Detecting emotion in voice signals in a call center

• US 7,940,914 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Petrushin, Valery A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Harry S
• Application Number:
  US09/833,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,682 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801- 8804, 379/112.01, 379/142.01, 37926502-26508, 37926601-26603, 379/309, 704/270, 704/272, 704/E17.002
• US Class Current: 379/265.06
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/26 Recognition of special voice characteristics, e.g. for use in lie detectors; Recognition of animal voices

Abstract

A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for detecting emotion using statistics. First, a database is provided. The database has statistics including human associations of voice parameters with emotions. Next, a voice signal is received. At least one feature is extracted from the voice signal. Then the extracted voice feature is compared to the voice parameters in the database. An emotion is selected from the database based on the comparison of the extracted voice feature to the voice parameters and is then output.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring telephonic interactions of an agent with customers, the method comprising:

(a) pre-recording a first speech portion of a telephone call received by an agent;

(b) determining whether said first speech portion satisfies a monitoring condition, and, if so;

(c) recording at least a second portion of said telephone call.

2. A method for monitoring telephonic interactions of an agent with customers, the method comprising:

(a) pre-recording a first speech portion of a telephone call received by an agent;

(b) determining whether said first speech portion satisfies a monitoring condition, and, if so;

(c) recording at least a second portion of said telephone call; and

(d) wherein said determining step comprises determining a speech rate of words spoken during said telephone call and wherein said monitoring condition is whether said speech rate exceeds a predetermined level.

3. A method for monitoring telephonic interactions of an agent with customers, the method comprising:

(a) pre-recording a first speech portion of a telephone call received by an agent;

(b) determining whether said first speech portion satisfies a monitoring condition, and, if so;

(c) recording at least a second portion of said telephone call; and

(d) wherein said determining step comprises determining a state of emotion present during said telephone call and wherein said monitoring condition is whether said state of emotion exceeds a predefined emotion threshold.