Method and apparatus for improving voice recognition performance in a voice application distribution system

• US 20030009339A1
• Filed: 07/02/2002
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Apptera Incorporated
• Inventors: Chiu, Leo, Yuen, Michael S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,643,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A vocabulary management system for constraining voice recognition processing associated with text-to-speech and speech-to-text rendering associated with use of a voice application in progress between a user accessing a data source through a voice portal has a vocabulary management server connected to a voice application server and to a telephony server, and an instance of vocabulary management software running on the management server for enabling vocabulary establishment and management for voice recognition software. The system is characterized in that an administrator accessing the vocabulary management server uses the software to create unique vocabulary sets that are specific to selected portions of vocabulary associated with target data sources the vocabulary sets differing in content according to administrator direction.

Claims

1. A vocabulary management system for constraining voice recognition processing associated with text-to-speech and speech-to-text rendering associated with use of a voice application in progress between a user accessing a data source through a voice portal comprising:

a vocabulary management server connected to a voice application server and to a telephony server; and

an instance of vocabulary management software running on the management server for enabling vocabulary establishment and management for voice recognition software;

characterized in that an administrator accessing the vocabulary management server uses the software to create unique vocabulary sets that are specific to selected portions of vocabulary associated with target data sources the vocabulary sets differing in content according to administrator direction.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the voice portal is an interactive voice response unit operating in a telephony environment.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the data source is hosted on the Internet network and accessed from a telephony network.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the voice application server renders the data as VXML for text to speech recognition.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the unique vocabulary sets are associated with unique rules sets for voice presentation to accessing users.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the unique vocabulary sets are associated with unique vocabulary sub-sets that are specific to particular accessing users.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the unique vocabulary sub-sets are associated with unique rules sub-sets.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the vocabulary sets contain both words found at the data source and words introduced by an administrator.

9. A vocabulary management server for constraining voice recognition processing associated with text-to-speech and speech-to-text rendering associated with use of a voice application in progress between a user accessing a data source through a voice portal comprising:

a vocabulary management software application for creating and managing vocabulary sets; and

a user interface for manipulating the software application;

characterized in that the server is configured to deliver specific vocabulary sets and rules sets for use in voice recognition in a voice application and deployment system to generate dialog with lower processing requirements of the voice recognition function.

10. The vocabulary management server of claim 9 wherein the voice portal is an interactive voice response unit operating in a telephony environment.

11. The vocabulary management server of claim 9 wherein the data source is hosted on the Internet network and accessed from a telephony network.

12. The vocabulary management server of claim 9 wherein the voice application server renders the data as VXML for text to speech recognition.

13. The vocabulary management server of claim 9 wherein the vocabulary sets are unique from one another and associated with unique rules sets for voice presentation to accessing users.

14. The vocabulary management server of claim 13 wherein the unique vocabulary sets are associated with unique vocabulary sub-sets that are specific to particular accessing users.

15. The vocabulary management server of claim 14 wherein the unique vocabulary sub-sets are associated with unique rules sub-sets.

16. The vocabulary management server of claim 9 wherein the vocabulary sets contain both words found at the data source and words introduced by an administrator.

17. The vocabulary management server of claim 9 wherein the voice is rendered to the user over a telephone receiver.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein in step (a) the vocabulary management software has access to application logic a database resource adapter of the voice application system.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein in step (a) the vocabulary sets are specific to the data sources.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein in step (a) the vocabulary sets are specific to client activity in association with the data source.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein in step (a) the vocabulary sets are associated with on or more vocabulary subsets.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein in step (b) the software is manipulated through administrator input from a connected workstation hosting client voice application software.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein in step (b) the vocabulary words in the set also contain words introduced by an administrator.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein in step (c) configuration includes accessing applicable rules associated with the vocabulary set.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein in step (c) configuration further includes access of vocabulary subset organized under the vocabulary set and a rules subset organized under the rules set wherein the sub components are specific to a single client.

27. The method of claim 18 wherein in step (d) the voice application is stored for execution in the voice application server.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the execution includes distribution resulting from trigger by an accessing user, or presenting dialog to the user by way of outbound calling.

18. A method for limiting the processing requirement for voice recognition in a VXML compliant voice application and development system comprising steps of:

(a) providing a vocabulary management software instance for creating, editing, and organizing vocabulary sets for voice recognition;

(b) creating a vocabulary set using the software, the set containing a portion of available vocabulary words associated with a data source to be used in dialog creation by the voice application;

(c) configuring the voice application to use the created vocabulary set when voice recognition portion of the application is triggered; and

(d) deploying the voice application to execution.