Method for speech interpretation service and speech interpretation server

• US 7,130,801 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2001
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Obuchi, Yasunari, Koizumi, Atsuko, Kitahara, Yoshinori, Mizutani, Seiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Huyen X.
• Application Number:
  US09/811,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20020046035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,051 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/270.1, 704/277, 704/260, 704/251, 704/2, 704/3, 704/4, 704/5, 704/7, 704/8, 704/9, 704/10, 704/231, 704/235, 704/257, 704/270, 704/271, 345/3, 345/175, 345/201.07
• US Class Current: 704/277
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding

Abstract

A speech interpretation server, and a method for providing a speech interpretation service, are disclosed. The server includes a speech input for receiving an inputted speech in a first language from a mobile terminal, a speech recognizer that receives the inputted speech and converts the inputted speech into a prescribed symbol string, a language converter that converts the inputted speech converted into the prescribed symbol string into a second language, wherein the second language is different from the first language, and a speech output that outputs the second language to the mobile terminal. The method includes the steps of providing an interpretation server having resident thereon a plurality of registered sentences to be interpreted, activating a translation connection between the mobile terminal and the interpretation server, receiving speech, in a first language, inputted to the mobile terminal via the translation connection, at the interpretation server, recognizing and interpreting the speech inputted based on a comparison of the inputted speech to the plurality of registered sentences to be interpreted, and outputting a translation correspondent to the second language.

Claims

1. A method for providing a speech interpretation service, comprising:

providing an interpretation server having resident thereon a plurality of registered sentences to be interpreted;

displaying, prior to receiving speech in a first language directed to the interpretation server, at least one of the plurality of registered sentences on the mobile terminal display communicatively connected to the interpretation server;

receiving the speech, in a first language, inputted to the mobile terminal displaying at least one of the plurality of registered sentences, at the interpretation server;

recognizing by the interpretation server of the speech inputted based on a comparison of the inputted speech to said displayed plurality of registered sentences;

interpreting, by the interpretation server, the recognized speech into a second language, according to said recognizing; and

outputting a translation signal correspondent to the second language to the terminal from the interpretation server;

wherein said interpretation server and said mobile terminal are communicatively connected via an internet access network and a telephone network, and wherein said internet access network is used for at least transmission of said displaying of said at least one of the plurality of registered sentences on the mobile terminal, and wherein said telephone network is used for at least transmission of said receiving the speech to be recognized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the registered sentences are classified in a plurality of scenes, further comprising:

receiving a scene selection of a model sentence from the scene options; and

displaying a plurality of registered sentences classified into the selected scene.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the translation signal comprises an audio signal that is outputted via the telephone network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an approval instruction from the mobile terminal before said outputting a translation signal correspondent to the second language.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the approval instruction is a press button approval instruction given at the mobile terminal, and wherein said outputting a translation signal correspondent to the second language is in accordance with the approval instruction.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the approval instruction is an audio approval instruction given at the mobile terminal, and wherein the audio approval instruction is at least one selected from the group consisting of a specific spoken word, a specific spoken phrase, and a specific spoken sentence, from the speaking set; and

wherein said outputting a translation signal correspondent to the second language is in accordance with the approval instruction.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising repeating said outputting a translation signal correspondent to the second language in accordance with the approval instruction upon each receipt of the approval instruction.

8. The method of any one of claims 1, further comprising:

identifying the mobile terminal based on at least one identifying characteristic; and

charging a predetermined fee to the identified mobile terminal for said interpreting.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying is in accordance with an interpretable language classification menu on the mobile terminal and said receiving, from the mobile terminal, includes a selected input of the second language from the language classification menu.

10. A speech interpretation server, comprising:

a memory in the server having stored thereon a plurality of model sentences as prescribed symbol strings;

a unit for displaying at least one of the stored plurality of registered model sentences on a display of a mobile terminal prior to receiving speech in a first language directed to a speech recognizer;

a speech input for receiving an inputted speech in a first language from the mobile terminal which is displaying at least one of the plurality of registered model sentences;

a speech recognizer that receives the inputted speech and converts the inputted speech into one of the prescribed symbol strings based on a comparison of the inputted speech to the displayed plurality of registered sentences;

a language converter that converts the inputted speech converted into the prescribed symbol string into a second language, wherein the second language is different from the first language; and

a speech output that outputs the second language in audio to the mobile terminal;

wherein said speech input and said mobile terminal are communicatively connected via an internet access network and a telephone network, and wherein said internet access network is used for at least transmission to the display of the mobile terminal of said at least one of the plurality of registered sentences, and wherein said telephone network is used for at least transmission to said speech recognizer.

11. The speech interpretation server of claim 10, wherein said memory comprises:

a command sentence table, including a plurality of command sentences each of which corresponds to a function of the mobile terminal, wherein said speech recognizer differentiates the plurality of model sentences from the plurality of command sentences.

12. The speech interpretation server of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of model sentences is classified according to a scene of use.

13. The speech interpretation server of claim 10, wherein said speech output comprises a speech synthesizer output that outputs the second language to the mobile terminal in audio.

14. The speech interpretation server of claim 10, further comprising:

an authorizer, wherein said authorizer identifies the mobile terminal based on at least one identifying characteristic; and

a billing database, wherein the mobile terminal correspondent to the at least one identifying characteristic is billed by said billing database for use of the speech interpretation server for a predetermined time.

15. A speech interpretation service, comprising:

a communications server;

a mobile terminal connected to the communication server, wherein the communication server comprises;

a model sentence table for storing a plurality of model sentences,

a speech input for receiving an inputted speech in a first language from said mobile terminal which is displaying at least one of the model sentences;

a speech recognizer that receives the inputted speech and converts the inputted speech into a prescribed symbol string that is present among the plurality of displayed model sentences;

a language converter that converts the inputted speech converted into the prescribed symbol string into a second language, wherein the second language is different from the first language; and

a speech output that outputs the second language to said mobile terminal;

wherein the terminal comprises a display that displays at least one selected only from the plurality of model sentences when the speech is inputted; and

wherein said speech input and said mobile terminal are communicatively connected via an internet access network and a telephone network, and wherein said internet access network is used for at least transmission to the display of the mobile terminal of said at least one of the plurality of registered sentences, and wherein said telephone network is used for at least transmission to said speech recognizer.