Method of interpretation service for voice on the phone

• US 7,117,223 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2002
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Obuchi, Yasunari, Koizumi, Atsuko, Kitahara, Yoshinori, Mizutani, Seiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): FILIPCZYK, MARCIN R
• Application Number:
  US10/073,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: 704/246, 704/231, 704/243, 704/277, 379/88.01, 707 1- 10, 707/104.1, 707100-102, 715/513, 715/532
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/47 Machine-assisted translation, e.g. using translation memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An interpretation service for voice based on sentence template retrieval allows a translation database to be customized without burdening users and enables sentences needed by users to be accurately interpreted. A sentence to be stored in a translation database for customization can be described as a sentence template including a slot which allows words to be replaced. A condition for selecting sentence templates is extracted from a registered user profile (UP). A sentence template matching the condition is retrieved from those stored in the translation database for customization and is registered in a translation database customized for each user. A word extracted from the UP is inserted into the sentence template'"'"'s slot for registration to a sentence dictionary customized for each user.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of customizing a dictionary used for speech recognition, comprising the steps of:

extracting user-specific vocabulary from a set of registered user profile information; and

generating a new customized sentence by inserting at least one word in said user-specific vocabulary into a slot of a sentence template stored in a translation database and storing said customized sentence into said dictionary, wherein said customized sentence stored in said dictionary is used for recognizing speech input by a user that is converted into voice data and collated with said customized sentence.

2. A computer implemented method of customizing a dictionary according to claim 1, wherein said set of registered user profile information is generated based on inputted answers to a questionnaire for said user.

3. A computer implemented method of customizing a dictionary according to claim 1, wherein said sentence template includes slot definition information including a category of words that can be inserted in said slot, and said at least one word in said user-specific vocabulary is inserted in said slot according to said slot definition information.

4. A method of customizing a dictionary according to claim 1, wherein said step of storing said customized sentence into said dictionary includes storing said customized sentence as a time series of feature vectors.

5. A method of customizing a dictionary according to claim 1, wherein said step of storing said customized sentence into said dictionary includes storing said customized sentence as a time series of feature vectors and said step of recognizing the input speech by collating said corresponding voice data with said customized sentence includes collating values of a time series of feature vectors of the input speech with the stored time series of feature vectors of the customized sentences in the sentence dictionary.

6. A storage media readable by a computer for storing a customizing program for customizing a dictionary used for speech recognition, said customizing program enabling the computer to perform the steps of:

extracting user-specific vocabulary from a set of registered user profile information; and

generating a new customized sentence by inserting at least one word in said user-specific vocabulary in a slot of a sentence template stored in a translation database and storing said customized sentence into said dictionary, wherein said customized sentence stored in said dictionary is used for recognizing speech input by a user that is converted into voice data and collated with said customized sentence.

7. A storage media readable by a computer for storing a customizing program for customizing a dictionary used for speech recognition according to claim 6, wherein said step of storing said customized sentence into said dictionary includes storing said customized sentence as a time series of feature vectors.

8. A storage media readable by a computer for storing a customizing program for customizing a dictionary used for speech recognition according to claim 6, wherein said step of storing said customized sentence into said dictionary includes storing said customized sentence as a time series of feature vectors and said step of recognizing the input speech by collating said corresponding voice data with said customized sentence includes collating values of a time series of feature vectors of the input speech with the stored time series of feature vectors of the customized sentences in the sentence dictionary.