Hitachi, Ltd.

Akio Suehiro

Akira Ichikawa

Kazuo Nakata

Tomonori Sugiyama

Vocoder signals in Telex format include a 'word accent' code which indicates a sudden change in pitch (fundamental) frequency, perhaps by 50 Hz, usually caused by accenting a certain syllable in a word, whereby continuous speech may be more accurately segmented.

Speech information transmission method and system

Speech information communicating method and apparatus for transmitting speech information through a transmission system having a low bit rate transmission capacity such as Telex to a receiver station for reproduction. The apparatus comprises at the side of transmitter station a speech recognition device for extracting by high data compression a character train corresponding to syllable units or phonetic symbol from an input speech and simultaneously determining accent types of words or phrases contained in a character train, and a code converter for encoding the extracted character train and the identified accent type in the form of Telex code, unoccupied Telex codes being allotted to the accent type codes and for producing an encoded speech information signal including a time series of character codes having the accent type identifying codes inserted therein. The receiver station includes a decoder for decoding the encoded speech information signal from a transmission channel into the character code train and the accent identifying code, a signal processing circuit for converting the derived character code train into a syllable-based time series signal while preparing accent type identifying signal from the accent identifying code, thereby to produce a speech synthesis control signal, a speech synthesizer for reading out voice waveform signals to be synthesized from a voice waveform storing memory in accordance with the speech synthesizing control signal, and converter for converting the readout voice waveform signal into a corresponding audible speech signal. The output from the encoding circuit of the transmitter can be once recorded on a Telex tape and transmitted to the receiver later on by an automatic Telex sender system. At the receiver station, the received speech code information can be recorded and reproduced later on by a speech decoding apparatus provided with a tape reader having a speech restoring function.

A voice frequency response system comprising a subscriber's terminal unit including both a functional part functioning as a telephone and a functional part functioning as a facsimile receiver, a voice frequency response device including a functional part functioning as a facsimile response unit, and a telephone line connected between the terminal unit and the voice frequency response device. The voice frequency response device comprises a voice frequency response unit transmitting a required message to the telephone in response to a demand for voice frequency response service from the telephone in the terminal unit, and a facsimile response unit transmitting necessary information in the message or other information including the necessary information to the facsimile receiver in the terminal unit. Therefore, the subscriber is freed from the cumbersome effort of writing the message, and the possibility of mishearing or miswriting leading to a future trouble can also be eliminated, thereby improving the serviceability and reliability of the system.

Voice frequency response system

A voice frequency response system consisting of a central voice frequency response device and a thermal unit, the central voice frequency response device including means for confirming a specific code allotted to the thermal unit, a PB signal receiver, a message drum and a trunk, and the terminal unit including a recorder recording message information transmitted from the central voice frequency response device, a PB signal oscillator, and a push button dial generating the specific code applied to the central voice frequency response device. In the system, a signal consisting of the combination of three frequencies in the voice frequency band is recorded on a portion of the message drum to be selectively applied to the terminal unit prior to transmission of important message information. The terminal unit includes a filter which detects this three-frequency signal so that the recorder is actuated by the output signal of the filter. In the terminal unit, a signal is generated in response to the normal operation of the recorder for actuating the PB signal oscillator. This PB signal is received by the PB signal receiver in the central voice frequency response device, and the central voice frequency response device detects that the recorder in the terminal unit has started its recording operation, and transmits the important message information to the terminal unit.

Telephone voice frequency response system for message recording

Improvements in a push button signal receiving device for use in a voice response system, wherein in order to permit a push button signal from a user's telephone terminal to be received even during the period when a responding voice signal is being transmitted through the system, an analyzer for the parameter analysis of the responding voice signal and an inverse filter responsive to the analyzer for flattening the spectrum of the responding voice signal which is mixed into the push button signal are provided, whereby the influence of the responding voice signal mixing into the signal to be applied to a push button signal detector is erased, and the push button signal, which may be feeble in comparison to the responding voice signal, is detected and recognized nevertheless.

Voice response system

A system for transmitting and receiving audio information includes an audio response unit for reading out pre-recorded digital audio information and editing the digital audio information in digital signal form. A transmitter is provided for transmitting the edited digital audio information, and a converter is provided at the receiving side for converting the transmitted digital audio information into an analog audio signal. One feature of the invention is that the announcer audio information in digital form may be mixed with the pre-recorded audio information in digital signal form.

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Yokohama, Japan

Akio Suehiro