Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Linguistics – Translation machine
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-03
2001-01-09
Hudspeth, David R. (Department: 2741)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Linguistics
Translation machine
C704S269000, C379S088060, C379S088160
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173250
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention pertains to an apparatus and method for providing real time communication over a data network.
2. Description of Related Art
With the ever increasing benefits of computerization to every day life, more people are logging-on to the Internet to obtain information and to communicate with other people around the world. This communication typically takes the form of textual messages sent either by electronic mail, text messages sent to other users currently logged-on to designated “chat rooms” or sent through Internet messaging. These text messages must be manually input via a computer keyboard and sent to the other users as blocks of text. This causes a great delay in the transmission and reception of messages since the speed at which communication takes place is dependent on the users' typing ability.
Recently, voice telephony systems have been devised which use voice codes (coder/decoders) to achieve actual voice communication over data networks. These systems take voice input signals, digitize these signals, and encode them for transmission as digital data. This data is transmitted to a receiving station where the coded data is decoded and output to the receiving party. These systems are straddled with significant sound degradation (delays and distortions) due to the asynchronous nature of the data network and the continuous streaming of the data packets necessary for the transmission of actual voice data. The timing of the data packets used in such voice telephony systems requires large bandwidth and cannot tolerate undesirable delays. Therefore, the use of standard modem lines having small bandwidths in voice telephony systems results in degradation of the reconstructed sound.
Furthermore, these voice telephony systems do not allow for anonymity of the parties since the party's actual voice is transmitted. Such anonymity is generally valued by users of the Internet because it provides a sense of privacy and security. In addition, automatic documentation of conversations are not possible and the voice telephony is limited to the particular languages spoken by the parties. Thus, new technology is needed to achieve acceptable voice communication over data networks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for providing speech-text-transmit communication over data networks. With the present invention, speech input signals are converted into text data through the use of speech recognition and transmitted over a data network to a designated receiving party. The text data may be converted back into speech output signals at the receiving party's terminal. The speech output signals are obtained using a synthesized speech pattern.
Since text data packets representing speech are streaming at a lower data rate when compared with voice telephony data packets, the transmission of the text data packets may be performed at a lower speed and therefore a lower bandwidth. Thus, a realtime continuous text stream and synthesized speech output may be realized using a lower data rate in data networks. In addition, the text data may be displayed to the receiving party or stored in a storage device for later review and reproduction. In this way, the communication may be documented.
Further, the speech pattern data of synthesized speech used to output the converted text data may be designated by the sending and/or receiving parties. In this way, the system is tailorable to the particular preferences of the parties involved in the communication.
Further, the present invention provides an apparatus for translating the text data received in one language into text data of another language. In this way, communication may be facilitated in the parties' own languages thereby reducing the chances of misinterpretation.
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AT&T Corporation
Hudspeth David R.
Lerner Martin
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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