Maintaining and supplying speech models

• US 8,938,388 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jia, Bin, Liu, Ying, Lu, E. Feng, Wu, Jia, Zhang, Zhen
• Primary Examiner(s): SAINT CYR, LEONARD
• Application Number:
  US13/544,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20130030802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 704/231, 704/246, 704/247, 704251-255
• US Class Current: 704/231
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/06 Creation of reference templates; Training of speech recognition systems, e.g. adaptation to the characteristics of the speaker's voice G10L15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/07 to the speaker
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/20 Speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech G10L21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

Maintaining and supplying a plurality of speech models is provided. A plurality of speech models and metadata for each speech model are stored. A query for a speech model is received from a source. The query includes one or more conditions. The speech model with metadata most closely matching the supplied one or more conditions is determined. The determined speech model is provided to the source. A refined speech model is received from the source, and the refined speech model is stored.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining and supplying a plurality of speech models comprising:

storing a plurality of speech models;

storing metadata for each stored speech model;

receiving a user verification profile identifying a user at a source to logon the user;

receiving a query for a speech model from the source, the query comprising one or more conditions that identify the user at the source;

determining the speech model with metadata most closely matching the supplied one or more conditions that identify the user at the source;

supplying the determined speech model to the source;

receiving a refined speech model from the source; and

storing the refined speech model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the refined speech model comprises replacing the determined speech model with the refined speech model.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata for the determined speech model includes details of the identified user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving new metadata for the refined speech model from the source; and

storing the new metadata for the refined speech model.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the query for the speech model comprises a condition identifying an environment at the source, the metadata for the determined speech model does not include details of the identified environment and the storing of the new metadata for the refined speech model includes details of the identified environment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the source is a client device that receives speech from the user, and the method is performed by a server operable to communicate with the client device.

7. A system for maintaining and supplying a plurality of speech models comprising:

one or more storage devices configured to store a plurality of speech models and metadata for each stored speech model; and

a network interface connected to the one or more storage devices, accessible by an external source and configured to;

receive a user verification profile identifying a user at a source to logon the user;

receive from the source a query for a speech model, the query comprising one or more conditions that identify the user at the source;

determine the speech model with metadata most closely matching the supplied one or more conditions that identify the user at the source;

supply to the source the determined speech model;

receive from the source a refined speech model; and

store the refined speech model on the one or more storage devices.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the network interface is configured, when storing the refined speech model on the one or more storage devices, to replace the determined speech model with the refined speech model.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the metadata for the determined speech model includes details of the identified user.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the network interface is further configured to receive from the source new metadata for the refined speech model and store the new metadata for the refined speech model on the one or more storage devices.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the query for the speech model comprises a condition identifying an environment at the source, the metadata for the determined speech model does not include details of the identified environment and the storing of the new metadata for the refined speech model includes details of the identified environment.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the source is a client device that receives speech from the user, and the system is a server operable to communicate with the client device via the network interface.

13. A computer program product for maintaining and supplying a plurality of speech models, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to perform;

storing a plurality of speech models;

storing metadata for each stored speech model;

receiving a user verification profile identifying a user at a source to logon the user;

receiving a query for a speech model from the source, the query comprising one or more conditions that identify the user at the source;

determining the speech model with metadata most closely matching the supplied one or more conditions that identify the user at the source;

supplying the determined speech model to the source;

receiving a refined speech model from the source; and

storing the refined speech model.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein storing the refined speech model comprises replacing the determined speech model with the refined speech model.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the metadata for the determined speech model includes details of the identified user.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to perform:

receiving new metadata for the refined speech model from the source; and

storing the new metadata for the refined speech model.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein the query for the speech model comprises a condition identifying an environment at the source, the metadata for the determined speech model does not include details of the identified environment and storing of the new metadata for the refined speech model includes details of the identified environment.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the source is a client device that receives speech from the user, and the computer readable program code is executable by a server operable to communicate with the client device.