the at least one first device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the cache memory the disseminated messages in coded form, including a semantic representation.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the cache memory stores the audio signals synthesized from the coded messages.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice synthesis means is integrated into the at least one second device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the voice synthesis means is implemented in the form of a plug-in module for an Internet browser.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice synthesis means is programmed at least by one information processing module, and wherein the at least one first device and the at least one network access point comprise complementary means and are configured to cooperate for downloading the information processing module from the first device to the at least one network access point.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one second device is connected to the at least one network access point through an access network.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein a language of the audio signals synthesized from the coded messages is determined by a user of the at least one second device.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the semantic representation is a single data bit.

24. A platform for an automatic voice teleservice system configured to be connected to a telecommunications network, comprising:

means for generating voice messages and for disseminating the voice messages in the telecommunications network,

wherein the voice messages are disseminated in the telecommunications network in coded form based on a code, the code including a semantic representation of the voice messages.

25. The platform of claim 24, wherein the means for disseminating messages includes means for storing the coded messages in the form of audio signals, and means for reading the stored messages and for speech recognition configured to convert the audio signals into coded messages, including a semantic representation of the audio signals.

26. The platform of claim 24, wherein the platform allows interactive dialogues and is configured to analyze coded messages, including the semantic representation, received through the telecommunications network and to disseminate a response depending upon the coded messages received.

27. The platform of claim 24, wherein the semantic representation optimizes a length of coded messages likely to be transmitted frequently through the telecommunications network.

28. The platform of claim 24, wherein the code includes a representation of a semantic prediction of the disseminated messages.

29. The platform of claim 24, wherein the coded messages include information characterizing at least one of a voice and a prosody.

30. The platform of claim 24, further comprising an interface configured to connect to a packet transmission telecommunications network.

31. The platform of claim 24, further comprising an interface configured to connect to an Internet telecommunications network.

32. The platform of claim 24, further comprising means for tele-exporting through the telecommunications network an information-processing module for voice synthesis permitting conversion of the coded messages including a semantic representation into audio signals.

33. The platform of claim 24, wherein the means for disseminating messages includes means for storing the coded messages, and means for reading the stored messages.

34. The platform of claim 24, wherein the semantic representation is a single data bit.

35. A network access point configured to be connected to a packet-switching telecommunications network comprising:

means for establishing communication with a device connected to the network and for receiving voice messages disseminated by the device;

voice synthesis means for converting coded voice messages including a semantic representation disseminated by the device into audio signals; and

means for dispatching through an access network the audio signals to at least one second device.

36. The network access point of claim 35, wherein a code used to encode the voice messages includes a representation of a semantic prediction of the voice messages.

37. The network access point of claim 35, wherein the coded messages include information characterizing at least one of a voice and a prosody.

38. The network access point of claim 35, further comprising a cache memory for the messages received.

39. The network access point of claim 38, wherein the cache memory stores the messages in coded form including a semantic representation.

40. The network access point of claim 39, wherein the cache memory stores the audio messages synthesized from the coded messages.

41. The network access point of claim 35, further comprising means for at least one of dispatching audio signals synthesized from the coded messages and receiving audio signals to be coded on the telecommunications network.

42. The network access point of claim 35, wherein the telecommunications network is an Internet network.

43. The network access point of claim 35, further comprising means for selecting a language of a content of the audio signals obtained following the conversion of the coded messages in semantic form.

44. The network access point of claim 35, further comprising:

speech recognition means for converting audio signals received from the at least one second device into coded messages including a semantic representation of the audio signals; and

means for dispatching the coded messages in semantic form in the packet-switching telecommunications network.

45. The network access point of claim 35, wherein the semantic representation optimizes a length of coded messages likely to be transmitted frequently through the network.

46. The network access point of claim 35, wherein the semantic representation is a single data bit.

47. A method of communication between a platform for an automatic voice teleservice system, and at least one second device connected to the platform through a network access point and a telecommunications network, comprising:

requesting from the at least one second device an establishment of a connection through the network access point with the platform;

establishing the connection through the telecommunications network;

disseminating from the platform at least one coded voice message in semantic form transmitted through the telecommunications network to the network access point;

converting with the network access point the code messages in semantic form into audio signals by voice synthesis means; and

transferring the audio signals to the at least one second device where the audio signals can be listened to by a user of the at least one second device.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the code used to encode the voice messages includes a representation of a semantic prediction of the voice messages.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the message coding in semantic form makes use of information characterizing at least one of a voice and a prosody.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the messages received from the platform are stored in a cache memory.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the cache memory stores the coded messages in semantic form.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the cache memory stores the decoded messages in the form of audio signals.

53. The method of claim 47, wherein the telecommunications network is a packet transmission network.

54. The method of claim 47, wherein the telecommunications network is an Internet network.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the network is a packet transmission network, and wherein a plurality of messages can be multiplexed inside each packet.

56. The method of claim 47, wherein the semantic representation is a single data bit.

57. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

transmitting from the at least one second device at least one audio signal to the network access point;

converting by the network access point the at least one audio signal into a coded message in semantic form by speech recognition means;

dispatching the coded message in semantic form from the network access point the platform, through the telecommunications network; and

receiving at the platform the coded message in semantic form.

58. The method of claim 57, further comprising:

analyzing with the platform the coded voice messages in semantic form dispatched by the at least one second device; and

determining a response to dispatch in the telecommunications system depending upon the messages received.

59. The method of claim 47, wherein the message coding in semantic form optimizes a length of coded messages likely to be transmitted frequently through the network.

60. A computerized data carrier configured to be read by a programmable device connected to an Internet network, comprising:

a program of instructions configured to be executed by the programmable device for executing the steps of;

establishing a connection between a first device and a second device through the programmable device,

converting code messages in semantic form disseminated by the first device into audio signals by voice synthesis means, and

transferring the audio signals to the second device where the audio signals can be listened to by a user of the second device.

61. The computerized data carrier of claim 60, wherein the semantic representation is a single data bit.

62. A computerized data carrier configured to be read by a programmable device connected to an Internet network, comprising:

a program of instructions configured to be executed by the programmable device for executing the steps of;

establishing a connection between the programmable device and a second device through a network access point in the Internet network, and

disseminating at least one coded voice message in semantic form through the Internet network to the network access point.

63. The computerized data carrier of claim 62, wherein the semantic representation is a single data bit.

64. A system for disseminating voice information through a packet-switching telecommunications system, comprising:

means for disseminating messages in the network and for managing dialogue with a user; and

voice synthesis means,

wherein the disseminating means is centralized in a platform for an automatic voice teleservice system, wherein the voice synthesis means is distributed in a plurality of network access points distributed in the network, and wherein the messages are transmitted between the platform and the plurality of network access points in coded form, the code used to encode the messages including a semantic representation of the messages.

65. The system of claim 64, wherein the user can listen to the messages by establishing a connection with one of the plurality of network access points through a telecommunications network.

66. The system of claim 64, wherein the semantic representation is a single data bit.