Method of modifying speech to provide a user selectable dialect

• US 6,598,021 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2000
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Electronic Commerce Corporation (Rockwell International Corporation)
• Inventors: Shambaugh, Craig R., Martin, James, Dezonno, Anthony, Power, Mark J., Hymel, Darryl, Williams, Laird C., Bluestein, Jared, Venner, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US09/615,392
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 704/256, 704/257, 704/270, 704/275, 704/260, 704/266, 378/88.01, 378/88.06
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/005 Language recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/0135 Voice conversion or morphing
• 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 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing

Abstract

A method and apparatus for adjusting a dialect for an oral presentation provided by an agent of an organization to a human target of the organization through a communications network. The method includes the steps of determining a dialect to be used by the agent for communicating with the target, modifying the dialect of the oral presentation of the agent for communicating with the target based upon the determined dialect and presenting the modified oral presentation to the target.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting a dialect for an oral presentation provided by an agent in support of a set of organizational objectives of an organization to a human target of the organization through a communications network, such method comprising the steps of:

determining a dialect used by the target;

modifying the dialect of the oral presentation of the agent made in support of the organizational objectives of the organization to match the dialect of the target to eliminate cultural differences perceived by the target of the organization based upon the determined dialect; and

presenting the oral presentation in the modified dialect to the target.

2. The method of selecting a dialect as in claim 1 wherein the step of determining the dialect further comprises retrieving call associated information from the communications network relating to the target.

3. The method of selecting a dialect as in claim 1 wherein the step of modifying the content of the oral presentation further comprises recognizing a spoken word content.

4. The method of selecting a dialect as in claim 3 wherein the step of detecting a spoken word content of the oral presentation further comprises comparing the recognized spoken word content with a set of verbal templates.

5. The method of selecting a dialect as in claim 4 wherein the step of comparing the recognized spoken word content with a set of verbal templates further comprises selecting a template of the set of templates with a nearest match.

6. The method of selecting a dialect as in claim 4 wherein the step of comparing the recognized spoken word content with a set of verbal templates further comprises substituting an equivalent word with the determined dialect.

7. An apparatus for selecting a regional dialect for an oral presentation provided by an agent of an organization to a human target of the organization to eliminate perceived cultural differences through a communications system, such apparatus comprising:

means for determining a regional dialect used by the target;

means for modifying a dialect of the oral presentation of the agent of the organization to match the regional dialect of the target to eliminate perceived cultural differences between the agent and target based upon the determined dialect; and

means for presenting the modified oral presentation to the target.

8. The apparatus for selecting a dialect as in claim 7 wherein the means for determining the dialect further comprises means for retrieving call associated information from the communication system relating to the target.

9. The apparatus for selecting a dialect as in claim 7 wherein the means for modifying the dialect of the oral presentation further comprises means for recognizing a spoken word content.

10. The apparatus for selecting a dialect as in claim 9 wherein the means for detecting a spoken word content of the oral presentation further comprises means for comparing the recognized spoken word content with a set of verbal templates.

11. The apparatus for selecting a dialect as in claim 10 wherein the means for comparing the recognized spoken word content with a set of verbal templates further comprises means for selecting a template of the set of templates with a nearest match.

12. The apparatus for selecting a dialect as in claim 9 wherein the means for recognizing the spoken word content further comprises means for substituting an equivalent word with the determined dialect.

13. An apparatus for selecting a regional dialect for an oral presentation provided by an agent of an organization to a human target of the organization to eliminate perceived cultural differences through a communications system, such apparatus comprising:

a call analyzer adapted to determine a regional dialect used by the target;

a voice processor adapted to modify a regional dialect of the oral presentation from the agent of the organization to match the regional dialect of the target to eliminate perceived cultural differences between the agent and target based upon the determined dialect; and

a voice synthesizer adapted to present the modified oral presentation to the target.

14. The apparatus for selecting a dialect as in claim 13 wherein the call analyzer further comprises a telephone system interface adapted to receive call associated information from the communication system relating to the customer.

15. The apparatus for selecting a dialect as in claim 14 wherein the voice processor further comprises a word recognition module adapted to recognize a spoken word content of the oral presentation.

16. The apparatus for selecting a dialect as in claim 15 wherein the voice recognizer further comprises a plurality of verbal templates.

17. The apparatus for selecting a dialect as in claim 15 wherein the voice recognizer further comprises a comparison processor adapted to compare the recognized spoken word content with the plurality of verbal templates.