Pre-processed annotation of street grammar in speech enabled navigation systems

• US 9,286,893 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bollenbacher, Rick E., Karns, Samuel L.
• Primary Examiner(s): PULLIAS, JESSE SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US12/130,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20090299749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,846 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/19 Grammatical context, e.g. disambiguation of the recognition hypotheses based on word sequence rules
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/193 Formal grammars, e.g. finite state automata, context free grammars or word networks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to virtualization and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for annotation of street grammar in speech enabled navigation devices. In an embodiment of the invention, a pre-processing street grammar annotation system can be provided. The system can include an annotated street grammar storage that contains street root names wherein each street root name has more than one street suffix associated with said street root name, and a street annotation pre-processor wherein the street annotation pre-processor contains logic enabled to annotate a set of street suffixes to a street root name prior to processing a voice input in a speech enabled navigation device, wherein the street root name has more than one street suffix associated with said street root name.

Claims

1. A method for annotation of street grammar in speech enabled navigation devices comprising:

constructing an annotated street grammar, by a street annotation pre-processor, by annotating a street root name with a set of street suffixes prior to processing a voice navigation input in a speech enabled navigation device;

loading the annotated street grammar by a speech recognition processor;

receiving a voice navigation input specifying a street name from a user;

determining whether the street name is missing a suffix; and

upon determining both that the street name is missing the suffix and also that the street name has more than one street suffix associated with the street name, prompting the user to select a street suffix by providing, to the user, the set of street suffixes associated with the street name based on the annotated street grammar.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein annotating the street root name with the set of street suffixes comprises merging the street root name with one or more street suffixes into an annotated street grammar storage.

3. A speech enabled navigation device comprising:

a street annotation pre-processor containing logic enabled to construct an annotated street grammar by annotating a street root name with a set of street suffixes prior to processing a voice navigation input;

an annotated street grammar storage coupled to the street annotation pre-processor, the annotated street grammar storage contains street root names wherein each street root name has more than one street suffix associated with said street root name; and

a speech recognition processor for

loading the annotated street grammar;

receiving a voice navigation input specifying a street name from a user;

determining whether the street name is missing a suffix; and

upon determining both that the street name is missing the suffix and also that the street name has more than one street suffix associated with the street name, prompting the user to select a street suffix by providing, to the user, the set of street suffixes associated with the street name based on the annotated street grammar.

4. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable storage medium embodying computer usable program code for constructing street grammar, the computer program product comprising computer usable program code for:

constructing an annotated street grammar, by a street annotation pre-processor, by annotating a street root name with a set of street suffixes prior to processing a voice navigation input in a speech enabled navigation device;

loading the annotated street grammar by a speech recognition processor;

receiving a voice navigation input specifying a street name from a user;

determining whether the street name is missing a suffix; and

upon determining both that the street name is missing the suffix and also that the street name has more than one street suffix associated with the street name, prompting the user to select a street suffix by providing, to the user, the set of street suffixes associated with the street name based on the annotated street grammar.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computer usable program code for annotating the street root name with the set of street suffixes comprises merging the street root name with one or more street suffixes into an annotated street grammar storage.