Patents by Inventor George Murdoch Clelland

George Murdoch Clelland 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: 8064573
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating appropriate confirmatory prompts in a speech-enabled, interactive computer system. The method can be incorporated in an interactive voice response system that includes receiving an input audio stream over a voice channel from a users, performing keyword recognition on received input audio as subsequent input audio is being received, and prompting the user with an acknowledgement of the keyword or keywords as subsequent input audio is being received. In another aspect of the method, the volume of the speech input can be continuously monitored. In a further aspect of the method, recognition results and associated confidence values can be combined to select different confirmatory prompts, and the volume is tailored to be the same as, louder than or quieter than the volume of the speech input, so that different types of confirmation can be automatically generated to produce a natural speech-enabled interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: George Murdoch Clelland, John Brian Pickering
  • Publication number: 20080273674
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating appropriate confirmatory prompts in a speech-enabled, interactive computer system. The method can be incorporated in an interactive voice response system that includes receiving an input audio stream over a voice channel from a users, performing keyword recognition on received input audio as subsequent input audio is being received, and prompting the user with an acknowledgement of the keyword or keywords as subsequent input audio is being received. In another aspect of the method, the volume of the speech input can be continuously monitored. In a further aspect of the method, recognition results and associated confidence values can be combined to select different confirmatory prompts, and the volume is tailored to be the same as, louder than or quieter than the volume of the speech input, so that different types of confirmation can be automatically generated to produce a natural speech-enabled interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Publication date: November 6, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: George Murdoch Clelland, John Brian Pickering
  • Patent number: 7415415
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating appropriate confirmatory prompts in a speech-enabled, interactive computer system. The method can be incorporated in an interactive voice response system that includes receiving an input audio stream over a voice channel from a users, performing keyword recognition on received input audio as subsequent input audio is being received, and prompting the user with an acknowledgement of the keyword or keywords as subsequent input audio is being received. In another aspect of the method, the volume of the speech input can be continuously monitored. In a further aspect of the method, recognition results and associated confidence values can be combined to select different confirmatory prompts, and the volume is tailored to be the same as, louder than or quieter than the volume of the speech input, so that different types of confirmation can be automatically generated to produce a natural speech-enabled interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: George Murdoch Clelland, John Brian Pickering
  • Patent number: 6594347
    Abstract: Speech encoding in a client server system such as a laptop, personal data assistant or mobile phone communicating with an interactive voice response telephony application. A method of communication with a speech enabled remote telephony device such as a mobile phone is described comprising the following steps. Receiving user speech input into the mobile phone as part of a dialogue with an interactive voice response telephony application. Performing speech recognition to convert the speech into text and converting the text into tones such as DTMF tones. Transmitting the DTMF tones over the voice channel to an interactive voice response (IVR) telephony application an allowed response feature converts the users response to a known valid response of the IVR application. A language conversion feature allows a person in one language to speak in that language to an IVR application operating in a different language.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gary James Calder, George Murdoch Clelland, Anthony Timothy Farrell, Robert Mann, John Brian Pickering, Paul Reilly