Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – Recognition
Patent
1997-04-21
1999-08-17
Hudspeth, David R.
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
Recognition
704275, G10L 302, G10L 900, G10L 300
Patent
active
059407930
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with automated voice-interactive services employing speech recognition, particularly, though not exclusively, for use over a telephone network.
2. Related Art
A typical application is an enquiry service where a user is asked a number of questions in order to elicit replies which, after recognition by a speech recogniser, permit access to one or more desired entries in an information bank. An example of this is a directory enquiry system in which a user, requiring the telephone number of a telephone subscriber, is asked to give the town name and road name of the subscriber's address, and the subscriber's surname.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a speech recognition apparatus comprising a store of data containing entries to be identified and information defining for each entry a connection with a word of a first set of words and a connection with a word of a second set of words; speech recognition means; and control means operable: to recognition information for the first set of words as many words of the first set as meet a predetermined criterion of similarity to first received voice signals; set which are defined as connected with entries defined as connected also with the identified word(s) of the first set; and to recognition information for the second set of words one or more words of the list which resemble(s) second received voice signals.
Preferably the speech recognition means is operable upon receipt of the first voice signal to generate for each identified word a measure of similarity with the first voice signal, and the control means is operable to generate for each word of the list a measure obtained from the measure(s) for the relevant word(s) of the first set (i.e those identified words of the first set with which a word of the list has a common entry). The speech recognition means is then operable upon receipt of the second voice signal to perform the identification of one or more words of the list in accordance with a recognition process weighted in dependence on the measures generated for the words of the list.
The apparatus may also include a store containing recognition data for all words of the second set and the control means is operable following the compilation of the list and before recognition of the word(s) of the list to mark in the recognition data store those items of data therein which correspond to the words not in the list or those which correspond to words which are in the list, whereby the recognition means may ignore all words so marked or, respectively, not marked.
Alternatively the recognition data may be generated dynamically either before recognition or during recognition, the control means being operable following the compilation of the list to generate recognition data for each word of the list. Methods for dynamically generating recognition data fall outside the scope of the present invention but will be clear to those skilled in this art.
Preferably the control means is operable to select for output that entry or entries defined as connected both with an identified word(s) of the first set and an identified word of the second set.
The store of data may also contain information defining for each entry a connection with a word of a third set of words, the control means being operable: connected with entries each of which is also defined as connected both with an identified word of the first set and an identified word of the second set; and to stored recognition information for the third set of words one or more words of the list which resemble(s) third received voice signals.
Furthermore, means may be included to store at least one of the received voice signals, the apparatus being arranged to perform an additional recognition process in which the control means is operable: to stored recognition information for the second set of words a plurality of words of the second set which meet a predetermined criterion of sim
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patent: 5202952 (1993-04-01), Gillick et al.
patent: 5488652 (1996-01-01), Bielby
Young, "Use of Dialogue, Pragmatics and Semantics to Enhance Speech Recognition", 8308 Speech Communication 9(1990) Dec., Nos. 5/6 Amsterdam, Netherlands, pp. 551-564.
Yamada et al., "A Spoken Dialogue System with Active/Non-Active Word Control for CD-ROM Information Retrieval", Speech Communication, 15 (1994) 355-365.
Attwater David J.
Scahill Francis J.
Simons Alison D.
Whittaker Steven J.
British Telecommunications public limited company
Hudspeth David R.
Sax Robert Louis
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