Apparatus and method for distinguishing similar-sounding utterances speech recognition

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of selecting a recognition result, derived in conjunction with the operation of the speech recognizer, that satisfies the condition includes: (a) providing a list of alternative recognition possibilities and (b) filtering the list based upon the condition.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of providing a list of alternative recognition possibilities includes using the speech recognizer to provide entries in the list.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of providing a list of alternative recognition possibilities includes utilizing a linked dictionary to provide entries in the list.

Claim 6

A method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of providing a list of alternative recognition possibilities includes both using the speech recognizer and utilizing a linked dictionary to provide entries in the list.

Claim 7

A method according to claim 1 , wherein the hint includes reference to the context of previous dictation to characterize the provided utterance.

Claim 8

A method according to claim 1 , wherein the hint is a linguistic property characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 7 , wherein the hint is an orthographic property characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 7 , wherein the hint is a morphological property characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 7 , wherein the hint is a semantic property characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 12

A method according to claim 1 , wherein the hint is a fractional spelling of the provided utterance.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 1 , wherein the hint is a grammatical term characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 16

A speech recognition system for distinguishing a provided utterance from one or more similar-sounding utterances when a speaker-identified hint as to the spelling of the provided utterance is provided, the hint being different from a full or partial spelling starting from the beginning of the provided utterance, the system comprising: (a) a hint recognizer which identifies the hint and associates with it the provided utterance; (b) a condition specifier, coupled to the hint recognizer, which uses the hint to establish a condition for distinguishing the provided utterance from the one or more similar-sounding utterances; and (c) a result selector, coupled to the condition specifier, which selects a recognition result that satisfies the condition.

Claim 17

A speech recognition system for distinguishing a provided utterance from one or more similar-sounding utterances when a speaker-identified hint as to the spelling of the provided utterance is provided, the hint being different from a full or partial spelling starting from the beginning of the provided utterance, the system comprising: (a) a hint recognizer which identifies the hint and associates with it the provided utterance; (b) a condition specifier, coupled to the hint recognizer, which uses the hint to establish a condition for distinguishing the provided utterance from the one or more similar-sounding utterances; and (c) a result selector, coupled to the condition specifier, which selects a recognition result that satisfies the condition.

Claim 18

A system according to claim 14 , wherein the system further comprises a dictionary, to which the result selector is coupled, to provide entries in the list of alternative recognition possibilities.

Claim 19

A system according to claim 15 , wherein the improvement further comprises a dictionary, to which the result selector is coupled, to provide entries in the list of alternative recognition possibilities.

Claim 20

A system according to claim 14 , wherein the hint includes reference to the context of previous dictation to characterize the provided utterance.

Claim 21

A system according to claim 14 , wherein the hint is a linguistic property characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 22

A system according to claim 18 , wherein the hint is an orthographic property characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 23

A system according to claim 18 , wherein the hint is a morphological property characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 24

A system according to claim 18 , wherein the hint is a semantic property characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 25

A system according to claim 14 , wherein the hint is a fractional spelling of the provided utterance.

Claim 26

A system according to claim 14 , wherein the hint is a grammatical term characterizing the provided utterance.

Claim 27

A speech recognition system for distinguishing a provided utterance from one or more similar-sounding utterances when a plurality of speaker-specified hints as to the spelling of the provided utterance is provided, the hint being different from a full or partial spelling starting from the beginning of the provided utterance, the system comprising: (a) a hint recognizer for identifying the hints and associating with them the provided utterance; (b) a condition specifier, coupled to the hint recognizer, for using the hints to establish a condition for distinguishing the provided utterance from the one or more similar-sounding utterances; and (c) a result selector, coupled to the condition specifier, for selecting a recognition result that satisfies the conditions.

Claim 28

A speech recognition system for distinguishing a provided utterance from one or more similar-sounding utterances when a plurality of speaker-specified hints as to the spelling of the provided utterance is provided, the hint being different from a full or partial spelling starting from the beginning of the provided utterance, the system comprising: (a) a hint recognizer for identifying the hints and associating with them the provided utterance; (b) a condition specifier, coupled to the hint recognizer, for using the hints to establish a condition for distinguishing the provided utterance from the one or more similar-sounding utterances; and (c) a result selector, coupled to the condition specifier, for selecting a recognition result that satisfies the conditions.

Claim 29

A speech recognition system that is capable of distinguishing a provided utterance from one or more similar-sounding utterances when a speaker-specified hint as to the spelling of the provided utterance is provided, the hint being different from a full or partial spelling starting from the beginning of the provided utterance, the system comprising: (a) means for identifying the hint and associating with it the provided utterance; (b) means for using the hint to establish a condition for distinguishing the provided utterance from the one or more similar-sounding utterances; and (c) means for selecting a recognition result, derived in conjunction with operation of the speech recognizer, that satisfies the condition.

Claim 30

A speech recognition system that is capable of distinguishing a provided utterance from one or more similar-sounding utterances when a speaker-specified hint as to the spelling of the provided utterance is provided, the hint being different from a full or partial spelling starting from the beginning of the provided utterance, the system comprising: (a) means for identifying the hint and associating with it the provided utterance; (b) means for using the hint to establish a condition for distinguishing the provided utterance from the one or more similar-sounding utterances; and (c) means for selecting a recognition result, derived in conjunction with operation of the speech recognizer, that satisfies the condition.