Text oriented, user-friendly editing of a voicemail message

• US 20090024389A1
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jain, Mukul, Khouri, Joseph F., Shaffer, Shmuel, Philonenko, Laurent
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis speech synthesis per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4554 Sender-side editing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53383 Message registering commands or announcements; Greetings

Abstract

A system in one embodiment includes a server associated with a unified messaging system (UMS). The server records speech of a user as an audio data file, translates the audio data file into a text data file, and maps each word within the text data file to a corresponding segment of audio data in the audio data file. A graphical user interface (GUI) of a message editor running on an endpoint associated with the user displays the text data file on the endpoint and allows the user to identify a portion of the text data file for replacement. The server being further operable to record new speech of the user as new audio data and to replace one or more segments of the audio data file corresponding to the portion of the text with the new audio data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recording speech of a user as an audio data file, the speech comprising a voicemail message intended for a recipient;

translating the audio data file into a text data file;

mapping each word within the text data file to a corresponding segment of audio data in the audio data file;

editing one or more segments of the audio data file to produce an edited voicemail message, the editing being based on input commands received from the user, the input commands including operations on one or more words in the text data file which correspond to the one or more segments in the audio data file; and

sending the edited voicemail message to the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the editing comprises replacing a segment in the audio data file corresponding to a selected word in the text data file with a new segment which comprises newly recorded speech of the user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the editing comprises replacing a segment in the audio data file corresponding to a selected word in the text data file with a new segment which comprises synthesized speech of the user, the synthesized speech being generated in response to newly typed text by the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the editing comprises:

receiving input from the user which identifies a location in the text data file;

inserting one or more new segments at a position in the audio data file corresponding to the location, the one or more segments comprising new speech.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the text data file on a display screen of an endpoint utilized by the user.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the editing comprises:

receiving input from the user which identifies the one or more words in the text data file;

recording new speech of the user as new audio data; and

replacing one or more segments in the audio data file which correspond to the one or more words in the text data file with the new audio data.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising prompting the user to make edits to the voicemail message.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the edited voicemail message as audio data in a mailbox of the recipient in a unified messaging system.

9. A method comprising:

creating a Multi-Layered Voicemail (MLVM) message in a unified messaging system (UMS) mailbox of a recipient, the voicemail message being left by a caller from an endpoint, the MLVM message including an audio layer comprising audio data corresponding to speech of the caller, a text layer comprising text data generated from a translation of the audio data, and a mapping layer that maps each word in the text layer to a corresponding segment of audio data in the audio layer;

receiving input from a user interface running on the endpoint, the input comprising edits to one or more words of the text layer;

changing one or more segments of audio data in the audio layer in correspondence with the edits to the one or more words of the text layer;

storing the MLVM message with the changed one or more segments of audio data in the UMS mailbox of the recipient.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the receiving of the input from the user interface comprises receiving new speech from the caller in replacement of the audio data corresponding to the one or more words of the text layer.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the changing of the one or more segments of the audio data comprises:

generating synthesized speech from voice characteristics of the caller; and

replacing audio data corresponding to the one or more words of the text layer with the synthesized speech.

12. Logic encoded in one or more media for execution and when executed is operable to:

record speech of a caller as a voicemail message for a recipient;

translating the speech into text for display on a graphical user interface (GUI) running on an endpoint associated with the caller;

map each word of the text to a corresponding segment of audio data of the recorded speech;

receive input from the GUI that identifies one or more words of the text;

record new speech from the caller;

replace one or more segments of audio data of the recorded speech corresponding to the one or more words of the text with the new speech.

13. The logic of claim 12 wherein the logic, when executed, is further operable to store the voicemail message with the new speech in a voicemail mailbox of the recipient.

14. The logic of claim 12 wherein the logic, when executed, is further operable to:

receive additional input from the GUI that identifies a portion of the text for deletion; and

delete one or more segments of audio data of the recorded speech corresponding to the portion of the text.

15. The logic of claim 12 wherein the logic, when executed, is further operable to:

receive additional input from the GUI that identifies a portion of the text; and

copy one or more segments of audio data of the recorded speech corresponding to the portion of the text.

16. The logic of claim 15 wherein the logic, when executed, is further operable to paste the one or more segments of audio data in another voicemail message at a location identified by a cursor in a text file translation of an audio data file of the another voicemail message.

17. Logic encoded in one or more media for execution and when executed is operable to:

record speech of a caller as an audio data file, the speech comprising a media message for a recipient;

translating the speech into a text file for display on a graphical user interface (GUI) running on an endpoint associated with the caller;

map each word of the text file to a corresponding segment of audio data of the recorded speech;

receive input from the GUI that identifies a location within the text file;

insert one or more segments of audio data at a position in the audio data file corresponding to the location within the text file, the one or more segments comprising new speech.

18. The logic of claim 17 wherein the new speech comprises spoken words of the caller.

19. A system comprising:

one or more network nodes running one or more application programs that implement a unified messaging system (UMS), the one of the nodes including;

one or more processors; and

a memory comprising one or more instructions executable at the processors, the one or more processors being operable, when executing the instructions, to;

create a voicemail message from speech left by a caller associated with an endpoint, the voicemail message including an audio layer comprising audio data corresponding to the speech, a text layer comprising text data generated from a translation of the audio data, and a mapping layer that maps each word in the text layer to a corresponding segment of audio data in the audio layer;

receive input from a user interface running on the endpoint, the input comprising one or more edits to the text layer;

replace or insert one or more segments of audio data in the audio layer in correspondence with the one or more edits to the text layer; and

store the MLVM message with the one or more segments of audio data in the UMS mailbox of the recipient.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the one or more processors are further operable, when executing the instructions, to receive new speech from the caller in replacement or insertion of the one or more segments of audio data corresponding to the one or more edits to the text layer.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the one or more processors are further operable, when executing the instructions, to:

generate synthesized speech from voice characteristics of the caller, the synthesized speech comprising the one or more segments of audio data.

22. A system comprising:

a server associated with a unified messaging system (UMS), the server being operable to;

record speech of a user as an audio data file, the speech comprising a voicemail message intended for a recipient;

translate the audio data file into a text data file;

map each word within the text data file to a corresponding segment of audio data in the audio data file; and

a message editor coupled with the server, the message editor comprising a graphical user interface (GUI) running on an endpoint associated with the user, the GUI being operable to display the text data file on a display of the endpoint and allow the user to identify a portion of the text data file for replacement or deletion, the GUI being further operable to identify a position in the text data file for insertion of new text, the server being further operable to record new speech of the user as new audio data and to either replace one or more segments of the audio data file corresponding to the portion of the text with the new audio data, or insert the new audio data at a location of the audio data file corresponding to the position in the text data file.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the server is further operable to store the audio data file, including the new audio data in a voicemail mailbox in the UMS associated with the recipient.