Abstract: A computer-implemented grammar checker for French language text corrects negation errors (missing particle “ne/n'”) in French language text. A parser generates a syntax record of a verbal phrase of the text. The syntax record includes records of words in the verbal phrase, lexicon information for the words, and syntax attributes for the words. The grammar checker searches the syntax record for a missing particle “ne/n'”. If the particle “ne/n'” is not found, the grammar checker calculates a syntactically correct insertion point for the particle “ne/n'”. The grammar checker displays to the user a rewrite of a correct form of the particle “ne/n'” at the insertion point.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for providing access to an interactive service offering. A method incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include receiving a first communication in a format that complies with a first protocol. The first communication may be associated with a desired interaction between a first device and a voice activated service (VAS) platform. The method may also include receiving a second communication in a different format that complies with a different protocol, and the second communication may also be associated with a desired interaction between a different device and the VAS platform. A system implementing the method may recognize that the VAS platform does not support the first protocol, and translate the first communication to a platform-supported format to facilitate the desired interaction.

Abstract: A global speech user interface (GSUI) comprises an input system to receive a user's spoken command, a feedback system along with a set of feedback overlays to give the user information on the progress of his spoken requests, a set of visual cues on the television screen to help the user understand what he can say, a help system, and a model for navigation among applications. The interface is extensible to make it easy to add new applications.

Abstract: An audio encoder implements multi-channel coding decision, band truncation, multi-channel rematrixing, and header reduction techniques to improve quality and coding efficiency. In the multi-channel coding decision technique, the audio encoder dynamically selects between joint and independent coding of a multi-channel audio signal via an open-loop decision based upon (a) energy separation between the coding channels, and (b) the disparity between excitation patterns of the separate input channels. In the band truncation technique, the audio encoder performs open-loop band truncation at a cut-off frequency based on a target perceptual quality measure. In multi-channel rematrixing technique, the audio encoder suppresses certain coefficients of a difference channel by scaling according to a scale factor, which is based on current average levels of perceptual quality, current rate control buffer fullness, coding mode, and the amount of channel separation in the source.

Abstract: Computer comparison of one or more dictionary entries with a sound record of a human utterance to determine whether and where each dictionary entry is contained within the sound record. The record is segmented, and for each vocalized segment a spectrogram is obtained, and for other segments symbolic and numeric data are obtained. The spectrogram of a vocalized segment is then processed using a method selected from a group consisting of a triple time transform, a triple frequency transform, a linear-piecewise-linear transform, and combinations thereof, to decrease noise and to eliminate variations in pronunciation. Each entry in the dictionary is then compared with every sequence of segments of substantially the same length in the sound record. The comparison takes into account the formant profiles within each vocalized segment and symbolic and numeric data for other segments are obtained in the record and in the dictionary entries.

Abstract: A process for generating with unification based grammars such as Lexical Functional Grammars which uses construction and analysis of generation guides to determine internal facts and eliminate incomplete edges prior to constructing a generation chart. The generation guide can then be used in the construction of the generation chart to efficiently generate with unification-based grammars such as Lexical Functional Grammars. The generation guide is an instance of a grammar that has been specialized to the input and only contains those parts of the grammar that are relevant to the input. When the generation guide is analyzed to determine internal facts a smaller generation chart is produced.

Abstract: Speech recognition models are dynamically re-configurable based on user information, application information, background information such as background noise and transducer information such as transducer response characteristics to provide users with alternate input modes to keyboard text entry. Word recognition lattices are generated for each data field of an application and dynamically concatenated into a single word recognition lattice. A language model is applied to the concatenated word recognition lattice to determine the relationships between the word recognition lattices and repeated until the generated word recognition lattices are acceptable or differ from a predetermined value only by a threshold amount. These techniques of dynamic re-configurable speech recognition provide for deployment of speech recognition on small devices such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants as well environments such as office, home or vehicle while maintaining the accuracy of the speech recognition.

Abstract: A method for searching an excitation (or fixed) codebook in a speech coding system. In a speech coding system including a synthesis filter for synthesizing a speech signal, a fixed codebook searcher according to the present invention segments a speech signal frame into a plurality of subframes to generate an excitation signal to be used in a synthesis filter, segments again each of the subframes into a plurality of subgroups, and searches the respective subframes each comprised of a plurality of pulse position/amplitude combinations for pulses. The fixed codebook searcher searches the respective subgroups for a predetermine number of pulses having non-zero amplitude, and generates the searched pulses as an initial vector. Next, the fixed codebook searcher selects a pulse combination including at least one pulse among the pulses of the initial vector, and then substitutes pulses of the selected pulse combination for pulses in other positions in the subgroups.

Abstract: A method for converting a program stream to a transport stream is described comprising: reading program stream packets from a digital versatile disk (“DVD”) based on user selections and navigation metadata contained on the DVD; extracting audio and video content packetized within the program stream packets; reading system clock reference (“SCR”) timestamps from the program stream packets, the SCR timestamps indicating relative times at which the audio and video should be rendered; determining a point within consecutively read program stream packets at which the SCR timestamps are non-consecutive; converting the SCR timestamps to program clock reference (“PCR”) timestamps interpretable by a transport stream decoder; and generating a transport stream of transport stream packets containing the audio and video content and using the PCR timestamps to provide for decode timing at the transport stream decoder; and generating a resynchronization signal causing the transport stream decoder to resynchronize with the tr

Abstract: A cabin communication system for improving clarity of a voice spoken within an interior cabin having ambient noise includes a microphone for receiving the spoken voice and the ambient noise and for converting the spoken voice and the ambient noise into an audio signal, the audio signal having a first component corresponding to the spoken voice and a second component corresponding to the ambient noise, a speech enhancement filter for removing the second component from the audio signal to provide a filtered audio signal, the speech enhancement filter removing the second component by processing the audio signal by a method taking into account elements of psycho-acoustics of a human ear, and a loudspeaker for outputting a clarified voice in response to the filtered audio signal.

Abstract: A method prepares a functional finite-state transducer (FST) with an epsilon or empty string on the input side for factorization into a bimachine. The method creates a left-deterministic input finite-state automation (FSA) by extracting and left-determinizing the input side of the functional FST. Subsequently, the corresponding sub-paths in the FST are identified for each arc in the left-deterministic FST and aligned.

Abstract: The method and preprocessor enhances the intelligibility of narrowband speech without essentially lengthening the overall time duration of the signal. Both spectral enhancements and variable-rate time-scaling procedures are implemented to improve the salience of initial consonants, particularly the perceptually important formant transitions. Emphasis is transferred from the dominating vowel to the preceding consonant through adaptation of the phoneme timing structure. In a further embodiment, the technique is applied as a preprocessor to a speech coder.

Abstract: An inverse-modified discrete cosine transform and overlap-add method, and hardware structure for MPEG Layer3 audio signal decoding. In order to have the MPEG Layer3 audio signal decoder have more competitive power in the consumer market, the present invention provides a low cost fast algorithm of the inverse-modified discrete cosine transform and overlap-add, so that the quantity of the operation needed in the decoding process can be significantly reduced to enhance the system performance. Afterwards, according to the fast algorithm, the present invention provides a hardware structure that is suitable for the inverse-modified discrete cosine transform and overlap-add in the MPEG Layer3 decoder. Since the hardware structure of the present invention makes the MPEG Layer3 decoder able to be implemented by the application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the entire system can fulfill the low cost and high performance requirements.

Abstract: In a speech coding system with an encoder and a decoder cooperating with said encoder, the speech encoder comprises a pre-processor and an ADPCM encoder with a quantizer and step-size adaptation means, while the speech decoder comprises an ADPCM decoder with similar step-size adaptation means as in the ADPCM encoder and with a decoder, and a post-processor. The quantizer is provided with storage means containing values for a correction factor ?(c(n)) of the step-size ?(n), said correction factor being dependent on the quantizer output signal c(n). The step-size adaptation occurs in accordance with the relation: ? ? ( n + 1 ) = ? ? ( n ) · A · { ? ? ( c ? ( n ) ) if ? ? ? ? ( c ? ( n ) ) < 1 ? ? ( c ? ( n ) ) + b ? if ? ? ? ? ? ( n ) · A · c max < ? max 1 otherwise ? .

Abstract: A method for creating a language model from a task-independent corpus is provided. In one embodiment, a task dependent unified language model is created. The unified language model includes a plurality of context-free grammars having non-terminals and a hybrid N-gram model having at least some of the same non-terminals embedded therein.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of converting a set of words into a three-dimensional scene description, which may then be rendered into three-dimensional images. The invention may generate arbitrary scenes in response to a substantially unlimited range of input words. Scenes may be generated by combining objects, poses, facial expressions, environments, etc., so that they represent the input set of words. Poses may have generic elements so that referenced objects may be replaced by those mentioned in the input set of words. Likewise, a character may be dressed according to its role in the set of words. Various constraints for object positioning may be declared.

Abstract: A method is proposed for processing software or Website code associated with a primary locale by an automatic, or semi-automatic, parsing process. The method separates the code into a file of international code which is not locale dependent, and a resource pack of items specific to the primary locale. The international code and the resource pack co-operate to perform the function of the original code. The resource pack can be converted for any number of other locales. Each converted resource pack together with the international code has the effect of the original code adapted for another locale.

Abstract: A computer program product for controlling the computer's processor to perform responsive actions a natural language input has: (1) vocabulary, phrase and concept databases of words, phrase and concepts, respectively, that can be recognized in the inputted communication, wherein each of these database elements is representable by a designated semantic symbol, (2) means for searching the inputted communication to identify the words in the communication that are contained within the vocabulary database, (3) means for expressing the communication in terms of the word semantic symbols that correspond to each of the words identified in the inputted communication, (4) means for searching the communication when expressed in terms of its corresponding word semantic symbols so as to identify the phrases in the communication that are contained within the phrase database, (5) means for expressing the communication in terms of the phrase semantic symbols that correspond to each of the phrases identified in the communicat

Abstract: A homophonic neologisms generator can include a dictionary table (10) having one or more entries including an orthography and an associated pronunciation including one or more phonemes; and a weightings table (14) having one or more entries specifying a cluster including one or more letters, a cluster pronunciation including one or more phonemes, and a weighting for the pronunciation of the cluster. A user interface can receive a word for which neologisms can be generated. A clustering mechanism can divide the pronunciation into a plurality of phonemes having one or more orthographic representations. Each orthographic representation can include one or more graphemes. Orthographic representations of the pronunciation can be ordered according to the associated weightings of the cluster graphemes in the weightings table and the dictionary can be searched to check that a generated well-formed orthography does not exist.

Abstract: A method and apparatus estimate additive noise in a noisy signal using an iterative technique within a recursive framework. In particular, the noisy signal is divided into frames and the noise in each frame is determined based on the noise in another frame and the noise determined in a previous iteration for the current frame. In one particular embodiment, the noise found in a previous iteration for a frame is used to define an expansion point for a Taylor series approximation that is used to estimate the noise in the current frame.