EP0533338A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Interface method and apparatus for information services
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1992-08-06
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2012-08-06
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus are provided for resolving uncertainty in information provided to an information service. A database stores a list of one or more likely responses to an explicit or implicit request for information. Received information from a user in response to a request is compared to one or more of the likely responses in the list to identify such received information. Associated with each likely response is an a priori probability that the response will be provoked by the request. A priori probabilities may be based on, among other things, training with a user or a back-up procedure for resolving uncertainty. In comparing received information to a likely responses, a comparison score is generated. A comparison score is checked to determine whether it is within a range of acceptable comparison scores. If so, received information may be identified. If not, a back-up uncertainty resolution technique may be performed.
Inventors
- 👤 Lawrence Richard Rabiner
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 12:36
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10L; G10L15/00; G10L15/08; G10L15/18; G10L15/1815
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 53
Claim 1
Independent Claim
71 words
A method for resolving uncertainty in information provided to an information service, the method comprising the steps of: storing in a database a list of one or more likely responses to a request for information; receiving information from a user of the information service in response to the request for information; and comparing received information with one or more of the likely responses in the list to identify such received information.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of storing a list of one or more likely responses in a database comprises the step of determining a likely response based on an a priori probability that a response will be provoked by the request.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the step of determining a likely response comprises the step of determining an a priori probability based on training with a user.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 3 wherein training is provided by a back-up procedure for resolving uncertainty.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the step of determining a likely response comprises the step of determining an a priori probability based on the nature of the information service.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the step of determining a likely response comprises the step of determining an a priori probability based on the nature of the request for information.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the step of determining a likely response comprises the step of determining an a priori probability based on constraints placed on responses by the request for information.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of comparing received information to one or more likely responses comprises the step of determining a comparison score for a likely response.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 8 wherein the step of determining a comparison score comprises the step of determining whether a comparison score is within a range of acceptable comparison scores to identify received information.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of performing a back-up uncertainty resolution technique when no comparison score is within the range of acceptable comparison scores.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of updating the list of stored likely responses with results of the back-up uncertainty resolution technique.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising performing a back- up uncertainty resolution technique when two or more comparison scores are within the range of acceptable comparison scores.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of maintaining likely response usage statistics based on identified received information.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of the user rejecting an identification of received information.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of performing a back-up uncertainty resolution technique.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
61 words
A method for speech recognition comprising the steps of: storing in a database a list of one or more representations of likely spoken responses to a request for information; receiving speech information from a user in response to the request; and comparing received speech information to one or more representations of likely responses'in the list to recognize such received speech information.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the likely spoken responses comprise telephone numbers.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of dialing the likely telephone number corresponding to recognized speech information.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the step of storing a list of one or more representations of likely spoken responses comprises the steps of: storing one or more word patterns comprising one or more feature vectors; and storing one or more references to stored word patterns as a representation of a likely spoken response.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 19 wherein the step of storing one or more word patterns comprises the step of determining such word patterns with a feature measurement technique.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 20 wherein the feature measurement technique comprises linear predictive coding.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of updating a stored word pattern with recognized received speech information.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the step of storing in a database a list of one or more representations of likely spoken responses comprises the step of determining a likely spoken response based on an a priori probability that a spoken response will be provoked by the request.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 23 wherein the step of determining a likely spoken response comprises the step of determining an a priori probability based on training with a user.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 24 wherein training is provided by a back-up procedure for recognizing speech.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 25 wherein the back-up procedure comprises vector quantization codebook speech recognition on received speech information.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 25 wherein the back-up procedure comprises the user supplying an equivalent to the received speech information with use of an input device.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the step of receiving speech information comprises the step of producing a test pattern of received information by a feature measurement technique.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 28 wherein the feature measurement technique comprises linear predictive coding.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the step of comprising received speech information to one or more likely spoken responses comprises the step of determining a comparison score for a likely spoken response.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 30 wherein the step of determining a comparison score for a likely response comprises the step of performing dynamic time alignment between received speech information and a likely spoken response.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 31 wherein the step of performing dynamic rime alignment between received speech information and a likely spoken response comprises the step of performing dynamic time warping.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 30 wherein the step of determining a comparison score comprises the step of determining whether a comparison score is within a range of acceptable comparison scores to recognize received speech information.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 33 further comprising the step of performing a back-up speech recognition technique when no comparison score is within the range of acceptable comparison scores.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 34 further comprising the step of updating the list of stored representations of likely spoken responses with results of the back-up speech recognition technique.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of maintaining likely response usage statistics based on recognized received speech information.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of: the user rejecting a recognition of received speech information; and performing a back-up speech recognition technique.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 37 further comprising the step of updating the list of stored representations of likely spoken responses with results of the back-up speech recognition technique.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of updating the list of stored representations of likely spoken responses with recognized received speech information.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the step of comparing comprises the steps of: comparing received speech information to each stored representation of a likely spoken response; and determining the likely spoken response whose representation most closely compares to received speech information.
Claim 41
Independent Claim
86 words
An apparatus for resolving uncertainty in information received from an input device to be provided to an information service, the information received in response to a request for information, the apparatus comprising: a database storing one or more responses to the request for information based on a priori probabilities that such responses will be provoked by the request; and a comparator, coupled to the database and the input device, for comparing received information with one or more responses in the list to identify such received information.
Claim 42
Independent Claim
73 words
A system for recognizing spoken telephone number information, the telephone number information received from an input device, the system comprising: a database for storing one or more representations of telephone numbers likely to be spoken; and a comparator, coupled to the database and the input device, for comparing spoken telephone number information with one or more representations of stored telephone numbers to recognize such information as a stored representation of a telephone number.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 42 further comprising an automatic dialer, coupled to the comparator, for dialing the telephone number associated with the recognized information.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 43 wherein the coupling between the automatic dialer and the comparator comprises a network.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 42 wherein the comparator comprises a feature measurement processor, coupled to the input device, for performing feature measurements on the spoken telephone number information.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
47 words
The system of claim 45 wherein the comparator further comprises a dynamic rime alignment processor, coupled to the database and the feature measurement processor, for performing dynamic time alignment between feature measurements of the spoken telephone number information and one or more representations of stored telephone numbers.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
46 words
The system of claim 42 wherein the database storing one or more representations of telephone numbers comprises: one or more word patterns comprising one or more feature vectors; and one or more references to stored word patterns as a representation of a likely spoken telephone number.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 42 further comprising a back-up speech recognizer for recognizing spoken telephone number information when the comparator does not recognize such information.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 48 wherein the back-up speech recognizer comprises a vector quantization codebook recognizer.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 42 wherein the coupling between the database and the comparator comprises a network.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 42 wherein the coupling between the input device and the comparator comprises a network.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
44 words
A database for use with a speech recognition system coupled thereto, the database comprising one or more likely responses to a request for information, each such likely response having associated therewith an a priori probability that the response will be provoked by the request.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
19 words
The database of claim 52 wherein the coupling of the database and the speech recognition system comprises a network.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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