STREAMING AUDIO FROM A FULL-DUPLEX NETWORK THROUGH A HALF-DUPLEX DEVICE

• US 20070274297A1
• Filed: 05/10/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Li, Yan, McCobb, Gerald, Cross, Charles
• Application Number:
  US11/382,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20070274297A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/167 Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2025/783 based on threshold decision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/40 terminals with audio html browser
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

Streaming audio from a full-duplex network through a half-duplex device, including buffering, in the half-duplex device, input audio from the full-duplex network, where the input audio includes audio data for output through the half-duplex device; playing, through the half-duplex device, the buffered input audio; pausing, during voice activity on the half-duplex device, the playing of the buffered input audio; recording, during the voice activity, output audio to be sent to the full-duplex network; and resuming the playing of the buffered input audio after the voice activity.

Claims

1. A method for streaming audio from a full-duplex network through a half-duplex device, the method comprising:

buffering, in the half-duplex device, input audio from the full-duplex network, the input audio comprising audio data for output through the half-duplex device;

playing, through the half-duplex device, the buffered input audio;

pausing, during voice activity on the half-duplex device, the playing of the buffered input audio;

recording, during the voice activity, output audio to be sent to the full-duplex network; and

resuming the playing of the buffered input audio after the voice activity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the input audio from the full-duplex network comprises voice over the internet protocol (‘

VOIP’

), and

the half-duplex device comprises a distributed speech recognition (‘

DSR’

) client.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein buffering input audio further comprises:

receiving, by a receive thread, audio data from an input audio stream; and

storing the audio data in an input memory buffer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting the voice activity on the half-duplex device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein detecting the voice activity on the half-duplex device further comprises:

detecting voice activity by a VAD engine; and

advising, by the VAD engine, a media thread of the voice activity.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

playing the buffered input audio further comprises playing the buffered input audio by a media thread;

pausing the playing of the buffered input audio further comprises pausing the playing of the buffered input audio by the media thread; and

recording output audio for delivery to the full-duplex network further comprises recording output audio by the media thread in an output memory buffer.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending the recorded output audio by a send thread to the full-duplex network.

8. Apparatus for streaming audio from a full-duplex network through a half-duplex device, the apparatus comprising a computer processor and a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

buffering, in the half-duplex device, input audio from the full-duplex network, the input audio comprising audio data for output through the half-duplex device;

playing, through the half-duplex device, the buffered input audio;

pausing, during voice activity on the half-duplex device, the playing of the buffered input audio;

recording, during the voice activity, output audio to be sent to the full-duplex network; and

resuming the playing of the buffered input audio after the voice activity.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

the input audio from the full-duplex network comprises voice over the internet protocol (‘

VOIP’

), and

the half-duplex device comprises a distributed speech recognition (‘

DSR’

) client.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein buffering input audio further comprises:

receiving, by a receive thread, audio data from an input audio stream; and

storing the audio data in an input memory buffer.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a voice activity detection (‘

VAD’

) engine capable of detecting the voice activity on the half-duplex device.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising computer program instructions capable of sending the recorded output audio by a send thread to the full-duplex network.

13. A computer program product for streaming audio from a full-duplex network through a half-duplex device, the computer program product disposed upon a signal bearing medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions capable of:

buffering, in the half-duplex device, input audio from the full-duplex network, the input audio comprising audio data for output through the half-duplex device;

playing, through the half-duplex device, the buffered input audio;

pausing, during voice activity on the half-duplex device, the playing of the buffered input audio;

recording, during the voice activity, output audio to be sent to the full-duplex network; and

resuming the playing of the buffered input audio after the voice activity.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the signal bearing medium comprises a recordable medium.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the signal bearing medium comprises a transmission medium.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

the input audio from the full-duplex network comprises voice over the internet protocol (‘

VOIP’

), and

the half-duplex device comprises a distributed speech recognition (‘

DSR’

) client.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein buffering input audio further comprises:

receiving, by a receive thread, audio data from an input audio stream; and

storing the audio data in an input memory buffer.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising computer program instructions capable of detecting the voice activity on the half-duplex device.

19. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein:

playing the buffered input audio further comprises playing the buffered input audio by a media thread;

pausing the playing of the buffered input audio further comprise pausing the playing of the buffered input audio by the media thread; and

recording output audio for delivery to the full-duplex network further comprises recording output audio by the media thread in an output memory buffer.

20. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising computer program instructions capable of sending the recorded output audio by a send thread to the full-duplex network.