Patents by Inventor Erin M. Panttaja

Erin M. Panttaja has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8285537
    Abstract: Recognition of proper nouns by an automated speech recognition system is improved by augmenting the pronunciation of each proper noun or name in the natural language of the speech recognition system with at least one “native” pronunciation in another natural language. To maximize recognition, preferably the pronunciations are predicted based on information not available to the speech recognition system. Prediction of pronunciation may be based on a location derived from a telephone number or postal address associated with the name and the language or dialect spoken in the country or region of that location. The “native” pronunciation(s) may be added to a dictionary of the speech recognition system or directly to the grammar used for recognizing speech.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Comverse, Inc.
    Inventors: Marc D. Tanner, Erin M. Panttaja
  • Patent number: 7783475
    Abstract: An interactive voice response system has speak-ahead capabilities similar to type-ahead IVR systems by determining multi-level grammars for responses. Preferably, an existing IVR application is processed automatically to generate a multi-level grammar database that can then be used in recognizing multi-level responses by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Comverse, Inc.
    Inventors: Marc J. Neuberger, Erin M. Panttaja
  • Patent number: 7085709
    Abstract: A method and system for pronoun disambiguation adapts or learns from evaluating input by the user. The system stores pronoun information relating to pronoun usage for people, entities, and things that a user can use a pronoun to refer to in interacting with the system. The pronoun information is used by the system in a process that interprets the meaning of the pronoun in the context of the interaction with the user. The system and method include matching the pronoun reference input by the user to the likely person or thing based upon an evolving pronoun preference associated with the person, entity or thing. During each interaction, the system and method permit the user to verify that the system interpreted the pronoun as referring to the correct person, entity or thing and modifies the stored pronoun information to reflect the verified usage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Comverse, Inc.
    Inventor: Erin M. Panttaja
  • Patent number: 6937986
    Abstract: An interactive voice response system is able to respond to questions from users on general topics by including words related to those topics in the grammar of a speech recognition system. Words that are added for all users are obtained from current news reports obtained from news providers accessible via the Internet, or a similar source. In addition, information is stored in an information database about places or people that may be of interest to users, such as weather reports and forecasts for many cities. The grammar of the speech recognition system is modified for an individual user to enable the system to recognize questions relating to, e.g., the weather in one of the cities, only when the system detects that the user has accessed a file containing a word included in the information database. The file may be a message, calendar or address book.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Comverse, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Denenberg, Christopher M. Schmandt, Erin M. Panttaja
  • Publication number: 20040153306
    Abstract: Recognition of proper nouns by an automated speech recognition system is improved by augmenting the pronunciation of each proper noun or name in the natural language of the speech recognition system with at least one “native” pronunciation in another natural language. To maximize recognition, preferably the pronunciations are predicted based on information not available to the speech recognition system. Prediction of pronunciation may be based on a location derived from a telephone number or postal address associated with the name and the language or dialect spoken in the country or region of that location. The “native” pronunciation(s) may be added to a dictionary of the speech recognition system or directly to the grammar used for recognizing speech.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Applicant: Comverse, Inc.
    Inventors: Marc D. Tanner, Erin M. Panttaja
  • Publication number: 20040153322
    Abstract: An interactive voice response system has speak-ahead capabilities similar to type-ahead IVR systems by determining multi-level grammars for responses. Preferably, an existing IVR application is processed automatically to generate a multi-level grammar database that can then be used in recognizing multi-level responses by a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Applicant: Comverse, Inc.
    Inventors: Marc J. Neuberger, Erin M. Panttaja
  • Publication number: 20030101047
    Abstract: A method and system for pronoun disambiguation adapts or learns from evaluating input by the user. The system stores pronoun information relating to pronoun usage for people, entities, and things that a user can use a pronoun to refer to in interacting with the system. The pronoun information is used by the system in a process that interprets the meaning of the pronoun in the context of the interaction with the user. The system and method include matching the pronoun reference input by the user to the likely person or thing based upon an evolving pronoun preference associated with the person, entity or thing. During each interaction, the system and method permit the user to verify that the system interpreted the pronoun as referring to the correct person, entity or thing and modifies the stored pronoun information to reflect the verified usage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2001
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Inventor: Erin M. Panttaja
  • Publication number: 20030101060
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and system are provided for using the historical data of a user of an application, such as a voice application, to provide to a user a more effective user interface. The present invention can allow a system to automatically provide a user of a voice application with an application service based upon the user's prior activity in the application. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a user with an interface to access the voice application and to invoke one of a plurality of application services; selecting an application service for the user, without the user requesting the application service, as a function of information representative of the user's past access to the application; and providing the selected application service to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2001
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Inventors: Corine A. Bickley, Allan E. Brockenbrough, Erin M. Panttaja
  • Publication number: 20030081738
    Abstract: Methods and Apparatus for identifying numerical digits in voice mail messages are provided. In one aspect, a voice mail system identifies digit strings, such as telephone numbers, in voice mail messages and allows a user of the voice mail system to move ahead to a next digit string or to move back to a prior digit string in the voice mail message. The voice mail system may also include a caller identification system that identifies the telephone number of a caller that has left a voice mail message, and allows automatic call back if a digit string in the voice mail message matches the telephone number of the caller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2001
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Inventors: Scott E. Kohnle, Christopher M. Schmandt, Erin M. Panttaja
  • Publication number: 20030023688
    Abstract: A voice-based interface method to provide user access to retrieve, sort, and navigate through messages in multiple media according to a plurality of message sorting criteria. A particular message may belong to multiple message lists and therefore can be heard in response to different queries. This method provides a consistent interface for navigating through the messages in each list of messages sorted by each criterion, proper insertion of newly arrived messages, and change of message status once the message has been heard.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2001
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Denenberg, Erin M. Panttaja, Christopher M. Schmandt
  • Publication number: 20020091530
    Abstract: A method and system for a voice controlled apparatus is capable of playing a single audio voice passage to a user of the voice controlled apparatus. The single audio voice passage has at least first and second different voices which invite a response from the user. The second voice indicates to the user the type of response which is invited from the user. The method and system are applicable to any type of voice controlled apparatus including voice messaging systems, personal assistants, and robots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Publication date: July 11, 2002
    Inventor: Erin M. Panttaja
  • Publication number: 20020087328
    Abstract: An interactive voice response system is able to respond to questions from users on general topics by including words related to those topics in the grammar of a speech recognition system. Words that are added for all users are obtained from current news reports obtained from news providers accessible via the Internet, or a similar source. In addition, information is stored in an information database about places or people that may be of interest to users, such as weather reports and forecasts for many cities. The grammar of the speech recognition system is modified for an individual user to enable the system to recognize questions relating to, e.g., the weather in one of the cities, only when the system detects that the user has accessed a file containing a word included in the information database. The file may be a message, calendar or address book.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2000
    Publication date: July 4, 2002
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Denenberg, Christopher M. Schmandt, Erin M. Panttaja
  • Publication number: 20020076009
    Abstract: Speech recognition software in a telephone or telephone network recognizes a non-numeric word identifying a location, and a telephone number spoken by a user. The speech recognition grammar specifies locations and optionally constraints, such as the length, for telephone numbers in those locations. Locations may consist of countries, cities, communication network names, or any combination thereof. A database containing information about locations and telephone numbers may be used to determine whether the recognized telephone number could exist at the recognized location. Once an phone number has been identified, the user is asked to confirm the location and telephone number. If confirmed, an access code, country code or city code corresponding to the recognized location is dialed after a prefix, if needed, and is followed by the recognized telephone number. This is particularly useful for international locations to reduce the number of digits that must be recognized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2000
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Denenberg, Erin M. Panttaja, Christopher M. Schmandt