Selective enablement of speech recognition grammars

• US 7,366,673 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Woodward, Steven G., Ruback, Harvey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): OPSASNICK, MICHAEL N
• Application Number:
  US09/882,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20030046074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,510 Days
• Field of Search: 704/200, 704/201, 704/270.1, 704/7, 704/277, 704/255
• US Class Current: 704/277
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/19 Grammatical context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word sequence rules
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications

Abstract

A method for processing speech audio in a network connected client device can include selecting a speech grammar for use in a speech recognition system in the network connected client device; characterizing the selected speech grammar; and, based on the characterization, determining whether to process the speech grammar locally in the network connected client device, or remotely in a speech server in the network. Selecting can include establishing a communications session with a speech server; and, querying the speech server for a speech grammar over the established communications session. Selecting can further include registering the speech grammar in the recognition system.

Claims

1. A method for processing speech audio in a network connected client device comprising:

selecting a speech grammar for use in a speech recognition system in the network connected client device;

characterizing the selected speech grammar, wherein said characterization comprises determining a size and a complexity of said selected grammar, and wherein a preferred processing location is specified in said selected speech grammar;

determining a processing power of said client device and of a remote speech server, a speed of a network connection between said client device and said speech server, and a feedback requirement for said speech recognition system; and

,

based on the characterization of said selected speech grammar, said determined network connection speed, said determined processing power of the network connected client device and said remote speech server, and said feedback requirements, electing whether to process the entire selected speech grammar in said preferred location or another location different from said preferred location before processing the speech audio, wherein said preferred location specifies the network connected client device or the speech server,

wherein if said preferred location specifies said speech server, said client device elects said client device if real-time feedback is required by said speech recognition system and a processing power of said client device is sufficient for said client device to process said selected speech grammar in real-time based on said size and said complexity of said selected grammar, and wherein if said preferred location specifies said client device, said client device elects said remote speech server if a latency in processing said selected speech grammar based on said network speed and said remote speech server processing power is sufficient to meet a feedback requirement of said speech recognition system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step comprises:

establishing a communications session with said remote speech server;

selecting a speech grammar stored in the network connected client device; and

,

uploading said selected speech grammar to said remote speech server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said characterizing step comprises:

identifying in said selected speech grammar an embedded pre-determined characterization of said size and said complexity of said selected speech grammar.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step comprises:

establishing a communications session with said remote speech server; and

,

querying said remote speech server for a speech grammar over said established communications session.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said selecting step further comprises:

registering said selected speech grammar in said speech recognition system.