Voice recognition for performing authentication and completing transactions in a systems interface to legacy systems

• US 9,031,846 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Steven G., Mills (Deceased), Ralph J., Morton, Jr., Roland T., Davis, Mitchell E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Armstrong, Angela A
• Application Number:
  US14/480,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20140379344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

Method and apparatus for a user to access a systems interface to back-end legacy systems using voice inputs. Generally, a user such as a technician accesses a systems interface to legacy systems via a front-end voice server. The user dials-in to the voice server using a portable access device. Preferably, the portable access device is a cellular phone. Preferably, the voice recognition server performs voice authentication, speech recognition, and speech synthesis. The voice server authenticates the user based on a voice exemplar provided by the user. Using speech synthesis, the voice server provides a menu of operations from which the user can select. By speaking into the access device, the user selects an operation and provides any additional data needed for the operation. Using speech recognition, the voice server prepares a user request based on the spoken user input. The user request is forwarded to the systems interface to the legacy systems. Preferably, the systems interface includes a protocol server for providing a protocol interface and a transaction server for receiving user requests and generating legacy transactions based on the user requests. The systems interface retrieves information from the legacy systems based on the user request and forwards this information to the voice server. The voice server formats the information and outputs the information to the access device. Preferably, the outputted information may be synthesized speech and/or text presented on a display of the access device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a transaction processor which is in direct communication with a plurality of legacy systems, wherein the transaction processor is configured to receive a user request and provide responsive information from the plurality of legacy systems based on the user request;

a plurality of protocol processors interfacing with the transaction processor, wherein each of the protocol processors includes an application programming interface server, and the transaction processor includes an application programming interface client configured to communicate with each application programming interface server; and

a voice processor in direct communication with an access device associated with a user and each of the plurality of protocol processors, wherein the voice processor is configured to perform operations including;

receiving a voice exemplar,

authenticating the user based on the voice exemplar,

receiving voice inputs from the access device,

providing a menu of operations associated with the plurality of legacy systems to the access device,

converting the voice inputs into the user request,

sending the user request to a protocol processor among the plurality of protocol processors,

receiving the responsive information, and

formatting the responsive information into an output for the access device, including choosing from among a plurality of output formats comprising speech synthesized data to be heard by the user of the access device and text data to be presented to the user on a display on the access device, wherein the voice server is adapted such that if the user request is a data-intensive request, the responsive information is not output via speech synthesized data, wherein the data-intensive request comprises a request for service order details to be retrieved from the plurality of legacy systems.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice processor includes a voice authentication module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice processor includes a speech recognition module.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice processor includes a speech synthesis module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice inputs include a selection of an option and data for that option.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the speech synthesis module is configured to provide a speech synthesized prompt to the access device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the prompt requests that the user selects an operation associated with the plurality of legacy systems.

8. A device, comprising:

a voice server in direct communication with an access device associated with a user and each of a plurality of protocol servers, wherein each of the protocol servers is configured to communicate with a transaction server which is in direct communication with a plurality of legacy systems, the transaction server is configured to receive a user request and provide responsive information from the plurality of legacy systems based on the user request, each of the protocol servers includes an application programming interface server, the transaction server includes an application programming interface client configured to communicate with each application programming interface server, and the voice processor is configured to perform operations including;

receiving a voice exemplar,

authenticating the user based on the voice exemplar,

receiving voice inputs from the access device,

providing a menu of operations associated with the plurality of legacy systems to the access device,

converting the voice inputs into the user request,

sending the user request to a protocol server among the plurality of protocol servers,

receiving the responsive information, and

formatting the responsive information into an output for the access device, including choosing from among a plurality of output formats comprising speech synthesized data to be heard by the user of the access device and text data to be presented to the user on a display on the access device, wherein the voice server is adapted such that if the user request is a data-intensive request, the responsive information is not output via speech synthesized data, wherein the data-intensive request comprises a request for service order details to be retrieved from the plurality of legacy systems.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the voice server includes a voice authentication module.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the voice server includes a speech recognition module.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the voice server includes a speech synthesis module.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the voice inputs include a selection of an option and data for that option.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the speech synthesis module is configured to provide a speech synthesized prompt to the access device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the prompt requests that the user selects an operation associated with the plurality of legacy systems.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a voice server in direct communication with an access device associated with a user, a voice exemplar;

authenticating the user based on the voice exemplar,

receiving voice inputs from the access device;

providing a menu of operations associated with a plurality of legacy systems to the access device,

converting the voice inputs into a user request,

sending the user request to a protocol server among a plurality of protocol servers, wherein each of the protocol servers is configured to communicate with a transaction server which is in direct communication with a plurality of legacy systems, the transaction server is configured to receive the user request and provide responsive information from the plurality of legacy systems based on the user request, each of the protocol servers includes an application programming interface server, and the transaction server includes an application programming interface client configured to communicate with each application programming interface server;

receiving the responsive information; and

formatting, by the voice server, the responsive information into an output for the access device, including choosing from among a plurality of output formats comprising speech synthesized data to be heard by the user of the access device and text data to be presented to the user on a display on the access device, wherein the voice server is adapted such that if the user request is a data-intensive request, the responsive information is not output via speech synthesized data, wherein the data-intensive request comprises a request for service order details to be retrieved from the plurality of legacy systems.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the responsive information is received from the protocol server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the responsive information received from the protocol server is forwarded from the transaction server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the responsive information is based on a legacy transaction generated by the transaction server.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing a speech synthesized prompt to the access device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the prompt requests that the user select an operation associated with the plurality of legacy systems.