Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-13
2004-02-24
Vu, Kim (Department: 2772)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C379S088140, C704S009000, C704S206000, C704S278000, C386S349000, C386S349000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06697796
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the search of a digital audio database such as a series of voice messages stored in a telephone answering device, compact disk (CD), audio cassette tape, etc. More particularly, it relates to an efficient and useful technique and apparatus for searching an audio database for the identification and/or playback of a particular voice message, audio track, etc. containing a particular voice clip.
2. Background of Related Art
Digital audio databases in common use today include such devices as the Flash memory of a telephone answering device, the hard drive of a voice messaging system, the CD of a stereo system, or the audio cassette tape of a tape player system. While each of these systems is capable of storage and/or playback of uncompressed digital audio, data compression techniques are often employed to maximize the storage capacity of a given digital audio storage medium.
Whether or not digital compression is employed, the audio can be characterized as being stored as a representation of an analog waveform signal, which does not lend itself to digital searches for particular audio content.
The Flash memory, hard drive, CD, cassette tape, etc. are capable of storage of a significant amount of audio (e.g., from 30 minutes, to hours or more.
Conventionally, digital audio databases (e.g., CDs, Flash memory, etc.) are either separated by silent periods, or beeps, or by track numbers. To advance or rewind to a particular message, audio track, etc., a user can either designate an absolute message number, or audio track number, for playback, or designate a relative number of messages or tracks to skip forward or backward. In either case, the conventional search mechanism for a digital audio database such as these is limited to the identification of a particular message or audio track based on its position within the database (i.e., message number or audio track number), and not based on the substance within any particular message.
Conventional search mechanisms for digital audio databases work sufficiently for applications where a user knows which particular voice message or audio track that the user would like to listen to. However, if a user does not know which particular voice message or audio track contains a particular passage which they desire to hear, they typically must listen to all messages or audio tracks until the desired message or audio track is found.
For instance,
FIG. 5
shows a conventional voice messaging machine (e.g., a telephone answering device) including a digital audio database comprised in voice message memory.
More particularly, in
FIG. 5
, a telephone answering device
11
is connected to a telephone company central office
13
via a telephone line
15
. A telephone line interface (TLI)
17
in the telephone answering device
11
provides the conventional isolation, DC and AC impedance as required by telephone company standards. The telephone line interface
17
also provides a ring detect signal to a controller
19
. The controller
19
is typically a suitable microprocessor, microcontroller, or digital signal processor (DSP). The ring detect signal indicates to the controller
19
the ringing of an incoming telephone call on the telephone line
15
.
After a desired number of ring signals, the telephone answering device
11
causes the telephone line interface
17
to place the telephone line in an off-hook state, and instructs a voice recorder/playback module
21
to play a pre-recorded outgoing greeting message over the telephone line
15
to the calling party. Upon completion of the outgoing greeting message, the calling party may leave a voice message in voice message memory
23
under the control of the controller
19
. A plurality of voice messages recorded by a corresponding plurality of calling parties form a plurality of digital audio segments forming a database within the voice message memory
23
.
A user of the telephone answering device
11
later selects a particular voice message (i.e., digital audio segment) from the database in the voice message memory
23
by message number, or perhaps using Caller ID text information associated with a particular underlying voice message.
Upon manual selection, the user retrieves the recorded voice message from the voice message memory, using the user control keys
25
or other buttons or controls for selecting various modes of operation, and then deletes the voice message if desired. The user control keys
25
include an alphanumeric twelve-key keypad
25
a
to allow the user to manually dial a telephone number and use the telephone answering device
11
as an otherwise conventional telephone (using a handset, not shown). The user control keys
25
further include voice message playback control buttons such as REW, FF, STOP, PLAY
25
d
, and REC.
To make room for new voice messages, voice messages may be deleted using a delete message button
25
c
or other appropriate control. When deleted, the entire voice message is effectively erased from the voice message memory
23
(e.g., by allowing new voice messages to overwrite all portions of the deleted voice message).
A voice message number display
200
indicates a sequential message number, e.g., 1, 2, 3 . . . to assist the user in selection of a particular voice message from the voice message memory
23
.
FIG. 6A
illustrates an exemplary voice message table
800
contained in one sector of the voice message memory
23
.
In particular, in
FIG. 6A
, the message table
800
contains various header information relating to an underlying voice message stored in the same or linked page of voice message memory
23
. Conventional header type information includes a time/date stamp
802
indicating the time and date when an underlying speech message was stored. TAG information
804
in the header contains user defined data. Typically, to maximize efficiency in the conventional digital answering machine
11
, the speech data is encoded. Thus, the header includes coder information
806
identifying the type of encoding used to encode the underlying voice message data, e.g., the particular coded data rate. The new/old information
808
entry in the header of the message table
800
relates to whether or not the underlying speech message has been reviewed at least once by the user of the digital answering machine
11
. The deleted
on-deleted information
810
in the header conventionally indicates whether or not the underlying voice message has been deleted by the user. The number of bytes in the last sector information
812
relates to the length of the voice message in the last sector in which the voice message is stored, avoiding replay of the unused end portion of a partially used last sector when replaying the relevant voice message. Link list information
814
in the header indicates the addresses of all sectors used to store the relevant voice message. Some systems include additional header information
816
in the message table
800
.
FIG. 6B
shows an exemplary speech data sector
900
in the voice message memory
23
containing the underlying voice message
902
-
908
. The speech data sector
900
shown in
FIG. 6B
is the first listed in the link list
814
of the message table
800
for the underlying voice message. Zero, one or more pages of speech data
902
-
908
may be listed in the link list
814
of a message table
800
for a single voice message.
Voice messages stored in conventional digital audio databases such as the Flash memory voice message memory
23
of a telephone answering device are selected using identification information such as a message number or Caller ID information. However, if the user does not have knowledge of the substantive content of a particular voice message, they are not able to substantively search the particular voice message but rather must listen to the voice message to manually determine the substantive content of the message.
There is a need for an improved search technique and apparatus for automatically locating a particul
Agere Systems Inc.
Bollman William H.
Ly Anh
Vu Kim
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