Abstract: The invention describes a method for transmitting messages from a sender (5) to a recipient (6). A message is inputted in an input representation form on the sender (5) side, converted into a message in a defined transmitting representation form depending on the semantic content of the message, converted into a message in output representation form, and output in output representation form on the recipient (6) side. A semantic analysis of the message is performed within at least one of the steps converting the message in input representation form into a message in transmitting representation form and converting the message in transmitting representation form into a message in output representation form.

Abstract: A method and a system for developing a dialog control (DS) for a dialog system is described, which on the one hand has the task of controlling the dialog with the user and on the other hand monitors the speech user interface (SP) and the application (AP) of the dialog system. First of all a graphic dialog description (GB) is produced, which during the development process is displayed by a display device of the development system. Subsequently, the graphic dialog description (GB) is converted into a technical dialog description (TB) which comprises classes of an object-oriented translator language and translates these into a binary format, which ultimately represents the dialog control (DS) that can be executed by the dialog system.

Abstract: A method is described for operation of a dialog system (1) with a speech input interface (2) and an application (3) co-operating with the speech input interface (2). The speech input interface (2) detects audio speech signals (AS) of a user and converts these into a recognition result (ER) in the form of binary data which can be used directly by the application. This recognition result (ER) is provided by the application (3). A method and a system for production of a corresponding speech input interface (2), a speech input interface (2) and a dialog system (1) with such a speech input interface (2), are also described.

Abstract: A device comprising means for picking up and recognizing speech signals and a method of controlling an electric apparatus are proposed. The device comprises a personifying element (14) which can be moved mechanically. The position of a user is determined and the personifying element (14), which may comprise, for example, the representation of a human face, is moved in such a way that its front side (44) points in the direction of the user's position. Microphones (16), loudspeakers (18) and/or a camera (20) may be arranged on the personifying element (14). The user can conduct a speech dialog with the device, in which the apparatus is represented in the form of the personifying element (14). An electric apparatus can be controlled in accordance with the user's speech input. A dialog of the user with the personifying element for the purpose of instructing the user is also possible.

Abstract: Successive sections of a computer program of a user interactive system are carried out. A user presents successive verbal items such as answers, to verbal items such as questions presented by the system. Each question corresponds to a respective program section. The user item is recognized and a next machine item is presented, if possible and appropriate. The recognizing is evaluated, and on the basis of the evaluating a progress score is kept. If the progress score attains a particular level, the system enables an operator to intervene in the dialogue in an unobtrusive manner. If a plurality of dialogs are supervised in parallel, the enabling is on the basis of a progress ranking among the dialogs. The intervention may be realized by emulating a user item in the form of speech or in the form of a mechanically entered user item.

Abstract: The procedure for the recognition of a speech signal until output of the recognized word sequence or the recognized sentence is split in accordance with the invention in such a manner that first only word hypotheses are separately generated for different starting instants and that from these word hypotheses preliminary word strings are formed in conformity with a word graph, the word graph thus arising being continuously optimized by erasure of parts of word strings. Parts of word strings having the same beginning and end points are compared with one another and the scores of words having concurrent end points are compared with a threshold value. Further steps for optimization of the word graph are also shown. For output disclosed a particularly effective post-editing operation where for each incorrect word all further words having the same beginning are output, enabling fast selection of the correct word from all said further words, by the operator.