Method, system, and apparatus for repairing audio recordings

• US 7,542,909 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dictaphone Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Cote, William F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth; David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rider; Justin W
• Application Number:
  US10/951,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20050207541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 704/278
• US Class Current: 704/278
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10009 Improvement or modification of read or write signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/10 with dictation recording and playback systems

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for detecting and repairing audio recordings that contain busy signals and extended periods of silence by searching for clusters of silence by reviewing the amplitude in an audio recording sample and listing each silence and sample time.

Claims

1. A method for repairing an audio recording comprising the steps of:

i. inputting said audio recording into a computer apparatus operatively configured to;

ii. examine said audio recording and determine periods of time corresponding to cluster of substantial silence within said audio recording;

iii. characterize said clusters of substantial silence as fast busy signal, slow busy signal, hang-up silence, and final silence waveform patterns by comparing to a pre-determined waveform pattern of fast busy signals, slow busy signals, hang-up silences, and final silences;

iv. identify the location of an anomaly point of the waveform pattern in the audio recording and truncate said recording from said anomaly point; and

v. outputting said audio recording from said computer apparatus.

2. A method, in accordance with claim 1, further comprising returning an error indication when said waveform pattern does not correlate with said pre-determined waveform pattern.

3. A method, in accordance with claim 1, wherein location of said hang-up silence is determined by subtracting the length of the detected busy signal from the location of the first inter-busy signal.

4. A method, in accordance with claim 1, wherein said examining said audio recording comprises analyzing said audio recording amplitude and searching for strings or series of amplitudes that are very near to zero.

5. A method, in accordance to claim 4, wherein said search for strings or series of amplitudes that are very near to zero, precludes said strings or series of amplitudes having durations falling outside pre-determined minimum and maximum lengths.

6. A method, in accordance with claim 1, wherein said fast and slow busy signals are characterized as a regular series of silences.