CA2115875C - Calling number identification using speech recognition - Google Patents
Calling number identification using speech recognitionInfo
- Publication number
- CA2115875C CA2115875C CA002115875A CA2115875A CA2115875C CA 2115875 C CA2115875 C CA 2115875C CA 002115875 A CA002115875 A CA 002115875A CA 2115875 A CA2115875 A CA 2115875A CA 2115875 C CA2115875 C CA 2115875C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- message
- phone number
- verbal
- called party
- calling
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- 230000001755 vocal effect Effects 0.000 claims description 37
- 230000005236 sound signal Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000015654 memory Effects 0.000 description 21
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000003786 synthesis reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 241001108995 Messa Species 0.000 description 1
- 241001634549 Microcos Species 0.000 description 1
- 101100493631 Mus musculus Bcl2l2 gene Proteins 0.000 description 1
- 241001131927 Placea Species 0.000 description 1
- UOAMTSKGCBMZTC-UHFFFAOYSA-N dicofol Chemical group C=1C=C(Cl)C=CC=1C(C(Cl)(Cl)Cl)(O)C1=CC=C(Cl)C=C1 UOAMTSKGCBMZTC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 150000002500 ions Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 230000001537 neural effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- GWUSZQUVEVMBPI-UHFFFAOYSA-N nimetazepam Chemical compound N=1CC(=O)N(C)C2=CC=C([N+]([O-])=O)C=C2C=1C1=CC=CC=C1 GWUSZQUVEVMBPI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 241000894007 species Species 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
- H04M1/57—Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set
- H04M1/575—Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
- H04M1/578—Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
- H04M1/26—Devices for calling a subscriber
- H04M1/27—Devices whereby a plurality of signals may be stored simultaneously
- H04M1/271—Devices whereby a plurality of signals may be stored simultaneously controlled by voice recognition
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
- H04M1/64—Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations
- H04M1/65—Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party
- H04M1/6505—Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party storing speech in digital form
- H04M1/651—Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party storing speech in digital form with speech synthesis
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
- H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
- H04M3/50—Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers ; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
- H04M3/53—Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages, i.e. mailbox systems
- H04M3/533—Voice mail systems
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M2201/00—Electronic components, circuits, software, systems or apparatus used in telephone systems
- H04M2201/40—Electronic components, circuits, software, systems or apparatus used in telephone systems using speech recognition
Abstract
In a system such as an AUDIX~ voice mail system or answering machine, a caller's telephone number is extracted from a recorded message using voice recognition. The called party initiates automatic dialing of the calling party's number after confirming that the number was correctly recognized by the system.
Description
211~8~5 Calling Number Identification Using Speech Recognition Technical Field This invention relates to a mess~ge-taking apparatus, and more particularly, to a message-taking apparatus that automatically obtains a phone 5 number from a verbal m~.ss~e.
Description of the Prior Art In the past, a calling party left a verbal m~ssage to a called party on an answering m:~chine or AUDlX~9 voice mail system. That verbal m~ss~ge typically inc!uded a telephone number at which the called party could reach the calling party.
10 Typically, the called party listened to the message and then wrote the phone number on a piece of paper so that the number would be available when the called party placed a telephone call to the calling party. This technique is inconvenient because it required the called party to have a pen and paper available when listening to the message. It is also possible for the called party to attempt to memorize the phone 15 number while listening to the verbal message. This technique is inconvenient because the called party could incorrectly memorize the number, and as a result, dial an incorrect number while atl~ p~ g to reach the calling party. Incorrectly memolizing the number creates the additional inconvenience of requiring the called party to listen to the verbal message a second time in order to make a second attempt 20 to memorize the number.
Summary of the Invention The present invention solves the aforementioned problems by obtaining a phone number from a verbal message left by a calling party. The phone number is communicated to the called party so that the called party can verify the phone 25 number with the phone number recited in the verbal message. If the called party is satisfied that the phone number was correctly obtained from the verbal message, the called party may issue a command that results in the phone number being dialed automatically.
By autom~tic~lly extracting a phone number from a verbal message, the 30 present invention elimin~es the need for the called party to write down or attempt to memorize a phone number contained in the verbal message. This avoids the inconvenience of requiring the called party to have a pen and paper handy, and it also avoids the inconveniences that result from incorrectly mem~ ri7ing the calling party's number.
Description of the Prior Art In the past, a calling party left a verbal m~ssage to a called party on an answering m:~chine or AUDlX~9 voice mail system. That verbal m~ss~ge typically inc!uded a telephone number at which the called party could reach the calling party.
10 Typically, the called party listened to the message and then wrote the phone number on a piece of paper so that the number would be available when the called party placed a telephone call to the calling party. This technique is inconvenient because it required the called party to have a pen and paper available when listening to the message. It is also possible for the called party to attempt to memorize the phone 15 number while listening to the verbal message. This technique is inconvenient because the called party could incorrectly memorize the number, and as a result, dial an incorrect number while atl~ p~ g to reach the calling party. Incorrectly memolizing the number creates the additional inconvenience of requiring the called party to listen to the verbal message a second time in order to make a second attempt 20 to memorize the number.
Summary of the Invention The present invention solves the aforementioned problems by obtaining a phone number from a verbal message left by a calling party. The phone number is communicated to the called party so that the called party can verify the phone 25 number with the phone number recited in the verbal message. If the called party is satisfied that the phone number was correctly obtained from the verbal message, the called party may issue a command that results in the phone number being dialed automatically.
By autom~tic~lly extracting a phone number from a verbal message, the 30 present invention elimin~es the need for the called party to write down or attempt to memorize a phone number contained in the verbal message. This avoids the inconvenience of requiring the called party to have a pen and paper handy, and it also avoids the inconveniences that result from incorrectly mem~ ri7ing the calling party's number.
2 ~~q 58 7 5 - la -In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a message taking apparatus comprising: storage means for storing a verbal message provided by a calling party, said storage means being located at a public exchange;
5 replay means for replaying said verbal message to a called party; speech recognition means for obtaining a phone number from said verbal message; and calling means for using said phone number to place a call after receiving a verbal command from said called party.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a 10 message taking apparatus comprising: storage means for storing a verbal message provided by a calling party; replay means for replaying said verbal message to acalled party; speech recognition means for obtaining a phone number from said verbal message; prompt generation means for generating an audio signal that prompts said calling party to state said phone number and to restate said phone 15 number when said speech recognition means can not obtain said phone number from said verbal message; and calling means for using said phone number to placea call.
,~
2115~7S
Brief Description of the Drawin~
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a table that is used to keep track of messages and phone numbers stored by the present invention;
S FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a control routine executed by the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an incoming call routine;
FIG. S is a flow chart of an alternative incoming call routine; and FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a play message comm~ncl 10 Detailed Description FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention. Telephone network interface 10 is used to interface the present invention to a telephone network. This network interface can be in the form of many well-known circuits such as a hybrid or other circuits that are used to interface to a PBX or central of fice. Recorder 12 is 15 used to record the verbal messages left by a calling party and it may be used to play greetings and/or p~u~ ts to the calling party. Recorder 12 can be analog or digital in nature, and can be constructed using a tape recorder, disk memory or solid statememory.
Analog to digital (A/D) converter 14, work recognizer 16 and memory 20 18 are used to extract or obtain a phone number from a verbal mess~ge left by the calling party. A/D converter 14 converts the analog signal received from telephone net~vork interface 10 into a digital signal. It is also possible for A/D converter 14 to receive its input from the output of recorder 12. Recognizer 16 receives its input from A/D converter 14. Recogni~r 16 can be any type of work recognizer that can 25 recogni~ a spoken phone number. Recogni~r 16 should be speaker independent and it is preferable to simplify the recogni~r's design by using a recogni~r that is only capable of recognizing numbers and a limited number of verbal comm~ncls. Itis also possible to use more complex recogni~rs. A recogni~r that compares characteristics of an utterance to a stored template, or a recogni~r such as a neural 30 network implemented in either hardware or software may be used to implement recogni~r 165. Word recognizers are known in the art and a Conversant~) speech processor available from AT&T may be used to implement recogni~r 16. Memory 18 receives the recognized phone number from recogni~r 16. The phone number is stored in memory 18 until it is needed by the called party. When the called party 35 replays the recorded mess~e, the phone number stored in memory 18 is displayed on display 20, and may be recited in an audio message using speech synthesi~r 22.
5 replay means for replaying said verbal message to a called party; speech recognition means for obtaining a phone number from said verbal message; and calling means for using said phone number to place a call after receiving a verbal command from said called party.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention there is provided a 10 message taking apparatus comprising: storage means for storing a verbal message provided by a calling party; replay means for replaying said verbal message to acalled party; speech recognition means for obtaining a phone number from said verbal message; prompt generation means for generating an audio signal that prompts said calling party to state said phone number and to restate said phone 15 number when said speech recognition means can not obtain said phone number from said verbal message; and calling means for using said phone number to placea call.
,~
2115~7S
Brief Description of the Drawin~
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a table that is used to keep track of messages and phone numbers stored by the present invention;
S FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a control routine executed by the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an incoming call routine;
FIG. S is a flow chart of an alternative incoming call routine; and FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a play message comm~ncl 10 Detailed Description FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the present invention. Telephone network interface 10 is used to interface the present invention to a telephone network. This network interface can be in the form of many well-known circuits such as a hybrid or other circuits that are used to interface to a PBX or central of fice. Recorder 12 is 15 used to record the verbal messages left by a calling party and it may be used to play greetings and/or p~u~ ts to the calling party. Recorder 12 can be analog or digital in nature, and can be constructed using a tape recorder, disk memory or solid statememory.
Analog to digital (A/D) converter 14, work recognizer 16 and memory 20 18 are used to extract or obtain a phone number from a verbal mess~ge left by the calling party. A/D converter 14 converts the analog signal received from telephone net~vork interface 10 into a digital signal. It is also possible for A/D converter 14 to receive its input from the output of recorder 12. Recognizer 16 receives its input from A/D converter 14. Recogni~r 16 can be any type of work recognizer that can 25 recogni~ a spoken phone number. Recogni~r 16 should be speaker independent and it is preferable to simplify the recogni~r's design by using a recogni~r that is only capable of recognizing numbers and a limited number of verbal comm~ncls. Itis also possible to use more complex recogni~rs. A recogni~r that compares characteristics of an utterance to a stored template, or a recogni~r such as a neural 30 network implemented in either hardware or software may be used to implement recogni~r 165. Word recognizers are known in the art and a Conversant~) speech processor available from AT&T may be used to implement recogni~r 16. Memory 18 receives the recognized phone number from recogni~r 16. The phone number is stored in memory 18 until it is needed by the called party. When the called party 35 replays the recorded mess~e, the phone number stored in memory 18 is displayed on display 20, and may be recited in an audio message using speech synthesi~r 22.
3 21 ~5~7~
Speech synthesi7Pr 22 may also recite greetings andlor plu~ s to the calling party.
Speech synthçsi7Prs are known in the art and a Conversant~) speech processor available from AT&T may be used to implement speech synthesi_er 22. It is preferable to display or otherwise convey the phone number frûm memory 18 to the5 called party before replaying the message to the called party. This offers theadvantage of allowing the called party to see andlor hear the phone number before listening to the recorded message. After listening to the recorder mess~ge and verifying that the phone number from memory 18 is correct, the called party can autom~ti~lly dial the phone number from memory 18 by enabling dialer 24.
10 Automatic dialers are known in the art and can be in the form of pulse dialers or DTMB (dual tone multiple frequency) dialers.
Overall control for the invention is carried out by controller 26 which comprises microprocessor 28, RAM 30 and ROM 32. Microprocessor 28 can be any of the coll~ elcially available microprocessors, microco,~u~l~ or even speci~li7Pcl 15 hardware. RAM 30, which is used as a scratch pad memory, may be implemented using any of the widely available random access memories. ROM or read only memory 32 can be constructed using any of the commercially available ROMS, PROMS or EEROMS to store the overall programming for controller 26. Control pad 34 is used by the called party to comm~nd controller 26. These comm~n~s 20 include play, replay, record greeting, record prompt, dial and erase message. It is also possible for controller 26 to receive CO~ n(1S through telephone network interface 10 in a form such as DTMC signals that are entered using a telephone keypad. This feature enables the called party to access his/her rnessages and to issue comm~n~ls to controller 26 from a remote location. It is also possible for controller 25 26 to receive verbal comm~n-ls recognized by recogni~r 16.
Controller 26 uses data/control bus 36 to co..~ .l-icate with the dirrereilt components of the present invention. For example, controller 26 uses but 36 to transfer a phone number from memory 18 to dialer 24, display 20 and speech synthesi7~r 22. Controller 26 also uses bus 36 to control recorder 12 and the other 30 components connected to the bus.
FIG. 2 illustrates a table that microprocessor 28 places in RAM 30 to keep track of m~ss~ges and phone numbers. The called par~r ID column is used to keep track of messages that are addressed to dirrel~l-t called parties. This column is necessary when the invention is used or located in a public eYc-h~nge such as a PBX
35 or central office. When used or located at a customer's premises or in an env~o~ t where it is not necess~ry to distinguish bclw~n called parties, the 211587~
Speech synthesi7Pr 22 may also recite greetings andlor plu~ s to the calling party.
Speech synthçsi7Prs are known in the art and a Conversant~) speech processor available from AT&T may be used to implement speech synthesi_er 22. It is preferable to display or otherwise convey the phone number frûm memory 18 to the5 called party before replaying the message to the called party. This offers theadvantage of allowing the called party to see andlor hear the phone number before listening to the recorded message. After listening to the recorder mess~ge and verifying that the phone number from memory 18 is correct, the called party can autom~ti~lly dial the phone number from memory 18 by enabling dialer 24.
10 Automatic dialers are known in the art and can be in the form of pulse dialers or DTMB (dual tone multiple frequency) dialers.
Overall control for the invention is carried out by controller 26 which comprises microprocessor 28, RAM 30 and ROM 32. Microprocessor 28 can be any of the coll~ elcially available microprocessors, microco,~u~l~ or even speci~li7Pcl 15 hardware. RAM 30, which is used as a scratch pad memory, may be implemented using any of the widely available random access memories. ROM or read only memory 32 can be constructed using any of the commercially available ROMS, PROMS or EEROMS to store the overall programming for controller 26. Control pad 34 is used by the called party to comm~nd controller 26. These comm~n~s 20 include play, replay, record greeting, record prompt, dial and erase message. It is also possible for controller 26 to receive CO~ n(1S through telephone network interface 10 in a form such as DTMC signals that are entered using a telephone keypad. This feature enables the called party to access his/her rnessages and to issue comm~n~ls to controller 26 from a remote location. It is also possible for controller 25 26 to receive verbal comm~n-ls recognized by recogni~r 16.
Controller 26 uses data/control bus 36 to co..~ .l-icate with the dirrereilt components of the present invention. For example, controller 26 uses but 36 to transfer a phone number from memory 18 to dialer 24, display 20 and speech synthesi7~r 22. Controller 26 also uses bus 36 to control recorder 12 and the other 30 components connected to the bus.
FIG. 2 illustrates a table that microprocessor 28 places in RAM 30 to keep track of m~ss~ges and phone numbers. The called par~r ID column is used to keep track of messages that are addressed to dirrel~l-t called parties. This column is necessary when the invention is used or located in a public eYc-h~nge such as a PBX
35 or central office. When used or located at a customer's premises or in an env~o~ t where it is not necess~ry to distinguish bclw~n called parties, the 211587~
called party ID column is unnecess~ry. The second column is used to keep track of individual messages when more than one message is left for the same called party.
A third colurnn is used to store the beginning and end addresses for a voice message stored in recorder 12. These addresses can be in a form that refers to locations in a S RAM or disk memory, or they may refer to locations identified by a tape recorder' s tape counter. A fourth column is used to keep track of the beginning and end addresses that are used to locate a phone number within memory 18. The number ofmemory locations used to store the phone number varies with the length of the phone number. For example, seven locations are used for a simple local phone number, 10 while ten or more locations are used for phone numbers that involve area codes, country codes or telephone extensions.
FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart for a control loop executed by microprocessor 28. Step 60 involves a self-test which is followed by decision step 62. In decision step 62, if an incoming call is detected, an incoming call routine is 15 executed, and if an incoming call is not detected, decision step 64 is executed. In decision step 64, if a comm~nd is received from control pad 34, the comrnand is executed, and if a comm~n-l is not detected, the loop restarts at self-test step 60.
FIG. 4 illustrates an incoming call routine. After detecting an incoming call in step 62 of FIG. 3, decision step 70 of FIG. 4 is executed. If microprocessor 20 28 detects that the called party picked up the receiver, rnic~plocessor 28 returns to the control loop of FIG. 3. When the called party does not pick up the receiver,decision step 72 is executed. If an incoming command from telephone network interface 10 is detected, that comm~nd is executed in step 74. After executing the cornmand in step 74, decision step 76 is executed to determine whether addit;onal 25 comm~n~ls have been received. If an additional co,..,n~n(l was received, it is executed in step 74, and if no additional comm~n~l~ were received, microprocessor 28 returns to the control loop. With reference to decision step 72, if a comm~n~l was not received, it is assumed that a calling party is aue~l-pting to leave a message and step 78 is executed. In step 78, a greeting is played to the calling party using30 recorder 12 or speech synthesi7~r 22. After playing the greeting, step 80 enables recorder 12 to record a message from the calling party. After step 80, decision step 82 is executed. In decision step 82, if a phone number is not recognized in the verbal message provided by the calling party, a "no number" m~ss~ge is loaded into memory 18 in step 84. If a number is recognized in the verbal message provided by 35 the calling party, the phone number is loaded into memory 18 in step 86. After loading ~ o~ 18 with the a~p~iate illfo~ tion, step 88 is exec~lte~ to update 2115~75 the table of FIG. 2. In step 88, m-icroprocessor 28 returns to the control loop of FIG. 3.
FIG. S illustrates a flow chart for an alternative incorning call routine.
After executing step 62 of FIG. 3, decision step 100 of FIG. 5 is executed. If 5 microprocessor 28 detects that the called party picked up the receiver, microprocessor 28 returns to the control loop and if it detects that the receiver is not picked up, decision step 102 is executed. If decision step 102 determines that acomm~nd was received from telephone network interface 10, the command is executed in step 104. After executing the comm~nd in step 104, decision step 10610 determines if additional comm~nds have been received. If an additional comm~n-l was received it is executed in step 104. If no additional comm~n~l was received,microprocessor 28 returns to the control loop. If a cnmm~nd is not detected in step 102, a counter is initi~li7~ to zero in step 108. After executing step 108, step 10 plays a greeting to the calling party using recorder 12 or speech synthesi~r 22.15 After playing the greeting, a first prompt is played to the calling party in step 112 using recorder 12 or speech synth~si7er 22. The first prompt is used to prompt the calling party to state the phone number at which he or she can be reached. In decision step 114 it is determine-1 whether a number was recogni_ed from the verbal message provided by the calling party. If a number was not recogni~d, step 116 20 increments a counter. Decision step 118 determines whether the counter has exceeded a m~ . . count. This counter is used to limit how many times an attempt will be made to obtain a phone number from the verbal message. A
convenient number such as three may be used as the maximum count. If the count is less than or equal to the maximum count, step 120 plays a repeat prompt using 25 recorder 12 or speech syn~he~i7~r 22. This prompt requests that the calling party repeat the number at which the calling party can be reached. Once again, decision step 114 is executed to determine if the number was recognized. If it was not recognized, steps 116 and 118 are executed again. If step 118 determines that the count has exceeded the ma~imulll count, step 122 is executed by loading a "no 30 number" mpss~e into memory 18. Turning back to decision step 114, if a numberwas unsuccessfully recognized in the message provided by the calling party to provide any additional information that he or she deems n~cess~ry, using recorder 12 or speech synthP.si7er 22. After playing the prompt, step 128 enables recorder 12 and step 130 updates the table of FIG. 2. After executing step 130, microprocessor 28 35 returns to the control loop.
211~7~
A third colurnn is used to store the beginning and end addresses for a voice message stored in recorder 12. These addresses can be in a form that refers to locations in a S RAM or disk memory, or they may refer to locations identified by a tape recorder' s tape counter. A fourth column is used to keep track of the beginning and end addresses that are used to locate a phone number within memory 18. The number ofmemory locations used to store the phone number varies with the length of the phone number. For example, seven locations are used for a simple local phone number, 10 while ten or more locations are used for phone numbers that involve area codes, country codes or telephone extensions.
FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart for a control loop executed by microprocessor 28. Step 60 involves a self-test which is followed by decision step 62. In decision step 62, if an incoming call is detected, an incoming call routine is 15 executed, and if an incoming call is not detected, decision step 64 is executed. In decision step 64, if a comm~nd is received from control pad 34, the comrnand is executed, and if a comm~n-l is not detected, the loop restarts at self-test step 60.
FIG. 4 illustrates an incoming call routine. After detecting an incoming call in step 62 of FIG. 3, decision step 70 of FIG. 4 is executed. If microprocessor 20 28 detects that the called party picked up the receiver, rnic~plocessor 28 returns to the control loop of FIG. 3. When the called party does not pick up the receiver,decision step 72 is executed. If an incoming command from telephone network interface 10 is detected, that comm~nd is executed in step 74. After executing the cornmand in step 74, decision step 76 is executed to determine whether addit;onal 25 comm~n~ls have been received. If an additional co,..,n~n(l was received, it is executed in step 74, and if no additional comm~n~l~ were received, microprocessor 28 returns to the control loop. With reference to decision step 72, if a comm~n~l was not received, it is assumed that a calling party is aue~l-pting to leave a message and step 78 is executed. In step 78, a greeting is played to the calling party using30 recorder 12 or speech synthesi7~r 22. After playing the greeting, step 80 enables recorder 12 to record a message from the calling party. After step 80, decision step 82 is executed. In decision step 82, if a phone number is not recognized in the verbal message provided by the calling party, a "no number" m~ss~ge is loaded into memory 18 in step 84. If a number is recognized in the verbal message provided by 35 the calling party, the phone number is loaded into memory 18 in step 86. After loading ~ o~ 18 with the a~p~iate illfo~ tion, step 88 is exec~lte~ to update 2115~75 the table of FIG. 2. In step 88, m-icroprocessor 28 returns to the control loop of FIG. 3.
FIG. S illustrates a flow chart for an alternative incorning call routine.
After executing step 62 of FIG. 3, decision step 100 of FIG. 5 is executed. If 5 microprocessor 28 detects that the called party picked up the receiver, microprocessor 28 returns to the control loop and if it detects that the receiver is not picked up, decision step 102 is executed. If decision step 102 determines that acomm~nd was received from telephone network interface 10, the command is executed in step 104. After executing the comm~nd in step 104, decision step 10610 determines if additional comm~nds have been received. If an additional comm~n-l was received it is executed in step 104. If no additional comm~n~l was received,microprocessor 28 returns to the control loop. If a cnmm~nd is not detected in step 102, a counter is initi~li7~ to zero in step 108. After executing step 108, step 10 plays a greeting to the calling party using recorder 12 or speech synthesi~r 22.15 After playing the greeting, a first prompt is played to the calling party in step 112 using recorder 12 or speech synth~si7er 22. The first prompt is used to prompt the calling party to state the phone number at which he or she can be reached. In decision step 114 it is determine-1 whether a number was recogni_ed from the verbal message provided by the calling party. If a number was not recogni~d, step 116 20 increments a counter. Decision step 118 determines whether the counter has exceeded a m~ . . count. This counter is used to limit how many times an attempt will be made to obtain a phone number from the verbal message. A
convenient number such as three may be used as the maximum count. If the count is less than or equal to the maximum count, step 120 plays a repeat prompt using 25 recorder 12 or speech syn~he~i7~r 22. This prompt requests that the calling party repeat the number at which the calling party can be reached. Once again, decision step 114 is executed to determine if the number was recognized. If it was not recognized, steps 116 and 118 are executed again. If step 118 determines that the count has exceeded the ma~imulll count, step 122 is executed by loading a "no 30 number" mpss~e into memory 18. Turning back to decision step 114, if a numberwas unsuccessfully recognized in the message provided by the calling party to provide any additional information that he or she deems n~cess~ry, using recorder 12 or speech synthP.si7er 22. After playing the prompt, step 128 enables recorder 12 and step 130 updates the table of FIG. 2. After executing step 130, microprocessor 28 35 returns to the control loop.
211~7~
FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of the steps that are executed when the play messA~e commAnd is received. The play message comm~n-l is executed after decision step 64 of FIG. 3, within execute comm~n-l step 74 of FIG. 4 or within execute comm~And step 104 of FIG. 5. The play mPssAge command begins by S executing step 140 during which microprocessor 28 obtains the message ~) and called party ID from the command. Message ID and called party ID can be in a form such as alphanumeric symbols that are entered using control pad 34 or a telephone keypad. Using the IDs obtained in step 140, seep 142 reads the mçssAge table of FIG. 2. The informA~ion in the message table provides rnicroprocessor 28 with the 10 start and end addresses of the verbal mess~ge and phone number stored in recorder 12 and memory 18, respectively.
After retrieving the information from the message table, the phone number or "no number" message stored in memory 18 is displayed and/or recited byexecuting step 144. After executing step 144, step 146 plays the verbal m~ssAge 15 After executing step 146, decision step 148 det~.rmines whether a phone number or a "no number" mPssa~e was stored in memory 18. If a "no number" mess~ç was stored, microprocessor 18 returns to the point at which it was instructed to execute the play message commAnd. If a number was stored in memory 18, decision step 150 is executed. In decision step 150 it is determined whether the called party has 20 commAnde~ the microprocessor to dial the number that was stored in mt;ll,ory 18. If no command is received, the microprocessor returns to the point at which it was asked to execute the play m.-,ssage comm~nd If the called party co~ n~n~l~ the microprocessor to dial the number from IllemUl,~r 18, the microprocessor transfers the phone number to dialer 24 by executing co.-.".An(l 152. Dialer 24 then ~ o.nAI;cally 25 dials the number provided by microprocessor 28. After executing step 152, themicroprocessor returns to the point at which it was asked to execute the messagecommand.
It is possible to provide a variety of additional commAncls to microprocessor 28 by providing the approp~iate progrAmmin~ These commAn~ls 30 may be similar to co--.n-An~s that are executed by present day answering m~hines and can be programmed by one of ordinary skill in the art.
After retrieving the information from the message table, the phone number or "no number" message stored in memory 18 is displayed and/or recited byexecuting step 144. After executing step 144, step 146 plays the verbal m~ssAge 15 After executing step 146, decision step 148 det~.rmines whether a phone number or a "no number" mPssa~e was stored in memory 18. If a "no number" mess~ç was stored, microprocessor 18 returns to the point at which it was instructed to execute the play message commAnd. If a number was stored in memory 18, decision step 150 is executed. In decision step 150 it is determined whether the called party has 20 commAnde~ the microprocessor to dial the number that was stored in mt;ll,ory 18. If no command is received, the microprocessor returns to the point at which it was asked to execute the play m.-,ssage comm~nd If the called party co~ n~n~l~ the microprocessor to dial the number from IllemUl,~r 18, the microprocessor transfers the phone number to dialer 24 by executing co.-.".An(l 152. Dialer 24 then ~ o.nAI;cally 25 dials the number provided by microprocessor 28. After executing step 152, themicroprocessor returns to the point at which it was asked to execute the messagecommand.
It is possible to provide a variety of additional commAncls to microprocessor 28 by providing the approp~iate progrAmmin~ These commAn~ls 30 may be similar to co--.n-An~s that are executed by present day answering m~hines and can be programmed by one of ordinary skill in the art.
Claims (9)
1. A message taking apparatus comprising:
storage means for storing a verbal message provided by a calling party, said storage means being located at a public exchange;
replay means for replaying said verbal message to a called party;
speech recognition means for obtaining a phone number from said verbal message; and calling means for using said phone number to place a call after receiving a verbal command from said called party.
storage means for storing a verbal message provided by a calling party, said storage means being located at a public exchange;
replay means for replaying said verbal message to a called party;
speech recognition means for obtaining a phone number from said verbal message; and calling means for using said phone number to place a call after receiving a verbal command from said called party.
2. A message taking apparatus comprising:
storage means for storing a verbal message provided by a calling party;
replay means for replaying said verbal message to a called party;
speech recognition means for obtaining a phone number from said verbal message;
prompt generation means for generating an audio signal that prompts said calling party to state said phone number and to restate said phone number when said speech recognition means can not obtain said phone number from said verbal message; and calling means for using said phone number to place a call.
storage means for storing a verbal message provided by a calling party;
replay means for replaying said verbal message to a called party;
speech recognition means for obtaining a phone number from said verbal message;
prompt generation means for generating an audio signal that prompts said calling party to state said phone number and to restate said phone number when said speech recognition means can not obtain said phone number from said verbal message; and calling means for using said phone number to place a call.
3. The message taking apparatus of claim 2, further comprising display means for displaying said phone number.
4. The message taking apparatus of claim 2, further comprising speech generation means for generating an audio signal that conveys said phone number to said called party.
5. The message taking apparatus of claim 2, wherein said storage means is located at a public exchange.
6. The message taking apparatus of claim 2, wherein said storage means comprises a tape.
7. The message taking apparatus of claim 2, wherein said calling means places said called after receiving a command from said called party.
8. The message taking apparatus of claim 2, wherein said calling means places said call after receiving a verbal command from said called party.
9. The message taking apparatus of claim 2, wherein said storage means is located at a customer's premises.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US043,946 | 1993-04-05 | ||
| US08/043,946 US5504805A (en) | 1993-04-05 | 1993-04-05 | Calling number identification using speech recognition |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2115875A1 CA2115875A1 (en) | 1994-10-06 |
| CA2115875C true CA2115875C (en) | 1998-06-16 |
Family
ID=21929737
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002115875A Expired - Lifetime CA2115875C (en) | 1993-04-05 | 1994-02-17 | Calling number identification using speech recognition |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US5504805A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0619668A3 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH06350712A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2115875C (en) |
Families Citing this family (67)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5651056A (en) * | 1995-07-13 | 1997-07-22 | Eting; Leon | Apparatus and methods for conveying telephone numbers and other information via communication devices |
| US5644625A (en) * | 1995-09-01 | 1997-07-01 | Faxts-Now, Inc. | Automatic routing and rerouting of messages to telephones and fax machines including receipt of intercept voice messages |
| CA2187837C (en) * | 1996-01-05 | 2000-01-25 | Don W. Taylor | Messaging system scratchpad facility |
| JP3646393B2 (en) | 1996-02-29 | 2005-05-11 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Digital wireless phone |
| US6397180B1 (en) * | 1996-05-22 | 2002-05-28 | Qwest Communications International Inc. | Method and system for performing speech recognition based on best-word scoring of repeated speech attempts |
| KR0184505B1 (en) * | 1996-06-05 | 1999-05-15 | 김광호 | Dialing apparatus using electronic memobook |
| US5832060A (en) * | 1996-06-14 | 1998-11-03 | U S West, Inc. | System and associated method for concatenated messaging |
| US5835570A (en) * | 1996-06-26 | 1998-11-10 | At&T Corp | Voice-directed telephone directory with voice access to directory assistance |
| US6137863A (en) * | 1996-12-13 | 2000-10-24 | At&T Corp. | Statistical database correction of alphanumeric account numbers for speech recognition and touch-tone recognition |
| US6061654A (en) * | 1996-12-16 | 2000-05-09 | At&T Corp. | System and method of recognizing letters and numbers by either speech or touch tone recognition utilizing constrained confusion matrices |
| US6035017A (en) * | 1997-01-24 | 2000-03-07 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Background speech recognition for voice messaging applications |
| GB9703996D0 (en) * | 1997-02-26 | 1997-04-16 | British Telecomm | Message system |
| FI970962A (en) * | 1997-03-06 | 1998-09-07 | Ericsson Telefon Ab L M | Method and system in voicemail service |
| US6456709B1 (en) * | 1997-03-13 | 2002-09-24 | Metro One Telecommunications, Inc. | Method and apparatus for monitoring telephonic members and providing directory assistance |
| US20020136367A1 (en) * | 1997-03-13 | 2002-09-26 | Elsey Nicholas J. | Technique for facilitating communications with a party after initial unsuccessful communications therewith |
| US6163596A (en) * | 1997-05-23 | 2000-12-19 | Hotas Holdings Ltd. | Phonebook |
| US6137864A (en) * | 1997-07-25 | 2000-10-24 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Specifiable delete times for voice messaging |
| US6154579A (en) * | 1997-08-11 | 2000-11-28 | At&T Corp. | Confusion matrix based method and system for correcting misrecognized words appearing in documents generated by an optical character recognition technique |
| US6219453B1 (en) | 1997-08-11 | 2001-04-17 | At&T Corp. | Method and apparatus for performing an automatic correction of misrecognized words produced by an optical character recognition technique by using a Hidden Markov Model based algorithm |
| US6396906B1 (en) * | 1997-09-25 | 2002-05-28 | At&T Corp. | Telephone answering system that automatically calls back a caller who has left a message |
| WO1999017525A1 (en) * | 1997-10-01 | 1999-04-08 | Pulsepoint Communications | Method for customizing the dialogue of a voice mail system |
| US6141661A (en) * | 1997-10-17 | 2000-10-31 | At&T Corp | Method and apparatus for performing a grammar-pruning operation |
| US6871064B1 (en) | 1997-11-04 | 2005-03-22 | Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation | Outgoing call handling system and method |
| US7280821B2 (en) * | 1998-10-27 | 2007-10-09 | At&T Bls Intellectual Property, Inc. | Outgoing call handling system and method |
| US6807256B1 (en) | 1997-11-04 | 2004-10-19 | Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation | Call screening method and apparatus |
| AU1201499A (en) * | 1997-11-04 | 1999-05-24 | Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation | Outgoing call handling system and method |
| US6208965B1 (en) | 1997-11-20 | 2001-03-27 | At&T Corp. | Method and apparatus for performing a name acquisition based on speech recognition |
| US6122612A (en) * | 1997-11-20 | 2000-09-19 | At&T Corp | Check-sum based method and apparatus for performing speech recognition |
| US6205428B1 (en) | 1997-11-20 | 2001-03-20 | At&T Corp. | Confusion set-base method and apparatus for pruning a predetermined arrangement of indexed identifiers |
| US6223158B1 (en) | 1998-02-04 | 2001-04-24 | At&T Corporation | Statistical option generator for alpha-numeric pre-database speech recognition correction |
| US6205261B1 (en) | 1998-02-05 | 2001-03-20 | At&T Corp. | Confusion set based method and system for correcting misrecognized words appearing in documents generated by an optical character recognition technique |
| US6400805B1 (en) | 1998-06-15 | 2002-06-04 | At&T Corp. | Statistical database correction of alphanumeric identifiers for speech recognition and touch-tone recognition |
| US7937260B1 (en) | 1998-06-15 | 2011-05-03 | At&T Intellectual Property Ii, L.P. | Concise dynamic grammars using N-best selection |
| US6408176B1 (en) | 1998-07-13 | 2002-06-18 | Motorola, Inc. | Method and apparatus for initiating a communication in a communication system |
| US6249765B1 (en) * | 1998-12-22 | 2001-06-19 | Xerox Corporation | System and method for extracting data from audio messages |
| JP2000196730A (en) * | 1998-12-25 | 2000-07-14 | Nec Saitama Ltd | Radio communication equipment |
| DE19901833A1 (en) * | 1999-01-19 | 2000-07-27 | Bosch Gmbh Robert | Device for recording a message |
| US7379538B1 (en) * | 1999-06-04 | 2008-05-27 | Agere Systems Inc. | Telephone answering device which notifies a user based on call related information received from a calling party |
| US6275214B1 (en) | 1999-07-06 | 2001-08-14 | Karl C. Hansen | Computer presentation system and method with optical tracking of wireless pointer |
| US7359492B2 (en) * | 1999-09-08 | 2008-04-15 | Ameritech Corporation | Method and apparatus for converting a voice signal received from a remote telephone to a text signal |
| US7206746B1 (en) | 1999-11-09 | 2007-04-17 | West Corporation | Third party verification system |
| US7130800B1 (en) | 2001-09-20 | 2006-10-31 | West Corporation | Third party verification system |
| US6401066B1 (en) | 1999-11-09 | 2002-06-04 | West Teleservices Holding Company | Automated third party verification system |
| US6567506B1 (en) * | 1999-12-02 | 2003-05-20 | Agere Systems Inc. | Telephone number recognition of spoken telephone number in a voice message stored in a voice messaging system |
| US7386452B1 (en) * | 2000-01-27 | 2008-06-10 | International Business Machines Corporation | Automated detection of spoken numbers in voice messages |
| WO2002005521A2 (en) * | 2000-07-07 | 2002-01-17 | Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ) | Automated recording of telephone numbers during ongoing telecommunication sessions |
| US20020031115A1 (en) * | 2000-09-11 | 2002-03-14 | Petryna Brian J. | System and method for automatically establishing a telephone call over a computer network |
| US6741680B2 (en) * | 2000-12-22 | 2004-05-25 | International Business Machines Corporation | Telephone message system with flexible presentation capability |
| US7191133B1 (en) | 2001-02-15 | 2007-03-13 | West Corporation | Script compliance using speech recognition |
| US7966187B1 (en) | 2001-02-15 | 2011-06-21 | West Corporation | Script compliance and quality assurance using speech recognition |
| US7664641B1 (en) | 2001-02-15 | 2010-02-16 | West Corporation | Script compliance and quality assurance based on speech recognition and duration of interaction |
| US7739115B1 (en) | 2001-02-15 | 2010-06-15 | West Corporation | Script compliance and agent feedback |
| US8180643B1 (en) | 2001-02-15 | 2012-05-15 | West Corporation | Script compliance using speech recognition and compilation and transmission of voice and text records to clients |
| GB2373670B (en) * | 2001-03-20 | 2005-09-21 | Mitel Knowledge Corp | Method and apparatus for extracting voiced telephone numbers and email addresses from voice mail messages |
| US20030081738A1 (en) * | 2001-10-29 | 2003-05-01 | Kohnle Scott E | Method and apparatus for improving access to numerical information in voice messages |
| US7403967B1 (en) * | 2002-06-18 | 2008-07-22 | West Corporation | Methods, apparatus, and computer readable media for confirmation and verification of shipping address data associated with a transaction |
| US7174191B2 (en) * | 2002-09-10 | 2007-02-06 | Motorola, Inc. | Processing of telephone numbers in audio streams |
| US7561680B1 (en) * | 2003-08-13 | 2009-07-14 | Evercom Systems, Inc. | System and method for called party controlled message delivery |
| US8103873B2 (en) * | 2003-09-05 | 2012-01-24 | Emc Corporation | Method and system for processing auditory communications |
| US6930759B2 (en) * | 2003-09-23 | 2005-08-16 | Eastman Kodak Company | Method and apparatus for exposing a latent watermark on film |
| US20050210401A1 (en) * | 2004-03-18 | 2005-09-22 | Nokia Corporation | Method and system for centralized copy/paste functionality |
| EP1672897A1 (en) * | 2004-12-15 | 2006-06-21 | Alcatel | Detection of a callback number in a voicemail system |
| US7729478B1 (en) * | 2005-04-12 | 2010-06-01 | Avaya Inc. | Change speed of voicemail playback depending on context |
| US7965822B2 (en) * | 2005-09-28 | 2011-06-21 | Siemens Enterprise Communications, Inc. | Telephony dialing using speech recognition |
| AU2009233793A1 (en) * | 2008-04-10 | 2009-10-15 | Karl Christopher Hansen | Simple-to-use optical wireless remote control |
| US8477957B2 (en) * | 2009-04-15 | 2013-07-02 | Nokia Corporation | Apparatus, method and computer program |
| US9118669B2 (en) | 2010-09-30 | 2015-08-25 | Alcatel Lucent | Method and apparatus for voice signature authentication |
Family Cites Families (12)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE2933476A1 (en) * | 1979-07-30 | 1981-05-27 | Elmeg Elektro-Mechanik Gmbh, 3150 Peine | Telephone answering and data recording machine - incorporates speech to digital signal converter for numbers |
| EP0041195A1 (en) * | 1980-05-30 | 1981-12-09 | General Electric Company | Improved paging arrangement |
| FR2571191B1 (en) * | 1984-10-02 | 1986-12-26 | Renault | RADIOTELEPHONE SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY FOR MOTOR VEHICLE |
| EP0293259A3 (en) * | 1987-05-29 | 1990-03-07 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Voice recognition system used in telephone apparatus |
| US4979206A (en) * | 1987-07-10 | 1990-12-18 | At&T Bell Laboratories | Directory assistance systems |
| JPH0792929B2 (en) * | 1987-08-26 | 1995-10-09 | シャープ株式会社 | Optical pickup device |
| JPH01155752A (en) * | 1987-12-14 | 1989-06-19 | Hitachi Ltd | Automatic answering telephone set |
| JP2749933B2 (en) * | 1990-02-16 | 1998-05-13 | キヤノン株式会社 | Answering machine |
| JPH04100470A (en) * | 1990-08-20 | 1992-04-02 | Nec Corp | Telephone exchange system |
| JPH04165850A (en) * | 1990-10-30 | 1992-06-11 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Automatic answering telephone |
| JPH05103076A (en) * | 1991-10-09 | 1993-04-23 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Automatic answering telephone set |
| US5283818A (en) * | 1992-03-31 | 1994-02-01 | Klausner Patent Technologies | Telephone answering device linking displayed data with recorded audio message |
-
1993
- 1993-04-05 US US08/043,946 patent/US5504805A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1994
- 1994-02-17 CA CA002115875A patent/CA2115875C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1994-03-30 EP EP94302321A patent/EP0619668A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1994-04-04 JP JP6087264A patent/JPH06350712A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0619668A3 (en) | 1996-02-28 |
| JPH06350712A (en) | 1994-12-22 |
| EP0619668A2 (en) | 1994-10-12 |
| CA2115875A1 (en) | 1994-10-06 |
| US5504805A (en) | 1996-04-02 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CA2115875C (en) | Calling number identification using speech recognition | |
| CA1268275A (en) | Programmable telephone/dictation terminal and method of operating same | |
| US5544231A (en) | Conversation recording/playback method in a key phone system | |
| US5651055A (en) | Digital secretary | |
| US5481594A (en) | Audio caller identification unit | |
| EP0618710A2 (en) | Method of voice activated telephone dialing | |
| US5153905A (en) | Priority voice message delivery system | |
| US4623761A (en) | Telephone operator voice storage and retrieval system | |
| US4918322A (en) | Voice/data-formatted telephone information storage and retrieval system | |
| US8379803B2 (en) | Voice response apparatus and method of providing automated voice responses with silent prompting | |
| US5479490A (en) | Voice responsive remote-controllable system | |
| US8855616B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for caller identification | |
| JPH08502873A (en) | Circuit and method for automatic memory dial operation | |
| US6711248B1 (en) | Message callback feature | |
| CA2330981A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for annotated voice mail response | |
| CN1077374C (en) | Method for receiving dialed number during talking by double-tone multi-frequency | |
| JPH05103076A (en) | Automatic answering telephone set | |
| JP3519849B2 (en) | Answering Machine and Answering Machine Message Playback Method | |
| JPS60214664A (en) | Telephone attachment | |
| JPH0355946A (en) | Memory dial telephone system | |
| JP2876249B2 (en) | Voice storage device | |
| JPH01215169A (en) | Automatic answering telephone set | |
| JP3046390B2 (en) | Telephone system | |
| KR970056598A (en) | Method of delivering message by remote command in answering machine | |
| EP1011247A1 (en) | Telephone set capable of speaking telephone number of calling party |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |
Effective date: 20140217 |