Abstract: Apparatus is provided for establishing and maintaining communication among a community of interest, comprising a plurality of communication devices for voice communication between users of the community of interest, each of the communication devices including a display for indicating communication availability of the users, a plurality of device agents for controlling respective ones of the communication devices in establishing the voice communication and updating each the display. A plurality of user agents is provided for maintaining user preferences. The user preferences include a list of the users of the community of interest. A tuple space is provided for exchanging tuples and anti-tuples between the user agents to monitor the communication availability, in response to which respective ones of the device agents update each respective display.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for establishing and maintaining communication among a community of interest, comprising a plurality of communication devices for voice communication between users of the community of interest, each of the communication devices including a display for indicating communication availability of the users, a plurality of device agents for controlling respective ones of the communication devices in establishing the voice communication and updating each the display. A plurality of user agents is provided for maintaining user preferences. The user preferences include a list of the users of the community of interest. A tuple space is provided for exchanging tuples and anti-tuples between the user agents to monitor the communication availability, in response to which respective ones of the device agents update each respective display.

Abstract: In methods and apparatus for at least partially automating a telephone directory assistance function, directory assistance callers are prompted to speak locality or called entity names associated with desired directory listings. A speech recognition algorithm is applied to speech signals received in response to prompting to determine spoken locality or called entity names. Desired telephone numbers are released to callers, and released telephone numbers are used to confirm or correct at least some of the recognized locality or called entity names. Speech signal representations labelled with the confirmed or corrected names are used as labelled speech tokens to refine prior training of the speech recognition algorithm. The training refinement automatically adjusts for deficiencies in prior training of the speech recognition algorithm and to long term changes in the speech patterns of directory assistance callers served by a particular directory assistance installation.

Abstract: In methods and apparatus for at least partially automating a telephone directory assistance function, directory assistance callers are prompted to speak locality or called entity names associated with desired directory listings. A speech recognition algorithm is applied to speech signals received in response to prompting to determine spoken locality or called entity names. Desired telephone numbers are released to callers, and released telephone numbers are used to confirm or correct at least some of the recognized locality or called entity names. Speech signal representations labelled with the confirmed or corrected names are used as labelled speech tokens to refine prior training of the speech recognition algorithm. The training refinement automatically adjusts for deficiencies in prior training of the speech recognition algorithm and to long term changes in the speech patterns of directory assistance callers served by a particular directory assistance installation.