Methods and apparatus for monitoring communication through identification of priority-ranked keywords

• US 8,712,757 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick A. II, Finn, Peter G., Dawson, Christopher J., Langford, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): COLUCCI, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US11/621,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,666 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/224, 704/9, 704/275, 707/725, 709/224, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42

Abstract

A method for communication management includes receiving at least one keyword and receiving a replay time span input. Further, the method includes receiving a plurality of communication inputs including at least a first communication input and a second communication input, monitoring at least the first communication input and second communication input for the at least one keyword, and determining an instantiation of the at least one keyword in at least one of the first communication input and second communication input. Additionally, the method includes associating the determined instantiation with one of the first communication input and second communication input, and providing at least a portion of the communication associated with the determined instantiation based on the replay time span input responsive to the instantiation.

Claims

1. A method for managing communications during one or more conference calls, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer at a central location, a first keyword corresponding to a phrase having a high degree of interest to a user, the first keyword having a weight determined by a first priority ranking assigned to the first keyword and representative of user preference and/or communication type;

receiving, by the computer, a second keyword having a weight determined by a second priority ranking assigned to the second keyword and representative of user preference and/or communication type, wherein the first priority ranking of the first keyword is greater than the second priority ranking of the second keyword;

receiving, by the computer, a replay time span associated with the first keyword;

identifying an instantiation of the first keyword by directing communication generated during the one or more conference calls to a speech recognition engine and monitoring output of the speech recognition engine;

upon identifying the instantiation of the first keyword, replaying a section of the communication corresponding to the first keyword to the user for a period of time equal to the replay time span;

converting the section of the communication into text and formatting the text to highlight text portions that correspond to the first keyword; and

transmitting the formatted text to the user,

further comprising receiving the first priority ranking,

wherein the first keyword and the first priority ranking assigned to the first keyword are received from the user,

wherein first and second conference calls are included in the one or more conference calls, wherein the output of the speech recognition engine includes first output corresponding to the first conference call and second output corresponding to the second conference call, wherein identifying the instantiation of the first keyword comprises identifying the instantiation of the first keyword in the first output corresponding to the first conference call,

and wherein the method further comprises;

identifying an instantiation of the second keyword in the second output corresponding to the second conference call; and

determining, based, at least in part, on the first priority ranking assigned to the first keyword and the second priority ranking assigned to the second keyword, how to display the formatted text corresponding to the first keyword and formatted text corresponding to the second keyword.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to identifying the instantiation of the first keyword and the second keyword, translating the section of the communication corresponding to the first keyword from a first language to a second language.

3. A non-transitory computer usable medium storing computer readable code, that, when executed, performs a method for communication management, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer at a central location, a first keyword corresponding to a phrase having a high degree of interest to a user, the first keyword having a weight determined by a first priority ranking assigned to the first keyword and representative of user preference and/or communication type;

receiving, by the computer, a second keyword having a weight determined by a second priority ranking assigned to the second keyword and representative of user preference and/or communication type, wherein the first priority ranking of the first keyword is greater than the second priority ranking of the second keyword;

receiving, by the computer, a replay time span associated with the first keyword;

identifying an instantiation of the first keyword by directing communication generated during one or more conference calls to a speech recognition engine and monitoring output of the speech recognition engine;

upon identifying the instantiation of the first keyword, replaying a section of the communication corresponding to the first keyword to the user for a period of time equal to the replay time span;

converting the section of the communication into text and formatting the text to highlight text portions that correspond to the first keyword; and

transmitting the formatted text to the user,

wherein the method further comprises receiving the first priority ranking, and wherein the first keyword and the first priority ranking assigned to the first keyword are received from the user,

wherein first and second conference calls are included in the one or more conference calls, wherein the output of the speech recognition engine includes first output corresponding to the first conference call and second output corresponding to the second conference call, wherein identifying the instantiation of the first keyword comprises identifying the instantiation of the first keyword in the first output corresponding to the first conference call, and

wherein the method further comprises;

identifying an instantiation of the second keyword in the second output corresponding to the second conference call; and

determining, based, at least in art on the first priority ranking assigned to the first keyword and the second priority ranking assigned to the second keyword, how to display the formatted text corresponding to the first keyword and formatted text corresponding to the second keyword.

4. The computer usable medium of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to identifying the instantiation of the first keyword and the second keyword, translating the section of the communication corresponding to the first keyword from a first language to a second language.

5. A system for communication management, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to execute a method comprising;

receiving, by the system at a central location, a first keyword corresponding to a phrase having a high degree of interest to a user, the first keyword having a weight determined by a first priority ranking assigned to the first keyword and representative of user preference and/or communication type;

receiving, by the system, a second keyword having a weight determined by a second priority ranking assigned to the second keyword and representative of user preference and/or communication type, wherein the first priority ranking of the first keyword is greater than the second priority ranking of the second keyword;

receiving, by the system, a replay time span associated with the first keyword;

identifying an instantiation of the first keyword by directing communication generated during one or more conference calls to a speech recognition engine and monitoring output of the speech recognition engine;

upon identifying the instantiation of the first keyword, replaying a section of the communication corresponding to the first keyword to the user for a period of time equal to the replay time span;

converting the section of the communication into text and formatting the text to highlight text portions that correspond to the first keyword; and

transmitting the formatted text to the user,

wherein the method further comprises receiving the first priority ranking, and wherein the first keyword and the first priority ranking assigned to the first keyword are received from the user,

wherein first and second conference calls are included in the one or more conference calls, wherein the output of the speech recognition engine includes first output corresponding to the first conference call and second output corresponding to the second conference call, wherein identifying the instantiation of the first keyword comprises identifying the instantiation of the first keyword in the first output corresponding to the first conference call, and

wherein the method further comprises;

identifying an instantiation of the second keyword in the second output corresponding to the second conference call; and

determining, based, at least in part, on the first priority ranking assigned to the first keyword and the second priority ranking assigned to the second keyword, how to display the formatted text corresponding to the first keyword and formatted text corresponding to the second keyword.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to identifying the instantiation of the first keyword and the second keyword, translating the section of the communication corresponding to the first keyword from a first language to a second language.