Voice Clip Search

• US 20020138468A1
• Filed: 01/13/2000
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kermani, Bahram Ghaffazadeh
• Granted Patent: US 6,697,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/632 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/685 using automatically derived transcript of audio data, e.g. lyrics speech recognition G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A technique and apparatus to allow a digital search of the entries in a digital audio database such as the Flash memory of a telephone answering system, the hard drive of a voice messaging system, the audio tracks on a compact disk, a cassette tape, a digital video disk (DVD), a videotape, etc. In one disclosed embodiment, each entry in the digital audio database (e.g., each audio track, each voice message, etc.) is converted into textual information, and the converted textual information is associated with a particular audio segment within the digital audio database. The textual information allows a digital search to be performed for a particular voice message, or portion of a voice message, in a telephone answering device, or for a particular song on a music CD, etc. Once the particular audio segment(s) containing a particular textual string is (are) located, that particular audio segment may be played or otherwise accessed, either in whole or in relevant part. While the described embodiments relate to a telephone answering device or a compact disk player, the principles of the present invention relate equally to any search mechanism for a particular digital audio segment stored in a database.

Claims

1. A digital audio search module, comprising:

a voice clip search module;

a digital audio database including a plurality of audio segments; and

a text storage medium including a plurality of textual information relating to a corresponding plurality of portions of at least one of said plurality of audio segments.

2. The digital audio search module according to claim 1, wherein:

each of said plurality of textual information is time stamped.

3. The digital audio search module according to claim 2, wherein:

each of said plurality of textual information is associated with a particular one of said corresponding plurality of portions.

4. The digital audio search module according to claim 3, wherein:

said association is based on a relative time from a start of playback of said relative audio segment.

5. The digital audio search module according to claim 1, wherein:

said digital audio search module is comprised in a telephone answering device.

6. The digital audio search module according to claim 1, wherein:

said digital audio search module is comprised in a compact disk player.

7. The digital audio search module according to claim 1, wherein:

said digital audio search module is comprised in a digital video disk (DVD) player.

8. The digital audio search module according to claim 1, wherein:

said digital audio search module is comprised in a videotape player.

9. The digital audio search module according to claim 1, wherein:

said digital audio search module is comprised in a cassette tape player.

12. The digital audio search module according to claim 1, wherein:

said digital audio database is formed in Flash memory.

13. The digital audio search module according to claim 1, wherein:

said digital audio database is formed in an optical disk.

14. The digital audio search module according to claim 1, wherein:

said digital audio database is formed in a hard drive.

10. The digital audio search module according to claims, wherein:

said digital audio search module is comprised in a voice messaging system.

15. A method of marking individual entries of a digital audio storage medium for textual search, comprising:

associating individual text with each of a plurality of portions of each audio segment stored in said digital audio storage medium; and

providing a time stamp with each associated individual text.

16. The method of marking individual entries of a digital audio storage medium for textual search according to claim 15, wherein:

said digital audio storage medium is a compact disk; and

each audio segment comprises an individual song.

17. A method of searching for an individual audio segment stored on a digital audio storage medium, comprising:

entering a desired text string for search;

searching a text storage medium for at least a close match of said desired text string; and

determining a location of a corresponding audio portion of said desired text string in said individual audio segment.

18. The method of searching for an individual audio segment stored on a digital audio storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

playing said audio segment starting from a beginning of said audio segment.

19. The method of searching for an individual audio segment stored on a digital audio storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising:

playing said audio segment starting from said corresponding audio portion.

20. The method of searching for an individual audio segment stored on a digital audio storage medium according to claim 17, wherein said step of entering comprises:

performing voice-to-text conversion of a search string spoken by a user.

21. Apparatus for marking individual entries of a digital audio storage medium for textual search, comprising:

means for associating individual text with each of a plurality of portions of each audio segment stored in said digital audio storage medium; and

means for providing a time stamp with each associated individual text.

22. Apparatus for marking individual entries of a digital audio storage medium for textual search according to claim 21, wherein:

said digital audio storage medium is a compact disk; and

each audio segment comprises an individual song.

24. The apparatus for marking individual entries of a digital audio storage medium for textual search according to claim 23, wherein said means for entering comprises:

means for performing voice-to-text conversion of a search string spoken by a user.

23. Apparatus for searching for an individual audio segment stored on a digital audio storage medium, comprising:

means for entering a desired text string for search;

means for searching a text storage medium for at least a close match of said desired text string; and

means for determining a location of a corresponding audio portion of said desired text string in said individual audio segment.