Voice dialing using text names

• US 6,963,633 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2000
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Naik, Jayant M., Reformato, John, McAlily, Scott Alexander, Pershan, Barry Paul, Lubchenko, Eugene, Bechtel, Kay L., Diede, William F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US09/609,585
• Time in Patent Office: 1,957 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.03, 379/88.01, 379/67.1, 379/88.02, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/201.01, 379/207.02, 379/207.15, 379/88.17, 379/93.03, 704/246, 704/270
• US Class Current: 379/88.03
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/06 Creation of reference templates; Training of speech recognition systems, e.g. adaptation to the characteristics of the speaker's voice G10L15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/45 public-private interworking, e.g. centrex
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• 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

Methods and apparatus for implementing communication services such as voice dialing services are described. In one Centrex based voice dialing embodiment, voice dialing service subscribers are given access to personal voice dialing records including calling entries via the Internet as well as via telephone connections. Each calling entry normally includes the name and, optionally nickname, of a party to be called. It also includes one or more telephone numbers associated with each name. Different telephone number identifies, e.g. locations, can be associated with different names. A user can create or update entries in a voice dialing directory using text conveyed over the Internet or speech supplied via a telephone connection. In order to facilitate updating and maintenance of voice dialing directories over the Internet speaker independent (SI) speech recognition models are used. When a calling entry is created via the Internet the text of the name is processed to generate a corresponding speech recognition model there from. When an entry is created via speech obtained over the telephone, a speech recognition model is generated from the speech and a text name is generated is generated using speech to text technology. To avoid having to hang-up and initiate a new voice dialing call the outcome of a voice dialing call is monitored and the subscriber is provided the opportunity to initiate another call using voice dialing if the first call did not complete successfully e.g., goes unanswered.

Claims

1. A voice dialing system for use with the Internet, the system comprising:

a data storage device for storing voice dialing subscriber records, at least one of said voice dialing subscriber records including a plurality of names, a telephone number being associated with each of said names, and a corporate dialer identifier which identifies a corporate dialer to be used in the event that a name included in the subscriber'"'"'s record is not detected in speech received in regard to a voice dialing call;

a first computer system for coupling a voice dialing subscriber to the Internet;

a second computer system coupled to the Internet, the second computer system including means for updating a voice dialing subscriber record in response to voice dialing information received from the subscriber via the Internet;

a telephone switch;

means for generating a telephone number corresponding to speech coupled to the telephone switch, the second computer system, and the data storage device; and

means for presenting a subscriber corresponding to said at least one of said voice dialing subscriber records with an opportunity to modify said corporate dialer identifier.

2. The voice dialing system of claim 1, wherein the voice dialing information received from the subscriber via the Internet is text information including the name of a party and a telephone number corresponding to the named party.

3. The voice dialing system of claim 2, further comprising:

means for generating a speaker independent speech recognition model from the name of the party included in the received text information.

4. The voice dialing system of claim 3, wherein the second computer system, means for generating a telephone number, and means for generating a speaker independent speech recognition are included in an intelligent peripheral device.

5. The voice dialing system of claim 4, wherein intelligent peripheral device further includes said data storage device, the system further comprising:

an integrated service control point for storing voice dialing subscriber information, the integrated service control point including call processing records, the call processing record of a voice dialing service subscriber indicating the peripheral device where the subscriber'"'"'s voice dialing record is stored.

6. The voice dialing system of claim 5, wherein the telephone switch includes means for contacting the integrated service control point in response to a signal received from the subscriber indicative of a desire to initiate a voice dialing operation.

7. The voice dialing system of claim 6, wherein the integrated service control point includes means for instructing the telephone switch to establish an audio connection between the subscriber and the intelligent peripheral device.

8. The voice dialing system of claim 3, further comprising:

means for storing generated speaker independent speech recognition models in the subscriber record with the text information from which the models are generated.

9. The voice dialing system of claim 3, wherein the subscriber record includes a plurality of telephone numbers associated with a name of a party or individual, a telephone number identifier being associated with each one of said plurality of telephone numbers.

10. The voice dialing system of claim 9, wherein at least one telephone number identifier is the name of a location.

11. The voice dialing system of claim 9, wherein the subscriber record further includes:

a nick-name associated with said plurality of telephone numbers.

12. The voice dialing system of claim 11, wherein the subscriber record further includes:

a personal identification number used for verifying the identity of the subscriber when the subscriber attempts to access the information in the subscriber record via the Internet.

13. The voice dialing system of claim 12, wherein the subscriber record further includes:

at least two different location identifiers associated with a name in said subscriber record.

14. The voice dialing system of claim 10, wherein the data storage device, the second computer system, and said means for generating a telephone number are included in an intelligent peripheral device coupled to the telephone switch.

15. The voice dialing system of claim 14, further comprising:

an integrated service control point coupled to the telephone switch, the integrated service control point including a voice dialing service subscriber call processing record, the call processing record including information identifying said intelligent peripheral device which includes the subscriber'"'"'s voice dialing record.

32. The voice dialing system of claim 1, wherein each of at least two of said voice dialing subscriber records includes a corporate dialer identifier.

33. The voice dialing system of claim 32 wherein the at least two included corporate dialer identifiers are different from each other.

16. A method of implementing a voice dialer, comprising:

receiving first text corresponding to a first name via the Internet;

generating a first speaker independent speech recognition model from said first text;

storing the first speaker independent speech recognition model in a storage device as part of a voice dialing subscriber record, said voice dialing subscriber record including a plurality of names, at least one telephone number associated with each name, and a secondary voice dialer identifier which identifies a secondary voice dialer to be used in the event that a name in the subscriber record is not detected as part of a voice dialing operation in speech received from a user of said subscriber record;

associating, in the storage device, a first telephone number with the first speaker independent speech recognition model; and

presenting the user with an opportunity to modify the secondary voice dialer identifier.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said secondary voice dialer is a corporate dialer, the method further comprising:

entering the first text into a computer system; and

operating the computer system to transmit, via the Internet, the first text to a speech recognition model training device used to generate the first speaker independent speech recognition model.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of operating the computer system to transmit the first text includes the step of:

transmitting the first text over the Internet to the speech recognition model training device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein step of generating a first speaker independent speech recognition model includes:

operating the speech recognition model training device to perform a text to phoneme conversion operation on the first text.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

generating a second speaker independent speech recognition model from second text corresponding to a second name, the second name being a nick-name of a party or individual identified by the first name;

storing the second speaker independent speech recognition model in the storage device, the second speaker independent speech recognition model being associated with the first telephone number.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

entering the second text into the computer system; and

operating the computer system to transmit the second text to the speech recognition model training device via the Internet.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of:

receiving a first text telephone number identifier to be associated with the first telephone number; and

associating, in the storage device, the first text telephone number identifier with the first telephone number.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of:

receiving a second telephone number corresponding to the first name and a second text telephone number identifier, the second text telephone number identifier being associated with the second telephone number; and

storing the second text telephone number identifier and second telephone number in the storage device in association with the first name.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first and second text telephone number identifiers are names of locations.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the speech recognition model training device is included in an intelligent peripheral device coupled to a telephone switch, the method further comprising:

entering the second telephone number and the second text telephone number identifier into the computer system; and

operating the computer system to transmit the second telephone number and the second text telephone number identifier to the intelligent peripheral device via the Internet.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein prior to entering the first telephone number into the computer system, the method further comprises the steps of;

accessing the intelligent peripheral device via the Internet to retrieve voice dialing record information corresponding to a user of the computer system;

displaying the voice dialing record information on a display device included in the computer system; and

modifying at least some of the displayed information.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of accessing the intelligent peripheral device includes the steps of:

providing user identification information and a personal identification number to the intelligent peripheral device via the Internet.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the personal identification number is a telephone number associated with the user of the computer system.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of:

supplying to the voice dialing system a mobile telephone number and an additional telephone number which may be used by the voice dialing service subscriber; and

storing the telephone number information in the storage device.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of:

using the telephone switch to establish an audio connection between the voice dialing service subscriber and the intelligent peripheral device;

operating the intelligent peripheral device to receive speech from the voice dialing service subscriber;

operating the intelligent peripheral device to perform a speaker independent using said first and second speech recognition models to identify a name in the received speech.

31. A voice dialing system for use with the Internet, the system comprising:

a data storage device for storing voice dialing subscriber records, at least one of said voice dialing subscriber records including a plurality of names, a telephone number being associated with each of said names, and a corporate dialer identifier which identifies a corporate dialer to be used in the event that a name included in the subscriber'"'"'s record is not detected in speech received in regard to a voice dialing call;

a first computer system for coupling a voice dialing subscriber to the Internet;

a second computer system coupled to the Internet, the second computer system including means for updating a voice dialing subscriber record in response to voice dialing information received from the subscriber via the Internet;

a telephone switch;

means for generating a telephone number corresponding to speech coupled to the telephone switch, the second computer system, and the data storage device; and

presenting a subscriber corresponding to said at least one of said voice dialing subscriber records with an opportunity to modify said stored corporate dialer identifier over the Internet.