Abstract: With respect to data having periodicity to be compressed, windows of the same size are set for every two sections according to an interval of peaks appearing substantially periodically and processing for sorting sample data alternately among the set windows of the same size is sequentially performed, whereby a frequency of data having periodicity is replaced with an approximately half frequency without damaging reproducibility to original data at all to make it possible to apply compression processing to data of the replaced low frequency. If this sorting processing is applied to compression processing having a characteristic that a compression ratio is not increased in a high-frequency region, it becomes possible to improve a compression ratio without damaging a quality of reproduced data by decompression at all.

Abstract: A digital audio reproducing apparatus including a receiver receiving modulated data, a demodulator demodulating the modulated data received by the receiver, an audio decoder decoding, in a unit of a frame, digital audio information contained in the modulated data demodulated by the demodulator, and an audibility corrector for effecting audibility correction on failing digital audio information contained in a frame that failed to be decoded, when the audio decoder fails to decode the digital audio information.

Abstract: A decoder for packetized speech with differential quantization of line spectral frequencies and fixed-codebook gain conceals erased frames with interpolation of future and past frames by reconstruct future frame predicted parameters from presumed interpolations of erased frame parameters.

Abstract: A unified web-based voice messaging system provides voice application control between a web browser and an application server via an hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) connection on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The web browser receives an HTML page from the application server having an XML element that defines data for an audio operation to be performed by an executable audio resource. The application server executes the voice-enabled web application by runtime execution of extensible markup language (XML) documents that define the voice-enabled web application to be executed. The application server, in response to receiving a user request from a user, accesses a selected XML page that defines at least a part of the voice application to be executed for the user. The application server then parses the XML page, and executes the operation describer by the XML page.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A speech compression system capable of encoding a speech signal into a bitstream for subsequent decoding to generate synthesized speech is disclosed. The speech compression system optimizes the bandwidth consumed by the bitstream by balancing the desired average bit rate with the perceptual quality of the reconstructed speech. The speech compression system comprises a full-rate codec, a half-rate codec, a quarter-rate codec and an eighth-rate codec. The codecs are selectively activated based on a rate selection. In addition, the full and half-rate codecs are selectively activated based on a type classification. Each codec is selectively activated to encode and decode the speech signals at different bit rates emphasizing different aspects of the speech signal to enhance overall quality of the synthesized speech.

Abstract: A method of composing messages for speech output and the improvement of the quality of reproduction of speech outputs. A series of original sentences for messages is segmented and stored as audio files with search criteria. The length, position, and transition values for the respective segments can be recorded and stored. A sentence to be reproduced is transmitted in a format corresponding to the format of the search criteria. It is determined whether the sentence to be reproduced can be fully reproduced by one segment or a succession of stored segments. The segments found in each case are examined using their entries as to how far the individual segments match as regards speech rhythm. The audio files of the segments in which the examination resulted in the pre-requisites for optimal maintaining of the natural speech rhythm are combined and output for reproduction.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus including an image-sensing controller controlling image-sensing so as to take a picture upon detection of execution of a first operation, a word generator recognizing speech upon detection of execution of a second operation and generating a word or a phrase corresponding to the recognized voice, and a portion associating the word or a phrase with the picture. Accordingly a word, a generated phrase or the like can be easily associated with an image-sensed still picture (with ease).

Abstract: In a method of synthesizing voiced speech from pitch prototype waveforms by time-synchronous waveform interpolation (TSWI), one or more pitch prototypes is extracted from a speech signal or a residue signal. The extraction process is performed in such a way that the prototype has minimum energy at the boundary. Each prototype is circularly shifted so as to be time-synchronous with the original signal. A linear phase shift is applied to each extracted prototype relative to the previously extracted prototype so as to maximize the cross-correlation between successive extracted prototypes. A two-dimensional prototype-evolving surface is constructed by unsampling the prototypes to every sample point. The two-dimensional prototype-evolving surface is re-sampled to generate a one-dimensional, synthesized signal frame with sample points defined by piecewise continuous cubic phase contour functions computed from the pitch lags and the phase shifts added to the extracted prototypes.

Abstract: A method for processing a misrecognition error in an embedded speech recognition system during a speech recognition session can include the step of speech-to-text converting audio input in the embedded speech recognition system based on an active language model. The speech-to-text conversion can produce speech recognized text that can be presented through a user interface. A user-initiated misrecognition error notification can be detected. The audio input and a reference to the active language model can be provided to a speech recognition system training process associated with the embedded speech recognition system.

Abstract: The invention disclosed herein concerns a method of converting speech to text using a hierarchy of contextual models. The hierarchy of contextual models can be statistically smoothed into a language model. The method can include processing text with a plurality of contextual models. Each one of the plurality of contextual models can correspond to a node in a hierarchy of the plurality of contextual models. Also included can be identifying at least one of the contextual models relating to the text and processing subsequent user spoken utterances with the identified at least one contextual model.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enhancing coding efficiency by reducing illegal or other undesirable packet generation while encoding a signal. The probability of generating illegal or other undesirable packets while encoding a signal is reduced by first analyzing a history of the frequency of codebook values selected while quantizing speech parameters. Codebook entries are then reordered so that the index/indices that create illegal or other undesirable packets contain the least frequently used entry/entries. Reordering multiple codebooks for various parameters further reduces the probability that an illegal or other undesirable packet will be created during signal encoding. The method and apparatus may be applied to reduce the probability of generating illegal null traffic channel data packets while encoding eighth rate speech.

Abstract: A preferred method for generating a document includes the steps of: providing an applicant with a visual representation, via a visual display device, of at least a portion of a document; prompting an applicant to provide first information corresponding to a first portion of the document; receiving the first information, as a first vocal response, from the applicant; converting the first vocal response to corresponding first textual data; providing the applicant with an updated visual representation, via the visual display device, of the first textual data appearing at the first portion of the document; and generating a printed document corresponding to the updated visual representation of the document. Systems and computer readable media also are provided.

Abstract: A low power audio processor is disclosed which includes: a bit stream processing unit for performing bit processing for an applied audio stream and for decoding the bit processed audio stream to have a format conducive to digital signal processing; a digital signal processing unit for receiving the decoded data from the bit stream processing unit to perform digital signal processing; a post processing unit for post processing audio data from the digital signal processing unit to output final audio data; and a host interface unit for interfacing with an external device to provide an audio parallel stream from the external device to the bit stream processing unit.

Abstract: When recording digital data corresponding to a voice signal, a voice data recording and reproducing apparatus generates an error correction code and records this code together with the digital data in semiconductor memory. When transferring the digital data to the PC, a system control section in the voice data recording and reproducing apparatus transmits voice data including the error correction code without performing error correction. The system control section provides a lower data processing capability than that of a PC's CPU. The PC's CPU having a higher data processing capability performs error correction of the voice data by using the error correction code included in the received voice data.

Abstract: Voiced speech preprocessing employs waveform interpolation or a harmonic model circuit to smooth a transition region and simplify speech coding. At low bit rates, the speech is coded by a system that maintains a high perceptual quality in the transition region from a voiced (quasi-periodic) portion of the speech signal to an unvoiced (non-periodic) portion of the speech signal. Similarly, the transition region from an unvoiced portion to a voiced portion is conditioned to maintain a high perceptual quality at a low bandwidth. The transition region from one type of voiced region to another type of voiced region is also smoothed. The transition region is smoothed to create a quasi-periodic speech signal.

Abstract: A method and arrangement for managing talk groups of a telecommunication system at a dispatcher station of the telecommunications system having one or more talk groups which may consist of one or more users and which are controlled by the dispatcher at the dispatcher station. The arrangement includes a two-channel or a multichannel sound reproducing system which is configured to create an artificial acoustic space at the dispatcher station, and reproduce voices of each talk group so that the voices are heard from a certain point of the acoustic space, which allows the dispatcher to recognize the talk group to which the voice belongs on the basis of the location of the voice.

Abstract: A speech compression system capable of encoding a speech signal into a bitstream for subsequent decoding to generate synthesized speech is disclosed. The speech compression system optimizes the bandwidth consumed by the bitstream by balancing the desired average bit rate with the perceptual quality of the reconstructed speech. The speech compression system comprises a full-rate codec, a half-rate codec, a quarter-rate codec and an eighth-rate codec. The codecs are selectively activated based on a rate selection. In addition, the full and half-rate codecs are selectively activated based on a type classification. Each codec is selectively activated to encode and decode the speech signals at different bit rates emphasizing different aspects of the speech signal to enhance overall quality of the synthesized speech.

Abstract: An interactive multimedia book provides hands-on multimedia instruction to the user in response to voiced commands. The book is implemented on a computer system and includes both text and audio/video clips. The interactive multimedia book is accessed by voiced commands and natural language queries as the primary user input. The displayed text is written in a markup language and contains hyperlinks which link the current topic with other related topics. The user may command the book to read the text and, as the text is read by the voice synthesizer, a word which is also a hyperlink will change its attributes upon being spoken. The user will be able to observe or hear this and simply utter the word which is the hyperlink to navigate to the linked topic.

Abstract: The invention provides a system and method for automatically indexing and retrieving multimedia content. The method may include separating a multimedia data stream into audio, visual and text components, segmenting the audio, visual and text components based on semantic differences, identifying at least one target speaker using the audio and visual components, identifying a topic of the multimedia event using the segmented text and topic category models, generating a summary of the multimedia event based on the audio, visual and text components, the identified topic and the identified target speaker, and generating a multimedia description of the multimedia event based on the identified target speaker, the identified topic, and the generated summary.