Abstract: A method and device for updating statuses of synthesis filters are provided. The method includes: exciting a synthesis filter corresponding to a first encoding rate by using an excitation signal of the first encoding rate, outputting reconstructed signal information, and updating status information of the synthesis filter and a synthesis filter corresponding to a second encoding rate. In the present disclosure, the status of the synthesis filter corresponding to the current rate and the statuses of the synthesis filters at other rates are updated. Thus, synchronization between the statuses of the synthesis filters corresponding to different rates at the encoding terminal may be realized, thereby facilitating the consistency of the reconstructed signals of the encoding and decoding terminals when the encoding rate is switched, and improving the quality of the reconstructed signal of the decoding terminal.

Abstract: The invention is generally directed to systems and methods for medical care, and more particularly to systems and methods for voice control of a medical device. A first embodiment includes a voice controlled surgical system, such as a phacoemulsification system, a microphone coupled to the surgical system, and a voice controlled computer interface coupled with the surgical system. The voice controlled interface is configured to receive a request to invoke a voice command via the microphone, to listen for a voice command upon receipt of a valid request to invoke a voice command, and to forward a valid voice command upon receipt of the valid voice command to the surgical system for execution.

Abstract: A weighted search program is disclosed. The weighted search program may be integrated into a translation program, or the weighted search program may be used independently with an available search engine. When integrated with the translation program, setting and weighting may be combined in a single search. In one embodiment, the weighting would be used in conjunction with a Pin Yin translation program so that a user could set some terms, and allocate a search weight to the remaining terms. The invention may be applied independently in Internet searching so that a user can apply weights to multiple elements of a search term.

Abstract: A language processing system including: a forbidden word memory part that stores a forbidden word; a sequence candidate generator that generates a plurality of word sequence candidates where each words are described separately from plain text; and a word sequence estimator that reads the forbidden word from the forbidden word memory part, excludes the word sequence candidate containing the forbidden word from the plurality of word sequence candidates, and selects an estimated word sequence with the highest concatenation possibility of the words from among the plurality of word sequence candidates.

Abstract: A method for encoding sound signals on multiple channels includes extracting an arbitrary number of sine waves from each of the sound signals. The sine waves include at least a first sine wave, extracted from a first one of the channels and having first-channel information, and a second sine wave, extracted from a second one of the channels and having second-channel information. Using the first-channel information and one of the second-channel information and sine wave information corresponding to a predetermined sine wave, one of the second-channel information and the sine wave information corresponding to the predetermined sine wave is selected as a to-be-correlated object for encoding in a correlation with the first-channel information.

Abstract: A tool, method, and system for use in the development of sentence-based test items are disclosed. The tool may include a user interface that may include a database selection field, a sentence pattern entry field, an option pane, and an output pane. The tool may search a database for one or more sentences and may generate one or more responses to the one or more sentences. The one or more sentences and one or more responses may be used to produce the sentence-based test items. The tool may allow test items to be developed more quickly and easily than manual test item authoring. Accordingly, test item development costs may be lowered and test security may be enhanced.

Abstract: A natural language processing apparatus includes an input section for inputting natural language, a representation converting section for converting representation of the natural language, a display section for displaying, for confirmation, sentence converted at the representation converting section, a machine translation section for carrying out machine translation of the confirmed sentence, and a control section for controlling these respective sections, thus to provide natural language processing in which confirmation operation of user is reduced.

Abstract: A combination of a book and a voice phonation apparatus comprising a book having a plurality of pages, at least one of which is carrying a plurality of printed words and a plurality of specific codes associated with said words, said printed words being divided into a plurality of specific segments; and a voice phonation apparatus forming an integral part of said book and comprising (i) a housing with a plurality of switches and a plurality of keys, (ii) a voice output unit, and (iii) a control unit having a memory for storing data representing spoken words and connected to said switches, said keys, and said voice output unit.

Abstract: Audio comparison using phoneme matching is described, including evaluating audio data associated with a file, identifying a sequence of phonemes in the audio data, associating the file with a product category based on a match indicating the sequence of phonemes is substantially similar to another sequence of phonemes, the file being stored, and accessing the file when a request associated with the product category is detected.

Abstract: A communication supporting apparatus includes an input accepting unit that accepts a source language sentence to be translated input by a user; a paraphrase knowledge storing unit that stores paraphrase knowledge in which a source language interpretation which is an interpretation of the semantic content of the source language sentence is associated with a paraphrase interpretation having the same semantic content as the source language interpretation and a different expression form; a source language analyzing unit that analyzes the semantic content of the input source language sentence and outputs the source language interpretation; a paraphrasing unit that obtains the paraphrase interpretation associated with the output source language interpretation from the paraphrase knowledge storing unit, and paraphrases the input source language sentence in a source language paraphrase sentence based on the obtained paraphrase interpretation; and a translation unit that translates the output source language interpret

Abstract: This disclosure describes a practical system/method for predicting spoken text (a spoken word or a spoken sentence/phrase) given that text's partial spelling (example, initial characters forming the spelling of a word/sentence). The partial spelling may be given using “Speech” or may be inputted using the keyboard/keypad or may be obtained using other input methods. The disclosed system is an alternative method for inputting text into devices; the method is faster (especially for long words or phrases) compared to existing predictive-text-input and/or word-completion methods.

Abstract: The sharing of language models is disclosed. In one embodiment, a language model service is provided that is shareable among handlers for input devices. The service includes a pre-processing mode of operation, and a correction mode of operation. In the former mode, the language model service is designed to receive a range within a document from a handler for an input device, and in response provide advice regarding text under consideration by the handler to insert within the document at the range, based on the context of the document within the range. In the latter mode, the language model service is designed to supervise correction over a range of text within a document, in which a number of different handlers for a number of different input devices were initially responsible for insertion of the text, such that the service solicits suggestions from the handlers, and based thereon determines text corrections. The corrections can then be made by the handlers, or by the service.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for administering a personal interactive voice response service. A personalized greeting is retrieved that is associated with a calling party and with a called party. The calling party's response to the greeting is received, and stored information is retrieved that is associated with the calling party's response and with the called party. The stored information is presented to the calling party.

Abstract: A method, computer program product and system are provided. The method includes the steps of: providing output text and a confidence value and displaying the output text. The output text includes text in a second language produced from machine translation performed on input text in a first language. The confidence value corresponds to an indication of reliability of the output text. The display of the output text includes a display attribute corresponding to the confidence value of the output text.

Abstract: Speech recognition such as command and control speech recognition generally use a context free grammar to constrain the decoding process. Word or subword background model are constructed to repopulate dynamic hypothesis space, especially when word spareness is at issue. The background models can be later used in speech recognition. During speech recognition, background and conventional context free grammar decoding are used to measure confidence. The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Abstract: A system and method of presenting widgets to a user during a multi-modal interactive dialog between a user and a computer is presented. The system controls the multi-modal dialog; and when user input would help to clarify or speed up the presentation of requested information, the system presents a temporary widget to the user to elicit the user input in this regard. The system presents the widget on a display screen at a position that will not interfere with the dialog. Various types of widgets are available, such as button widgets, sliders and confirmation widgets, depending on the type of information that the system requires.

Abstract: A method for enabling input into a handheld electronic device having at least three selectable languages available thereon includes detecting a predetermined input a number of times and switching a selected language between one of the three selectable languages and another of the three selectable languages wherein the another language is an immediately preceding selected language.

Abstract: Techniques for enhanced linguistic transformation are disclosed. For example, a method of linguistic transformation includes the steps of providing at least one input to a plurality of modules, wherein at least one module has a different configuration than at least another module, obtaining at least one output from each of at least a subset of the plurality of modules, and generating a set of distinct outputs. The input and the output include linguistic representations and at least a portion of the output is a result of applying one or more linguistic transformations to at least a portion of the input. Techniques for displaying a plurality of results so as to emphasize component-level differences are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of automated processing of speech signals and particularly to a method for tracking the formant frequencies in a speech signal, comprising the steps of: obtaining an auditory image of the speech signal; sequentially estimating formant locations; segmenting the frequency range into sub-regions; smoothing the obtained component filtering distributions; and calculating exact formant locations.

Abstract: A communication support apparatus includes a speech recognizer that recognizes a first speech of a source language as a first source language sentence, and recognizes a second speech of the source language following the first speech as a second source language sentence; a determining unit that determines whether the second language sentence is similar to the first language sentence; and a language converter that translates the first source language sentence into a first translation sentence, and translates the second source language sentence into a second translation sentence different from the first translation sentence when the determining unit determines that the second language sentence is similar to the first language sentence.