Inference-aided speaker recognition

• US 8,571,865 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hewinson, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Desir, Pierre-Louis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sirjani, Fariba
• Application Number:
  US13/572,364
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 704/236, 704246-250, 704/270, 704/272, 704/273, 704/275
• US Class Current: 704/236
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/06 Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies

Abstract

Systems, methods performed by data processing apparatus and computer storage media encoded with computer programs for receiving information relating to (i) a communication device that has received an utterance and (ii) a voice associated with the received utterance, comparing the received voice information with voice signatures in a comparison group, the comparison group including one or more individuals identified from one or more connections arising from the received information relating to the communication device, attempting to identify the voice associated with the utterance as matching one of the individuals in the comparison group, and based on a result of the attempt to identify, selectively providing the communication device with access to one or more resources associated with the matched individual.

Claims

1. A method performed by data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving information relating to (i) a communication device that has received an utterance and (ii) a voice associated with the received utterance, the received information relating to the communication device including a geographic location of the communication device;

comparing the received voice information with a plurality of voice signatures in a comparison group, the comparison group corresponding to a plurality of different individuals location of the communication device, wherein the comparison group includes at least one voice signature for each different identified individual;

attempting to identify the voice associated with the utterance as matching the voice signature corresponding to one of the individuals in the comparison group;

if the attempt to identify the voice associated with the utterance is unsuccessful, iteratively repeating the attempting to identify the voice associated with the utterance using a modified comparison group, the modified comparison group corresponding to a different geographic region than was used in a previous attempt to identify the voice associated with the utterance, the iterative repeating of the attempting to identify the voice associated with the utterance continuing until the voice associated with the utterance is successfully identified; and

providing the communication device with access to one or more resources associated with the individual whose voice signature matched the voice associated with the utterance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information relating to the communication device comprises an identity of an owner of the communication device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the identity of the communication device'"'"'s owner is determined based on one or more of (a) a unique identifier associated with the communication device and (b) a persistent login state of the communication device.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

analyzing a body of information associated with the communication device'"'"'s owner to identify individuals having a social connection with the communication device'"'"'s owner, and

adding the identified individuals to the comparison group.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the location of the communication device is determined based on one or more of a cell region, a GPS location, and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

analyzing information associated with the communication device'"'"'s location to identify individuals having an associated threshold proximity to the communication device, and

adding the identified individuals to the comparison group.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the communication device with access to one or more resources comprises providing the communication device with access to at least one of personal information and personalized services.

8. The method of claim 1, subsequent to identifying and prior to providing, confirming the matched individual'"'"'s identity using solicited input from a user of the communication device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the geographic region encompassing the geographic location of the communication device comprises at least one of a cell region, a city, or a township.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the different geographic region is adjacent to the geographic region encompassing the geographic location of the communication device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the different geographic region encompasses the geographic region encompassing the geographic location of the communication device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the different geographic region at least partially overlaps the geographic region encompassing the geographic location of the communication device.

13. A system comprising:

a processor configured to execute computer program instructions; and

a computer storage medium encoded with computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving information relating to (i) a communication device that has received an utterance and (ii) a voice associated with the received utterance, the received information relating to the communication device including a geographic location of the communication device;

comparing the received voice information with a plurality of voice signatures in a comparison group, the comparison group corresponding to a plurality of different individuals each having an associated address within a geographic region encompassing the geographic location of the commutation device, wherein the comparison group includes at least one voice signature for each different identified individual;

attempting to identify the voice associated with the utterance as matching the voice signature corresponding to one of the individuals in the comparison group;

if the attempt to identify the voice associated with the utterance is unsuccessful, iteratively repeating the attempting to identify the voice associated with the utterance using a modified comparison group, the modified comparison group corresponding to a different geographic region than was used in a previous attempt to identify the voice associated with the utterance, the iterative repeating of the attempting to identify the voice associated with the utterance continuing until the voice associated with the utterance is successfully identified; and

providing the communication device with access to one or more resources associated with the individual whose voice signature matched the voice associated with the utterance.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the information relating to the communication device comprises an identity of an owner of the communication device.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the identity of the communication device'"'"'s owner is determined based on one or more of (a) a unique identifier associated with the communication device and (b) a persistent login state of the communication device.

16. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

analyzing a body of information associated with the communication device'"'"'s owner to identify individuals having a social connection with the communication device'"'"'s owner, and

adding the identified individuals to the comparison group.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the location of the communication device is determined based on one or more of a cell region, a GPS location, and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

18. The system of claim 13 further comprising:

analyzing information associated with the communication device'"'"'s location to identify individuals having an associated threshold proximity to the communication device, and

adding the identified individuals to the comparison group.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein providing the communication device with access to one or more resources comprises providing the communication device with access to at least one of personal information and personalized services.

20. The system of claim 13, subsequent to identifying and prior to providing, confirming the matched individual'"'"'s identity using solicited input from a user of the communication device.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein the geographic region encompassing the geographic location of the communication device comprises at least one of a cell region, a city, or a township.

22. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving information relating to (i) a communication device that has received an utterance and (ii) a voice associated with the received utterance, the received information relating to the communication device including a geographic location of the communication device;

comparing the received voice information with a plurality of voice signatures in a comparison group, the comparison group corresponding to a plurality of different individuals each having an associated address within a geographic region encompassing the geographic location of the communication device, wherein the comparison group includes at least one voice signature for each different identified individual;

attempting to identify the voice associated with the utterance as matching the voice signature corresponding to one of the individuals in the comparison group;

if the attempt to identify the voice associated with the utterance is unsuccessful, iteratively repeating the attempting to identity the voice associated with the utterance using a modified comparison group, the modified comparison group corresponding to a different geographic region than was used in a previous attempt to identify the voice associated with the utterance, the iterative repeating of the attempting to identify the voice associated with the utterance continuing until the voice associated with the utterance is successfully identified; and

providing the communication device with access to one or more resources associated with the individual whose voice signature matched the voice associated with the utterance.

23. The non-transitory medium of claim 22 wherein the information relating to the communication device comprises an identity of an owner of the communication device.

24. The non-transitory medium of claim 23 wherein the identity of the communication device'"'"'s owner is determined based on one or more of (a) a unique identifier associated with the communication device and (b) a persistent login state of the communication device.

25. The non-transitory medium of claim 23 further comprising:

analyzing a body of information associated with the communication device'"'"'s owner to identify individuals having a social connection with the communication device'"'"'s owner, and

adding the identified individuals to the comparison group.

26. The non-transitory medium of claim 22 wherein the location of the communication device is determined based on one or more of a cell region, a GPS location, and an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

27. The non-transitory medium of claim 22 further comprising:

analyzing information associated with the communication device'"'"'s location to identify individuals having an associated threshold proximity to the communication device, and

adding the identified individuals to the comparison group.

28. The non-transitory medium of claim 22 wherein providing the communication device with access to one or more resources comprises providing the communication device with access to at least one of personal information and personalized services.

29. The non-transitory medium of claim 22, subsequent to identifying and prior to providing, confirming the matched individual'"'"'s identity using solicited input from a user of the communication device.