Abstract: A dialog design tool includes a dialog manager including a system prompt generator and a response generator which allows a dialog designer to generate at least one response; a dialog synthesizer for structurally managing the input and response; and an output and display unit for outputting and displaying at least one dialog structure. At least one system prompt and at least one response are included in each state, and a linking unit may link a first state to a second state related to the first state, link the second state to a third state, and so on until certain system actions can be achieved. A dialog synthesizer includes a loop detecting unit which detects and identifies loops in the dialog structure. Thus, the dialog design tool facilitates the creation of natural language dialogs by creating data structures for voice user interfaces.

Abstract: A state oriented dialog design apparatus and method facilitates creation of natural language dialogs and provides data structures for voice user interfaces. The dialog design apparatus may include inputting means for receiving a user's prompt; response generating means for the user to generating at least one response; dialog structure generating means for structurally managing the user's input and response; and output means for outputting and displaying at least one dialog structure. A state used in the dialog design apparatus and method may include at least one system prompt and at least one response, and a linking unit may link a first state to a second state related to the first state, link the second state to a third state, and so on until certain system actions are achieved. A loop detecting unit in the dialog design apparatus and method detects and identifies loops in the dialog structure.

Abstract: A dialog design tool includes a dialog manager including a system prompt generator and a response generator which allows a dialog designer to generate at least one response; a dialog synthesizer for structurally managing the input and response; and an output and display unit for outputting and displaying at least one dialog structure. At least one system prompt and at least one response are included in each state, and a linking unit may link a first state to a second state related to the first state, link the second state to a third state, and so on until certain system actions can be achieved. A dialog synthesizer includes a loop detecting unit which detects and identifies loops in the dialog structure. Thus, the dialog design tool facilitates the creation of natural language dialogs by creating data structures for voice user interfaces.

Abstract: A method records verbal expressions of a person for use in a vehicle navigation system. The vehicle navigation system has a database including a map and text describing street names and points of interest of the map. The method includes the steps of obtaining from the database text of a word having at least one syllable, analyzing the syllable with a greedy algorithm to construct at least one text phrase comprising each syllable, such that the number of phrases is substantially minimized, converting the text phrase to at least one corresponding phonetic symbol phrase, displaying to the person the phonetic symbol phrase, the person verbally expressing each phrase of the phonetic symbol phrase, and recording the verbal expression of each phrase of the phonetic symbol phrase.

Abstract: This invention relates to a dialog design apparatus and method. More specifically, this invention relates to a state oriented dialog design apparatus and method to facilitate the creation of natural language dialogs and creating data structures for voice user interfaces. The dialog design apparatus may include inputting means for receiving a user's prompt; response generating means for the user to generating at least one response; dialog structure generating means for structurally managing the user's input and response; and output means for outputting and displaying at least one dialog structure. A state in the present invention may include at least one system prompt and at least one response, and a linking unit may link a first state to a second state related to the first state, link the second state to a third state, and so on until certain system actions are achieved. A loop detecting unit in the present invention detects and identifies loops in the dialog structure.

Abstract: The invention, in its several embodiments, pertains to methods and apparatuses for text to speech synthesis. In embodiments, the method can include obtaining text of a word having a first syllable and a second syllable, providing from a database a first voice recording of the first syllable, providing from the database a second voice recording of the second syllable, combining by a processor the first voice recording and the second voice recording, and transmitting the combination of the first voice recording and the second voice recording over an audio speaker. In embodiments, the apparatus can include a database, an audio speaker and a processor connected to the database and speaker.

Abstract: In embodiments the present invention includes a method for recording verbal expressions of a person for use in a vehicle navigation system. The vehicle navigation system has a database including a map and text describing street names and points of interest of the map. The method includes the steps of obtaining from the database text of a word having at least one syllable, analyzing the at least one syllable with a greedy algorithm to construct at least one text phrase comprising each syllable of the at least one syllable, such that the number of phrases is at least substantially minimized, converting the at least one text phrase to at least one corresponding phonetic symbol phrase, displaying to the person the at least one phonetic symbol phrase, the person verbally expressing each phrase of the at least one phonetic symbol phrase, and recording the verbal expression of each phrase of the at least one phonetic symbol phrase.

Abstract: In embodiments the present invention includes a method for populating a text to speech synthesis database. This method can include the steps of defining a set of phonetic symbols, wherein each symbol is a single alphabetic character representing a separate sound, representing a syllable by at least one phonetic symbol of the set of phonetic symbols to form a phonetic representation of the syllable, recording a verbal expression of the syllable using the phonetic representation, indexing the recording of the verbal expression of the syllable to a description of the recording, and storing the indexed recording of the verbal expression of the syllable in a database.

Abstract: In embodiments the present invention includes a method for analyzing a verbal expression for use in a vehicle navigation system. Such a navigation system can include a database having a map with text describing street names and points of interest of the map. The method can include the steps of obtaining from the database text of multisyllable words describing at least one of road names and points of interest of the map, applying a greedy algorithm to the text of the multisyllable words to construct a set of phrases comprising each syllable of the multisyllable words, recording the verbal expression of each phrase of the set of phrases, analyzing each recorded phrase of the set of phrases to define a start and an end of each syllable in each phrase for the set of phrases, forming a separate recording for each syllable as defined by the start and the end of each syllable, and storing in a phrase database each separate recoding of a syllable.