Method of accessing a dial-up service

• US 9,978,373 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bossemeyer, Jr., Robert Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): Azad, Abul
• Application Number:
  US15/185,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20160300574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 704230-257
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/10 using distance or distortion measures between unknown speech and reference templates
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/04 Training, enrolment or model building
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/24 the user being prompted to utter a password or a predefined phrase
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/0638 Interactive procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/12 the extracted parameters being prediction coefficients
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/24 the extracted parameters being the cepstrum
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/385 using speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A method of accessing a dial-up service is disclosed. An example method of providing access to a service includes receiving a first speech signal from a user to form a first utterance; recognizing the first utterance using speaker independent speaker recognition; requesting the user to enter a personal identification number; and when the personal identification number is valid, receiving a second speech signal to form a second utterance and providing access to the service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

comparing, via a processor, a feature coefficient generated from a speech signal to a user-specific codebook associated with a user who provided the speech signal, to yield a similarity value, wherein the user-specific codebook comprises codes that are formed from cepstrum coefficients generated from utterances spoken by the user;

when the similarity value meets a threshold;

adding the speech signal to a database of reference speech signals; and

adding the feature coefficient to the user-specific codebook; and

performing a speaker verification process of the user based on the database of reference speech signals and the user-specific codebook.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific codebook utilizes utterances from both the user and a group of non-users.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

mixing the speech signal with a second speech signal, to yield a mixed speech signal; and

adding the mixed speech signal to the database of reference speech signals.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the speech signal and the second speech signal are received from the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is determined using a Chi-squared detector.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the similarity value does not meet the threshold, requesting the speech signal be repeated.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying an identity of the user based on the similarity value.

8. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

comparing a feature coefficient generated from a speech signal to a user-specific codebook associated with a user who provided the speech signal, to yield a similarity value, wherein the user-specific codebook comprises codes that are formed from cepstrum coefficients generated from utterances spoken by the user;

when the similarity value meets a threshold;

adding the speech signal to a database of reference speech signals; and

adding the feature coefficient to the user-specific codebook; and

performing a speaker verification process of the user based on the database of reference speech signals and the user-specific codebook.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the user-specific codebook utilizes utterances from both the user and a group of non-users.

10. The system of claim 8, the computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

mixing the speech signal with a second speech signal, to yield a mixed speech signal; and

adding the mixed speech signal to the database of reference speech signals.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the speech signal and the second speech signal are received from the user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the threshold is determined using a Chi-squared detector.

13. The system of claim 8, the computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

when the similarity value does not meet the threshold, requesting the speech signal be repeated.

14. The system of claim 8, the computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which result in operations comprising verifying an identity of the user based on the similarity value.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

comparing a feature coefficient generated from a speech signal to a user-specific codebook associated with a user who provided the speech signal, to yield a similarity value, wherein the user-specific codebook comprises codes that are formed from cepstrum coefficients generated from utterances spoken by the user;

when the similarity value meets a threshold;

adding the speech signal to a database of reference speech signals; and

adding the feature coefficient to the user-specific codebook; and

performing a speaker verification process of the user based on the database of reference speech signals and the user-specific codebook.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the user-specific codebook utilizes utterances from both the user and a group of non-users.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15, having additional instructions stored which, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

mixing the speech signal with a second speech signal, to yield a mixed speech signal; and

adding the mixed speech signal to the database of reference speech signals.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the threshold is determined using a Chi-squared detector.