Abstract: A system and method has the ability to take information from a wide variety of sources and package it in a form that a user can accesses in a conversationally intuitive manner. Task or knowledge domain-specific knowledge bases acquired from structured and free-text sources, data extracted describing world state, or natural language and spoken language knowledge are used to “intelligently” respond to an operator's or user's verbal or written request for information. In the example of a maintenance system, a user may submit status-related questions, and the system might then verbalize a list of instructions of what further diagnostic information the maintainer should acquire through tests. As the maintainer verbalizes to the system their findings, the system might narrow down its assessment of likely faults and eventually verbalize to the maintainer specific steps, and potentially images and diagrams describing the necessary corrective maintenance. Additional applications are presented in the disclosure.

Abstract: Method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for customizing an automatic closed captioning system. In some embodiments, at a data use (DU) location, an automatic closed captioning system that includes a base model is provided, search criteria are defined to request from one or more data collection (DC) locations, a search request based on the search criteria is sent to the one or more DC locations, relevant closed caption data from the one or more DC locations are received responsive to the search request, the received relevant closed caption data are processed by computing a confidence score for each of a plurality of data sub-sets of the received relevant closed caption data and selecting one or more of the data sub-sets based on the confidence scores, and the automatic closed captioning system is customized by using the selected one or more data sub-sets to train the base model.

Abstract: A system and a method for automating drive-thru orders are provided. In particular, a bridge board is provided that can integrate existing drive-thru hardware with computer devices executing machine learning models to detect and analyze speech from a drive-thru. The system and method employ vehicle tracking to account for vehicle behavior during its time at the drive-thru as well as enhanced vehicle analytics. Additionally, the system and method employ tools for assessing customer speed-of-service. Cameras and vehicle image analysis are used to link drive-thru and/or on-line food/beverage orders with vehicles entering the eatery property to accelerate food/beverage delivery to vehicle occupants.

Abstract: A natural-language voice chatbot is initiated and a voice session is established between the chatbot and a customer while the customer is operating a vehicle device within a vehicle. A pre-staged order is taken from a customer during the session and the session is suspended until the customer arrives at a store associated with the pre-staged order. A location-based trigger is raised when the customer is detected as being present at a transaction terminal of a store; the session is resumed on the transaction terminal and/or the vehicle device. The pre-stage order is confirmed during the resumed session and payment is obtained from the customer for the order when payment was not already obtained from the customer. The order is sent to a fulfillment station and, in an embodiment, the items associated with the order are delivered to the customer while the customer remains at the terminal.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable media for machine translation between Arabic language and Arabic Sign Language are described.

Abstract: A voice interaction method, device, and terminal. The method includes receiving a wake-up prompt, activating an interactive mode according to the wake-up prompt, displaying a dialog prompt identification in the interactive mode, obtaining a vocal request, wherein the vocal request is input in response to the dialog prompt identification, and displaying a requested content according to the vocal request. In a variety of interaction scenarios, such as in a scenario of interacting with a smart home appliance, a user can continuously provide vocal requests in an interactive mode, without waking up the interactive mode repeatedly, thereby improving user experience.

Abstract: The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a service control method, a service control apparatus and a device, the method including: determining an application service in operating state in an electronic device; and transmitting audio data captured by a microphone to the application service and a control service, where the application service is configured to perform multimedia information interaction according to the audio data, and the control service is configured to control the electronic device according to the audio data, thereby improving flexibility in controlling services in the electronic device.

Abstract: A cross-platform communication method, a server device and an electronic device are provided. A user message from a first electronic device is received via a first service providing platform. A user intent of the user message and a keyword associated with at least one second electronic device are recognized. The contact information of the second electronic device is queried according to the keyword. A response message related to the user message is transmitted to the second electronic device via a second service providing platform according to the contact information and the user intent, such that the second electronic device performs a function according to the response message.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining hint words that improve the accuracy of automated speech recognition (ASR) systems. Hint words are determined in the context of a user issuing voice commands in connection with a voice interface system. Terms are initially taken from most frequently occurring terms in operation of a voice interface system. For example, most frequently occurring terms that arise in electronic search queries or received commands are selected. Certain of these terms are selected as hint words, and the selected hint words are then transmitted to an ASR system to assist in translation of speech to text.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for presenting a state of a voice interaction device are provided. The method includes: acquiring a current state of the voice interaction device; determining a current presentation mode corresponding to the current state, by searching a pre-stored correspondence relation between a state and a presentation mode according to the current state; and presenting the current state of the voice interaction device in the determined current presentation mode. In embodiments, a current state of a voice interaction device is presented to a user, and necessary usage recommendations and prompts are provided to a user, thereby improving user experience.

Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure are directed to techniques and apparatus for media coordination. One example method generally includes receiving, from a first user device, a command to play a voice message and media content at one or more second user devices, and determining whether one or more services accessible by the one or more second user devices can be used to play the media content. The method may also include coordinating the voice message and the media content to be played by the one or more second user devices based on the determination.

Abstract: As noted above, example techniques relate to toggling a cloud-based VAS between enabled and disabled modes. An example implementation involves a NMD detecting that the housing is in a first orientation and enabling a first mode. Enabling the first mode includes disabling voice input processing via a cloud-based VAS and enabling local voice input processing. In the first mode, the NMD captures sound data associated with a first voice input and detects, via a local natural language unit, that the first voice input comprises sound data matching one or more keywords. The NMD determines an intent of the first voice input and performs a first command according to the determined intent. The NMD may detect that the housing is in a second orientation and enables the second mode. Enabling the second mode includes enabling voice input processing via the cloud-based VAS.

Abstract: Technologies are provided for determining deficiencies in narrative textual data that may impact decision-making in a decisional context. A candidate text document and a reference corpus of text may be utilized to generate one or more topic models and document-term matrices, and then to determine a corresponding statistical perplexity and probabilistic coherence. The reference corpus may be known or normatively deemed to be epistemically persuasive and adequate with respect to a particular context. Statistical determinations of a degree to which the candidate deviates from the reference normative corpus are determined, in terms of the statistical perplexity and probabilistic coherence of the candidate as compared to the reference.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a pitch filter for filtering a preliminary audio signal generated from an audio bitstream is disclosed. The pitch filter has an operating mode selected from one of either: (i) an active mode where the preliminary audio signal is filtered using filtering information to obtain a filtered audio signal, and (ii) an inactive mode where the pitch filter is disabled. The preliminary audio signal is generated in an audio encoder or audio decoder having a coding mode selected from at least two distinct coding modes, and the pitch filter is capable of being selectively operated in either the active mode or the inactive mode while operating in the coding mode based on control information.

Abstract: Audio signal processing enhances audio watermark embedding and detecting processes. Audio signal processes include audio classification and adapting watermark embedding and detecting based on classification. Advances in audio watermark design include adaptive watermark signal structure data protocols, perceptual models, and insertion methods. Perceptual and robustness evaluation is integrated into audio watermark embedding to optimize audio quality relative the original signal, and to optimize robustness or data capacity. These methods are applied to audio segments in audio embedder and detector configurations to support real time operation. Feature extraction and matching are also used to adapt audio watermark embedding and detecting.

Abstract: A method and system for interpreting data transfer from a voice recognition platform. The voice recognition platform data transfer may include a designator, device identification, a command or query, and a plurality of variables. The voice recognition string from the voice recognition platform may include the designator, the query, and at least one variable of the plurality of variables. Further, the method may include generating an instruction string from the recognition string. The instruction string may include the designator, the query and the at least one variable of the plurality of values. The method may include removing extraneous symbols from the instruction string to generate a cleaned instruction string comprising the designator, a cleaned query, and a cleaned variable of the at least one variable of the plurality of variables. The method may include searching a context platform database for data corresponding to the cleaned query.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for efficient cross-fading (or other multiple clip processing) of compressed domain information streams on a user or client device, such as a telephone, tablet, computer or MP3 player, or any consumer device with audio playback. Exemplary implementation systems may provide cross-fade between AAC/Enhanced AAC Plus (EAACPlus) information streams or between MP3 information streams or even between information streams of unmatched formats (e.g. AAC to MP3 or MP3 to AAC). Furthermore, these systems are distinguished by the fact that cross-fade is directly applied to the compressed bitstreams so that a single decode operation may be performed on the resulting bitstream. Moreover, using the described methods, similar cross fade in the compressed domain between information streams utilizing other formats of compression, such as, for example, MP2, AC-3, PAC, etc. can also be advantageously implemented.

Abstract: An audio decoder for providing a decoded audio information on the basis of an encoded audio information is disclosed. The audio decoder includes a linear-prediction-domain decoder configured to provide a first decoded audio information on the basis of an audio frame encoded in a linear prediction domain, a frequency domain decoder configured to provide a second decoded audio information on the basis of an audio frame encoded in a frequency domain, and a transition processor. The transition processor is configured to obtain a zero-input-response of a linear predictive filtering, wherein an initial state of the linear predictive filtering is defined depending on the first decoded audio information and the second decoded audio information, and modify the second decoded audio information depending on the zero-input-response, to obtain a smooth transition between the first and the modified second decoded audio information.

Abstract: An action notification device acquires uttered voice data indicating an action of a user and being uttered by the user; detects a moving motion of the user; detects a stationary motion of the user; determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed in a state where the user is stationary; and notifies the user of contents of the action of the user based on the uttered voice data when it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed in the state where the user is stationary.

Abstract: One or more non-transitory computer readable media contain program instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to: receive first raw data including one or more first data points generated by a first object of a plurality of objects associated with one or more buildings; generate first input timeseries according to the one or more data points; access a database of interconnected smart entities, the smart entities including object entities representing each of the plurality of objects and data entities representing stored data, the smart entities being interconnected by relational objects indicating relationships between the smart entities; identify a first object entity representing the first object from a first identifier in the first input timeseries; identify a first data entity from a first relational object indicating a relationship between the first object entity and the first data entity; and store the first input timeseries in the first data entity.