Spoken tags for telecom web platforms in a social network

• US 9,438,741 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2009
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Dey, Kuntal, Jain, Anupam, Kumar, Arun, Modani, Natwar, Nanavati, Amit Anil, Rajput, Nitendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Lerner, Martin
• Application Number:
  US12/570,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20110077941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,533 Days
• Field of Search: 704/236, 704/243, 704/244, 704/255, 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275, 707/723, 707/732, 379/88.01, 379/88.03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking messaging within social networks H04L51/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012

Abstract

Techniques for assigning a spoken tag in a telecom web platform are provided. The techniques include receiving a spoken tag, comparing the spoken tag to a set of one or more template tags, if the spoken tag is a match to a template tag, assigning the spoken tag and updating frequency of the tag in the set of one or more template tags, and if the spoken tag is not a match to a template tag, assigning the spoken tag and registering the spoken tag as a new tag in the set of one or more template tags.

Claims

1. A method for assigning a spoken tag in a telecom web platform, wherein the method comprises:

receiving a spoken tag from a querying user;

comparing the spoken tag to a set of one or more template tags, said comparing carried out by a distinct software module executing on a hardware processor;

if the spoken tag is a match to a template tag, assigning the spoken tag and updating frequency of the spoken tag in the set of one or more template tags, said assigning carried out by a distinct software module executing on a hardware processor;

if the spoken tag is not a match to a template tag, searching for a nearest match, and if the nearest match is within a pre-determined proximity threshold, assigning the spoken tag and updating frequency of the spoken tag in the set of one or more template tags with user confirmation, said assigning carried out by a distinct software module executing on a hardware processor;

if the spoken tag is not a match to a template tag and if the nearest match is not within the pre-determined proximity threshold, assigning the spoken tag and registering the spoken tag as a new tag, said assigning carried out by a distinct software module executing on a hardware processor; and

extracting one or more user attributes from the spoken tag and assigning one or more additional tags associated with the user'"'"'s location, based on background noise in the spoken tag;

wherein at least one of the foregoing operations is carried out by a computer device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing pattern matching-based tag recognition if the spoken tag is not a match to a template tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning a spoken tag in a telecom web platform comprises assigning a spoken tag to a person.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a spoken tag comprises receiving a spoken tag from a user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering based on a social network, the filtering comprising retrieving one or more tags based on the social network of a querying user comprises retrieving only tags from one or more people known to the querying user within the social network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering based on a social network, the filtering comprising retrieving one or more tags based on the social network of a querying user comprises retrieving one or more tags based on one or more attributes of other users in the social network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more attributes comprise at least one of personality, age, location, school affiliation, interests, profession, professional affiliation and travel propensity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an earcon to represent a spoken tag, the earcon being a short audio segment.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically determining a spoken tag based on voice content.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein automatically determining a spoken tag based on voice content comprises using a speech recognition system to automatically convert speech to text to determine the tag.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the spoken tag to a set of one or more template tags comprises at least one of creating the set of one or more template tags and using a pre-existing set of one or more template tags.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a system, wherein the system comprises one or more distinct software modules, each of the one or more distinct software modules being embodied on a tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium, and wherein the one or more distinct software modules comprise a template generator module, a analyzer module, a browser module, a tag retriever module and a social network analysis module executing on a hardware processor.

13. A non-transitory computer program product comprising a tangible computer readable recordable storage medium including computer useable program code for assigning a spoken tag in a telecom web platform, the computer program product including:

computer useable program code for receiving a spoken tag from a querying user;

computer useable program code for comparing the spoken tag to a set of one or more template tags;

computer useable program code for assigning the spoken tag and updating frequency of the spoken tag in the set of one or more template tags if the spoken tag is a match to a template tag;

computer useable program code for searching for a nearest match, and if the nearest match is within a pre-determined proximity threshold, assigning the spoken tag and updating frequency of the spoken tag in the set of one or more template tags with user confirmation if the spoken tag is not a match to a template tag;

computer useable program code for assigning the spoken tag and registering the spoken tag as a new tag if the spoken tag is not a match to a template tag and if the nearest match is not within the pre-determined proximity threshold; and

computer useable program code for extracting one or more user attributes from the spoken tag and assigning one or more additional tags associated with the user'"'"'s location, based on background noise in the spoken tag.

14. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer useable program code comprises one or more distinct software modules, and wherein the one or more distinct software modules comprise a template generator module, an analyzer module, a browser module, a tag retriever module and a social network analysis module executing on a hardware processor.

15. A system for assigning a spoken tag in a telecom web platform, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;

receive a spoken tag from a querying user;

compare the spoken tag to a set of one or more template tags;

assign the spoken tag and update frequency of the spoken tag in the set of one or more template tags if the spoken tag is a match to a template tag;

search for a nearest match, and if the nearest match is within a pre-determined proximity threshold, assign the spoken tag and update frequency of the spoken tag in the set of one or more template tags with user confirmation if the spoken tag is not a match to a template tag;

assign the spoken tag and register the spoken tag as a new tag if the spoken tag is not a match to a template tag and if the nearest match is not within the pre-determined proximity threshold; and

extract one or more user attributes from the spoken tag and assigning one or more additional tags associated with the user'"'"'s location, based on background noise in the spoken tag.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium having one or more distinct software modules embodied thereon, the one or more distinct software modules comprising a template generator module, an analyzer module, a browser module, a tag retriever module and a social network analysis module executing on a hardware processor.