International Business Machines Corporation

Huifang Wang

James Robert Lewis

Kerry Alan Ortega

Ronald E Vanbuskirk

Amado Nassiff

Steven Gary Woodward

Ronald E VanBuskirk

Peter J Guasti

Harvey M Ruback

Gary Robert Hanson

Daniel E Badt

Edwin A Rodriguez

Carl A Smith

Ron Van Buskirk

Barbara E Ballard

Qing Gong

Arthur Keller

Hans Egger

Stephane Herman Maes

Michael Peter Perrone

Eugene Henry Ratzlaff

Jayashree Subrahmonia

Keith P Loring

Catherine Gody Wolf

Jonathan Louis Gabel

Larry A Brocious

Ronald Van Buskirk

David C Loose

Julia E Maners

Oing Gong

Ronald E Van Buskirk

A method for navigating in a vehicle includes the steps of identifying navigation information for at least one destination. The navigation information is stored in at least a first memory remote from the vehicle. The navigation information is transferred from the first memory to a navigation device in the vehicle. The vehicle can then be navigated to the destination using the navigation device and the navigation information.

Vehicle navigation method

A novel apparatus and method for correcting speech recognized text in a predominantly speech-only environment for use with a device having only a limited or no display device available. The method is preferably implemented by a machine readable storage mechanism having stored thereon a computer program, the method comprising the following steps. First, audio speech input can be received and speech-to-text converted to speech recognized text. Second, a first speech correction command for performing a correction operation on speech recognized text stored in a text buffer can be detected in the speech recognized text. Third, if a speech correction command is not detected in the speech recognized text, the speech recognized text can be added to the text buffer. Fourth, if a speech command is detected in the speech recognized text, the detected correction speech command can be performed on speech recognized text stored in the text buffer.

Speech recognition correction for devices having limited or no display

A method for guiding text-to-speech output timing with speech recognition markers can include the following steps. First, tokens can be retrieved in a TTS system. The tokens can include words, phrase markers, punctuation marks and meta-tags. Second, phrase markers can be identified among the retrieved tokens. Third, words can be identified among the retrieved tokens. Fourth, the TTS system can TTS play back the identified words. Finally, during the TTS playback of the words, the TTS system can pause in response to the identification of the phrase markers.

Method for guiding text-to-speech output timing using speech recognition markers

A method and system for completing user input in a speech recognition system. The method can include a series of steps which can include receiving a user input. The user input can specify an attribute of a selection. The method can include comparing the user input with a set of selections in the speech recognition system. Also, the method can include limiting the set of selections to an available set of selections which can correspond to the received user input. The step of matching a received user spoken utterance with the selection in the available set of selections also can be included.

Method, system, and apparatus for limiting available selections in a speech recognition system

A system and method for automatically providing quality assurance for user enrollment in a recognition system. Advantageously, the quality a new enrollment (i.e., a newly trained user-dependent prototype) is assessed before the new enrollment is accepted in place of a current enrollment. This quality check is performed by decoding stored user test data using the new enrollment, comparing the decoding results of the new enrollment to the known script used to generate the test data to obtain an accuracy score for the new enrollment, and then comparing the accuracy score for the new enrollment with an accuracy score of a previous qualified enrollment (or, in the case where there is no previous, qualified enrollment, to the accuracy of the speaker independent model). If the decoding results of the new enrollment are acceptable, the new enrollment will be used for recognition; otherwise it will be rejected and discarded.

System and method for automatic quality assurance of user enrollment in a recognition system

A method for concurrent presentation of multiple audio information sources. In the method, audio information from at least two audio information sources is concurrently presented, and a user speech selection of one of the audio information sources is accepted. At least one of the audio information sources can then be reconfigured. The reconfiguration audibly distinguishes the user selected audio information source from other audio information sources.

System and method for concurrent presentation of multiple audio information sources

A method and a system for improving recall of speech data in a computer speech system can include a plurality of speech cache management steps including providing a speech cache, receiving a speech system input and identifying a speech event in the received speech system input, the speech event comprising speech data. Subsequently, the speech data can be compared to pre-determined speech cache entry criteria; and, if the speech data meets one of the pre-determined entry criteria, at least one entry can be added to the speech cache, the at least one entry corresponding to the speech data. Additionally, the speech data can be compared to pre-determined speech cache exit criteria; and, if the speech data meets one of the pre-determined exit criteria, at least one entry can be purged from the speech cache, the at least one entry corresponding to the speech data. The entry criteria can include frequently used speech data, recently used speech data, and important speech data. Similarly, the exit criteria can include least frequently used speech data associated with each entry in the speech cache, least recently used speech data associated with each entry in the speech cache and least important speed data associated with each entry in the speech cache.

Method of managing a speech cache

A computer system has a notification manager for playing a message to a user by selecting one of a plurality of audio notifications. The method includes the step of setting a priority level for each notification arriving into a queue. The notification is inserted into a position in the queue based upon the priority level of the notification, such that the audio notifications at the queue top have a generally higher priority than audio notifications at the queue bottom. The notification at the top of the queue can be selected if the priority level of the notification is greater than a predetermined gate level. Once a notification is selected, a message corresponding to the selected notification is played to the user.

Audio notification management system

A transcription system ( ) includes a computer ( ), a monitor ( ), and a microphone ( ). Via the microphone, a user of the system provides input speech that is received and transcribed ( ) by the system. The system monitors ( ) the accuracy of the transcribed speech during transcription. The system also determines ( ) whether the accuracy of the transcribed speech is sufficient and, if not, automatically activates ( ) a speech recognition improvement tool and alerts ( ) the user that the tool has been activated.

Method and apparatus for improving speech recognition accuracy

A method for enrolling a user in a speech recognition system, without requiring reading, comprises the steps of: generating an audio user interface having an audible output and an audio input; audibly playing a text phrase; audibly prompting the user to speak the played phrase; repeating the steps of audibly prompting the user not to speak, audibly playing the phrase and audibly prompting the user to speak, for a plurality of further phrases; and, processing enrollment of the user based on the audibly prompted and subsequently spoken phrases. A graphical user interface can also be generated for: displaying text corresponding to the phrases and to the audible prompts; displaying a plurality of icons for user activation; and, selectively distinguishing different ones of the icons at different times by at least one of: color; shape; and, animation.

Speech recognition enrollment for non-readers and displayless devices

A transcription system ( ) includes multiple recording devices ( ) that individually record and store ( ), into multiple files, digital data representing speech uttered by multiple speakers. In a preferred embodiment, time stamps are stored ( ) along with the speech. A transcription computer ( ) enables a user to select ( ) which of multiple files the user would like to have transcribed, and to associate ( ) a speaker ID to each of the multiple files. The transcription computer then transcribes ( ) phrases within the multiple files, and stores ( ) those phrases in a sequential order, based on the time stamps. The user may also cause an offset time for each file to be adjusted ( ), thus affecting the ultimate sequential order of the transcribed phrases. After transcription, the user may edit ( ) the time stamps, speaker IDs, and/or phrases.

Method and apparatus for transcribing multiple files into a single document

In a computer system having a list based natural discourse application adapted for speech recognition. In response to a first user element request, the system searches a list of elements to generate a list of matches which contain elements which satisfy the element request. The system calculates the time required to read out the match list common levels, the time required to read out all matches, and the time required to iteratively query the user as to which matches of one of said common levels to read out. The system then reads out the match list using the method having the lowest calculated time.

Method and apparatus for disambiguating lists of elements for speech interfaces

In a computer speech user interface, a method and computer apparatus for automatically adjusting the content of feedback in a responsive prompt based upon predicted recognition accuracy by a speech recognizer. The method includes the steps of receiving a user voice command from the speech recognizer; calculating present speech recognition accuracy based upon the received user voice command; predicting future recognition accuracy based upon the calculated present speech recognition accuracy; and, generating feedback in a responsive prompt responsive to the predicted recognition accuracy. For predicting future poor recognition accuracy based upon poor present recognition accuracy, the calculating step can include monitoring the received user voice command; detecting a reduced accuracy condition in the monitored user voice command; and, determining poor present recognition accuracy if the reduced accuracy condition is detected in the detecting step.

Method and system for automatically adjusting prompt feedback based on predicted recognition accuracy

A method, information processing system and computer readable storage medium for presenting a graphical menu item on a display. The graphical menu is displayed by receiving a time delay selected by an end-user; presenting to the end-user a graphical menu item wherein at least one menu item has a selectable option state; receiving input from the end-user for changing the option state on at least one menu item; and waiting an amount of time greater than the time delay before removing the graphical menu item from the display.

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Boynton Beach, FL, United States of America

Huifang Wang