Patents Assigned to Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
  • Patent number: 8352277
    Abstract: A speech recognition engine is configured to permit partial or full recognition of an utterance at a client device and/or a server device. This allows for support for client devices having differing computing capabilities. Natural language operations can also be supported as desired. A user can thus interact with content also accessible at a web page and select items of interest using speech as a mode of input. Dynamic grammars can assist in the recognition operations to improve speed and comprehension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 8229734
    Abstract: An intelligent query system for processing voiced-based queries is disclosed, which uses semantic based processing to identify the question posed by the user by understanding the meaning of the user's utterance. Based on identifying the meaning of the utterance, the system selects a single answer that best matches the user's query. The answer that is paired to this single question is then retrieved and presented to the user. The system, as implemented, accepts environmental variables selected by the user and is scalable to provide answers to a variety and quantity of user-initiated queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian Bennett
  • Patent number: 8214214
    Abstract: A prosody analyzer enhances the interpretation of natural language utterances. The analyzer is distributed over a client/server architecture, so that the scope of emotion recognition processing tasks can be allocated on a dynamic basis based on processing resources, channel conditions, client loads etc. The partially processed prosodic data can be sent separately or combined with other speech data from the client device and streamed to a server for a real-time response. Training of the prosody analyzer with real world expected responses improves emotion modeling and the real-time identification of potential features such as emphasis, intent, attitude and semantic meaning in the speaker's utterances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7912702
    Abstract: An intelligent query system for processing voiced-based queries is disclosed, which uses a combination of both statistical and semantic based processing to identify the question posed by the user by understanding the meaning of the user's utterance. Based on identifying the meaning of the utterance, the system selects a single answer that best matches the user's query. The answer that is paired to this single question is then retrieved and presented to the user. The system, as implemented, accepts environmental variables selected by the user and is scalable to provide answers to a variety and quantity of user-initiated queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian Bennett
  • Patent number: 7873519
    Abstract: An intelligent query system for processing voiced-based queries is disclosed, which uses a combination of both statistical and semantic based processing to identify the question posed by the user by understanding the meaning of the user's utterance. Based on identifying the meaning of the utterance, the system selects a single answer that best matches the user's query. The answer that is paired to this single question is then retrieved and presented to the user. The system, as implemented, accepts environmental variables selected by the user and is scalable to provide answers to a variety and quantity of user-initiated queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian Bennett
  • Patent number: 7831426
    Abstract: A network based interactive speech system responds in real-time to speech-based queries addressed to a set of topic entries. A best matching response is provided based on speech recognition processing and natural language processing performed on recognized speech utterances to identify a selected set of phrases related to the set of topic entries. Another routine converts the selected set of phrases into a search query suitable for identifying a first group of one or more topic entries corresponding to the speech-based query. The words/phrases can be assigned different weightings and can include entries which are not actually in the set of topic entries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Publication number: 20100235341
    Abstract: Systems and methods for searching using spoken input and user context information are disclosed. In systems and methods according to embodiments of the invention, continuous speech natural language queries are accepted from a user using a client device. Speech processing tasks are divided between the client device and one or more server systems. Along with speech in compressed form, the client device transmits to the one or more server systems user context information, which is used by the one or more server systems to dynamically load one or more of a dictionary, a grammar, or a vocabulary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: PHOENIX SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Publication number: 20100228540
    Abstract: Systems and methods for query-based searching using spoken input are disclosed. In systems and methods according to embodiments of the invention, continuous speech natural language queries are accepted from a user using a client device. Speech processing tasks are divided between the client device and one or more server systems. Once user speech is recognized, the system searches one or more data repositories containing queries for at least one query that matches the recognized speech and returns information related to the query.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2010
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: PHOENIX SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7729904
    Abstract: A client device incorporates partial speech recognition for recognizing a spoken query by a user. The full recognition process is distributed over a client/server architecture, so that the amount of partial recognition signal processing tasks can be allocated on a dynamic basis based on processing resources, channel conditions, etc. Partially processed speech data from the client device can be streamed to a server for a real-time response. Additional natural language processing operations can also be performed to implement sentence recognition functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7725320
    Abstract: A speech-enabled WWW based computing system allows a user to interact with content associated with a web page and select items of interest using speech as a mode of input. Dynamic grammars can assist in the recognition operations to improve speed and comprehension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7725321
    Abstract: An intelligent query system for processing voiced-based queries is disclosed, which uses a combination of both statistical and semantic based processing to identify the question posed by the user by understanding the meaning of the user's utterance. Based on identifying the meaning of the utterance, the system selects a single answer that best matches the user's query. The answer that is paired to this single question is then retrieved and presented to the user. The system, as implemented, accepts environmental variables selected by the user and is scalable to provide answers to a variety and quantity of user-initiated queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian Bennett
  • Patent number: 7725307
    Abstract: An intelligent query system for processing voiced-based queries is disclosed. This distributed client-server system, typically implemented on an intranet or over the Internet accepts a user's queries at his/her computer, PDA or workstation using a speech input interface. After converting the user's query from speech to text, a natural language engine, a database processor and a full-text SQL database is implemented to find a single answer that best matches the user's query. Both statistical and semantic decoding are used to assist and improve the performance of the query recognition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7702508
    Abstract: Candidate answers responsive to a user query are analyzed using a natural language engine to determine appropriate answers from an electronic database. The system and methods are useful for Internet based search engines, as well as distributed speech recognition systems such as a client-server system. The latter are typically implemented on an intranet or over the Internet based on user queries at his/her computer, a PDA, or a workstation using a speech input interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7698131
    Abstract: A speech-enabled internet based computing system includes a configurable speech recognition engine which allows support for client devices having differing computing capabilities. Natural language operations can also be supported as desired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7672841
    Abstract: Speech signal information is formatted, processed and transported in accordance with a format adapted for TCP/IP protocols used on the Internet and other communications networks. NULL characters are used for indicating the end of a voice segment. The method is useful for distributed speech recognition systems such as a client-server system, typically implemented on an intranet or over the Internet based on user queries at his/her computer, a PDA, or a workstation using a speech input interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian Bennett
  • Publication number: 20100036660
    Abstract: A prosody analyzer enhances the interpretation of natural language utterances. The analyzer is distributed over a client/server architecture, so that the scope of emotion recognition processing tasks can be allocated on a dynamic basis based on processing resources, channel conditions, client loads etc. The partially processed prosodic data can be sent separately or combined with other speech data from the client device and streamed to a server for a real-time response. Training of the prosody analyzer with real world expected responses improves emotion modeling and the real-time identification of potential features such as emphasis, intent, attitude and semantic meaning in the speaker's utterances.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: PHOENIX SOLUTIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7657424
    Abstract: Sentence based queries from a user are analyzed to determine appropriate answers from an electronic database. Text in the queries is dissected to identify different phrases; the phrases in turn are matched against candidate phrases to determine best matching answers responsive to the user's question. The system and methods are useful for Internet based search engines, as well as distributed speech recognition systems such as a client-server system. The latter are typically implemented on an intranet or over the Internet based on user queries at his/her computer, a PDA, or a workstation using a speech input interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7647225
    Abstract: A real-time speech recognition system includes distributed processing across a client and server for recognizing a spoken query by a user. Both the client and server can dedicate a variable number of processing resources for performing speech recognition functions. The partitioning of responsibility for speech recognition operations can be done on a client by client or connection by connection basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian M. Bennett, Bandi Ramesh Babu, Kishor Morkhandikar, Pallaki Gururaj
  • Patent number: 7624007
    Abstract: Sentence based queries from a user are analyzed using a natural language engine to determine appropriate answers from an electronic database. The system and methods are useful for Internet based search engines, as well as distributed speech recognition systems such as a client-server system. The latter are typically implemented on an intranet or over the Internet based on user queries at his/her computer, a PDA, or a workstation using a speech input interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett
  • Patent number: 7555431
    Abstract: Speech data is processed with one or more dynamic grammars, to reduce latency and improve accuracy. Different speech grammars are used by a speech recognition process depending on a context experienced by a speaker, and sentence grammars are similarly varied during a natural language process. The methods are useful for distributed speech recognition systems such as a client-server system, typically implemented on an intranet or over the Internet based on user queries at his/her computer, a PDA, or a workstation using a speech input interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Phoenix Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Ian M. Bennett