Word-level correction of speech input

• US 8,494,852 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: LeBeau, Michael J., Byrne, William J., Jitkoff, John Nicholas, Ballinger, Brandon M., Kristjansson, Trausti
• Primary Examiner(s): GUERRA-ERAZO, EDGAR X
• Application Number:
  US12/913,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20110166851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 704/235, 704/246, 704/240, 704/276, 704/270, 704/275, 704/9, 704/10, 704/251, 704/257
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/137 Hierarchical processing, e.g. outlines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/284 Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/01 Assessment or evaluation of speech recognition systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, a computer-implemented method for correcting words in transcribed text including receiving speech audio data from a microphone. The method further includes sending the speech audio data to a transcription system. The method further includes receiving a word lattice transcribed from the speech audio data by the transcription system. The method further includes presenting one or more transcribed words from the word lattice. The method further includes receiving a user selection of at least one of the presented transcribed words. The method further includes presenting one or more alternate words from the word lattice for the selected transcribed word. The method further includes receiving a user selection of at least one of the alternate words. The method further includes replacing the selected transcribed word in the presented transcribed words with the selected alternate word.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a plurality of transcribed words from a word lattice for display on a computing device;

in response to receiving an indication that a particular transcribed word has been selected, providing for display on the computing device a particular alternate phrase from the word lattice, wherein the particular alternate phrase includes alternate words that correspond to (i) the particular transcribed word and (ii) at least one transcribed word preceding the particular transcribed word; and

in response to receiving an indication that the particular alternate phrase has been selected, replacing, with the particular transcribed phrase, (i) the particular transcribed word and (ii) the at least one transcribed word preceding the particular transcribed word.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the plurality of transcribed words from the word lattice for display on the computing device comprises:

receiving speech audio data from a microphone in the computing device;

transmitting the speech audio data to a transcription system hosted by the computing device; and

receiving the word lattice transcribed from the speech audio data by the transcription system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the plurality of transcribed words from the word lattice for display on the computing device comprises:

receiving speech audio data from a microphone in the computing device;

transmitting the speech audio data to a transcription system that is in communication with the computing device over a network; and

receiving the word lattice transcribed from the speech audio data by the transcription system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the word lattice comprises nodes corresponding to the transcribed words and words included in the particular alternate phrase, edges between the nodes that identify possible paths through the word lattice, and each path has an associated probability of being correct.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising identifying the particular alternate phrase for the particular transcribed word and at least one transcribed word preceding the particular transcribed word from at least one alternate path between a beginning node and an ending node of the presented transcribed words in the word lattice.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication that the particular transcribed word has been selected and receiving the indication that the particular alternate phrase has been selected comprise receiving the indication that the particular transcribed word has been selected and receiving the indication that the particular alternate phrase has been selected through a touchscreen interface of the computing device by a user of the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the word lattice is one of:

a hierarchical word lattice, or a finite state transducer word lattice.

8. A computer program product, encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations for correcting words in transcribed text, the operations comprising:

providing a plurality of transcribed words from a word lattice for display on a computing device;

in response to receiving an indication that a particular transcribed word has been selected, providing for display on the computing device a particular alternate phrase from the word lattice, wherein the particular alternate phrase includes alternate words that correspond to (i) the particular transcribed word and (ii) at least one transcribed word preceding the particular transcribed word; and

in response to receiving an indication that the particular alternate phrase has been selected, replacing, with the particular transcribed phrase, (i) the particular transcribed word and (ii) the at least one transcribed word preceding the particular transcribed word.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein providing the plurality of transcribed words from the word lattice for display on the computing device comprises:

receiving speech audio data from a microphone in the computing device;

transmitting the speech audio data to a transcription system hosted by the computing device; and

receiving the word lattice transcribed from the speech audio data by the transcription system.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein providing the plurality of transcribed words from the word lattice for display on the computing device comprises:

receiving speech audio data from a microphone in the computing device;

transmitting the speech audio data to a transcription system that is in communication with the computing device over a network; and

receiving the word lattice transcribed from the speech audio data by the transcription system.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the word lattice comprises nodes corresponding to the transcribed words and words included in the particular alternate phrase, edges between the nodes that identify possible paths through the word lattice, and each path has an associated probability of being correct.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising identifying the particular alternate phrase for the particular transcribed word and at least one transcribed word preceding the particular transcribed word from at least one alternate path between a beginning node and an ending node of the presented transcribed words in the word lattice.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein receiving the indication that the particular transcribed word has been selected and receiving the indication that the particular alternate phrase has been selected comprise receiving the indication that the particular transcribed word has been selected and receiving the indication that the particular alternate phrase has been selected through a touchscreen interface of the computing device by a user of the computing device.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the word lattice is one of:

a hierarchical word lattice, or a finite state transducer word lattice.

15. A system for correcting words in transcribed text, the system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

providing a plurality of transcribed words from a word lattice for display on a computing device;

in response to receiving an indication that a particular transcribed word has been selected, providing for display on the computing device a particular alternate phrase from the word lattice, wherein the particular alternate phrase includes alternate words that correspond to (i) the particular transcribed word and (ii) at least one transcribed word preceding the particular transcribed word; and

in response to receiving an indication that the particular alternate phrase has been selected, replacing, with the particular transcribed phrase, (i) the particular transcribed word and (ii) the at least one transcribed word preceding the particular transcribed word.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations of providing the plurality of transcribed words from the word lattice for display on the computing device comprise:

receiving speech audio data from a microphone in the computing device;

transmitting the speech audio data to a transcription system hosted by the computing device; and

receiving the word lattice transcribed from the speech audio data by the transcription system.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations of providing the plurality of transcribed words from the word lattice for display on the computing device comprise:

receiving speech audio data from a microphone in the computing device;

transmitting the speech audio data to a transcription system that is in communication with the computing device over a network; and

receiving the word lattice transcribed from the speech audio data by the transcription system.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the word lattice comprises nodes corresponding to the transcribed words and words included in the particular alternate phrase, edges between the nodes that identify possible paths through the word lattice, and each path has an associated probability of being correct.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising identifying the particular alternate phrase for the particular transcribed word and at least one transcribed word preceding the particular transcribed word from at least one alternate path between a beginning node and an ending node of the presented transcribed words in the word lattice.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein receiving the indication that the particular transcribed word has been selected and receiving the indication that the particular alternate phrase has been selected comprise receiving the indication that the particular transcribed word has been selected and receiving the indication that the particular alternate phrase has been selected through a touchscreen interface of the computing device by a user of the computing device.