Method and apparatus for interpretation

• US 20020046206A1
• Filed: 03/20/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Obuchi, Yasunari, Koizumi, Atsuko, Kitahara, Yoshinori, Mizutani, Seiki
• Granted Patent: US 6,789,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method of providing an interpretation service, and an interpretation service, are disclosed. The method includes the steps of receiving an incoming telephone call from a user, forming a plurality of databases, wherein the plurality of databases includes at least one sentence registered to individual user, receiving at least one user information item via the incoming telephone call, searching at least one of the plurality of databases for at least one sentence correspondent to the at least one information item, outputting, according the step of searching, a translation, from at least one of the plurality of databases, of the at least one sentence correspondent to the at least one information item, and outputting, in audio on the incoming telephone call, the translation of the at least one sentence correspondent to the at least one information item, and may additionally include the steps of registering the user to access at least one of the at least one sentences registered to individual user database, receiving a registered sentence manipulation command from the user, and manipulating the at least one sentence registered to the individual user, according to the registered sentence manipulation command from the user. The invention service includes an interpreter and a registration service. The registration service includes a private information manager that receives an incoming telephone call from a user, wherein the private information manager manages a plurality of databases, wherein the plurality of databases includes at least one database of sentences registered to the individual user. An additional sentence database is preferably accessed through the private information management server via voice, email, or intra/internet, and the additional sentences include new, edited, or deleted sentences for inclusion in the database of registered sentences.

Claims

1. A method of providing an interpretation service, comprising:

receiving an incoming telephone call from a user;

forming a plurality of databases, wherein the plurality of databases includes at least one sentences registered to individual user database, and wherein each of the plurality of databases comprises at least one translation of at least one sentence;

receiving at least one user information item via the incoming telephone call;

searching at least one of the plurality of databases for at least one sentence correspondent to the at least one information item;

outputting, according said searching, a translation, from at least one of the plurality of databases, of the at least one sentence correspondent to the at least one information item; and

outputting, in audio on the incoming telephone call, the translation of the at least one sentence correspondent to the at least one information item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information item comprises at least one sentence spoken by the user, wherein said searching comprises subjecting the at least one sentence spoken by the user to speech recognition.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering the user to access at least one of the at least one sentences registered to individual user database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user has at least one sentence in the at least one sentences registered to individual user database, and further comprising authorizing the user to access the at least one sentences registered to individual user database correspondent to the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said authorizing comprises identifying the user by at least one criteria selected from the group consisting of a telephone number on caller identification, a telephone push button username, a username spoken by the user, a telephone push button password, and a password spoken by the user.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a registered sentence manipulation command from the user; and

manipulating the at least one sentences registered to individual user database correspondent to the user, according to the registered sentence manipulation command from the user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said receiving comprises receiving via at least one selected from the group consisting of an email, a browser connection, and the incoming telephone call, and wherein said manipulating comprises at least one action selected from the group consisting of adding a new sentence to the at least one sentences registered to individual user database correspondent to the user, deleting a sentence from the at least one sentences registered to individual user database correspondent to the user, and editing a sentence in the at least one sentences registered to individual user database correspondent to the user, to thereby form a manipulated sentence, further comprising:

registering the manipulated sentence into the at least one sentences registered to individual user database correspondent to the user.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

outputting of a foreign language translation of the manipulated sentence;

making known to the user a relative reliability of the foreign language translation of the manipulated sentence; and

sending the manipulated sentence to a human translator upon receipt of a request from the user for a foreign language translation having increased relative reliability.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting whether a sentence similar to the manipulated sentence is included in one of the plurality of databases; and

assessing the relative reliability of the foreign language translation to be high if a sentence similar to the manipulated sentence is included in one of the plurality of databases.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said searching at least one of the plurality of databases for at least one sentence correspondent to the at least one information item comprises first searching the at least one sentences registered to individual user database correspondent to the user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an additional registration command from the user, wherein the additional registration command is directed to at least one sentence not in the at least one sentences registered to individual user database of the user;

registering the at least one sentence not in the at least one sentences registered to individual user database into the at least one sentences registered to individual user database of the user.

13. The interpretation service of claim 12, wherein the plurality of databases additionally includes a public sentence database.

14. The interpretation service of claim 12, wherein the plurality of databases additionally includes an additionally registered sentence database, wherein the additionally registered sentence database is accessed through said private information management server via the incoming contact.

15. The interpretation service of claim 14, wherein the incoming contact is at least one selected from the group consisting of voice, email, intranet, and internet.

16. The interpretation service of claim 14, wherein the user accesses the additionally registered sentence database and creates at least one additional registered sentence, wherein the additional registered sentence comprises new sentences not in the registered sentence database, edited versions of sentences in the registered sentence database, or deleted sentences from the registered sentence database.

17. The interpretation service of claim 14, further comprising:

an authentication server that identifies the user as a user authorized to access at last one of the registered sentence databases.

12. An interpretation service, comprising:

a private information manager that receives an incoming contact from a user;

a plurality of databases communicatively connected to and controlled by said private information manager, wherein the plurality of databases includes at least one database of sentences registered to the user;

an interpretation server that receives at least one user information item via an incoming telephone call from the user, wherein said interpretation server searches at least the at least one database registered to the user of the plurality of databases for at least one sentence correspondent to the at least one information item;

a translation output that outputs, from at least one of the plurality of databases, at least one matched sentence correspondent to the at least one information item, in audio on the incoming call.