Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing focus detection, referential ambiguity resolution and mood classification in accordance with multi-modal input data, in varying operating conditions, in order to provide an effective conversational computing environment for one or more users.

Abstract: In a network environment that includes a plurality of nodes and that uses a markup language to create documents, a method for filtering the documents is provided. The method includes the step of, upon receiving a request from a requesting node among the plurality of nodes, constructing an input Document Object Model (DOM) based on a document corresponding to the request. The input DOM is stored. Elements of the input DOM that have previously been stored are identified. The input DOM is filtered to obtain a filtered DOM, based on at least one pre-specified rule being applied to the input DOM.

Abstract: A microphone bearing slider on a diagonal seatbelt member, together with a tethering tape that is positioned along the diagonal seatbelt, from a seatbelt hanger member to the buckle with attachment to the slider, in combination, operate to position the microphone at the same precise location for vocal transmission at each deployment, and to return the assembly to a storage position with no addition attention being required on the part of the communicating person.

Abstract: A method of validating production of a biometric attribute allegedly associated with a user comprises the following steps. A first signal is generated representing data associated with the biometric attribute allegedly received in association with the user. A second signal is also generated representing data associated with at least one feature detected in association with the production of the biometric attribute allegedly received from the user. Then, the first signal and the second signal are compared to determine a correlation level between the biometric attribute and the production feature, wherein the validation of the production of the biometric attribute depends on the correlation level. Accordingly, the invention serves to provide substantial assurance that the biometric attribute offered by the user has been physically generated by the user.

Abstract: A structural means is provided that positions an operator's voice communication microphone in a vehicle in the vicinity of the visor without interfering with the movement and functions of the visor. The positioning being achieved by attaching a portion of a microphone holder in connection with an escutcheon- type plate that is part of the visor retention and the visor support member and attaching the microphone to another portion of the microphone holder so as to extend the microphone to a position above the visor when the visor is in the stored position.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for the formation of ferro-electric films using a multi coating process based on a sol-gel technique. In particular a method is disclosed to fabricate high-quality thickness scaled PZT films of an alkoxide-type liquid chemical PZT precursor solution, preferably a Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 precursor solution, using a sol-gel technique. At least two coated layers are deposited, but the precise number of coated layers depends on the desired thickness of the ferro-electric film. According to the method of the invention, the electrical characteristics of the film as formed are not dependent on the number of coated layers. There are a number of properties, characteristic for the method of the present invention, and resulting in said excellent electrical characteristics. In fact said method can comprise a multi coating process wherein a reduced number of coated layers is used but where intermediate crystallization steps are performed.

Abstract: Feature vectors representing each of a plurality of overlapping frames of an arbitrary, text independent speech signal are computed and compared to vector parameters and variances stored as codewords in one or more codebooks corresponding to each of one or more enrolled users to provide speaker dependent information for speech recognition and/or ambiguity resolution. Other information such as aliases and preferences of each enrolled user may also be enrolled and stored, for example, in a database. Correspondence of the feature vectors may be ranked by closeness of correspondence to a codeword entry and the number of frames corresponding to each codebook are accumulated or counted to identify a potential enrolled speaker. The differences between the parameters of the feature vectors and codewords in the codebooks can be used to identify a new speaker and an enrollment procedure can be initiated.

Abstract: A programmable automatic call and data transfer processing system which automatically processes incoming telephone calls, facsimiles and e-mails based on the identity of the caller or author, the subject matter of the message or request, and/or the time of day, which includes: a central server for automatically answering an incoming call and collecting voice data of a caller; a speaker recognition module connected to the server for identifying the caller or author; a switching module responsive to the speaker recognition module for processing the call or message in accordance with a pre-programmed procedure based on the identification of the caller or author; and a programming interface for programming the server, speaker recognizer module and the switching module. The system is programmed by the user to so as to process incoming telephone calls or e-mail and facsimile messages based on the identity of the caller or author, subject matter and content of the message and the time of day.

Abstract: To improve authenticity of persons accessing secured locations, information, services, and/or goods, random pictures (images) and/or portions of picture are placed on a document (hard copy—e.g. a check—or computer generated). The person requiring access selects a set of one or more of the images/pictures, e.g. by crossing them out. Often the selected images/picture with be familiar to the user. The document is screened, e.g. by a special access server over a network, to check on whether the subset was correct, i.e., matches a subset of images previously stored and associated with the accessor. This can be combined with printed explicit textual questions related to an owner personal database and several possible answers for each question. For further security, biometrics, e.g. from user handwritten answer prompts, can be added. Similar security provision with random visual images can be used when users interact with computers to get access to some services (without providing hard copy documents).

Abstract: A method is disclosed for the formation of ferro-electric films using a multi coating process based on a sol-gel technique. In particular a method is disclosed to fabricate high-quality thickness scaled PZT films of an alkoxide-type liquid chemical PZT precursor solution, preferably a Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 precursor solution, using a sol-gel technique. At least two coated layers are deposited, but the precise number of coated layers depends on the desired thickness of the ferro-electric film. According to the method of the invention, the electrical characteristics of the film as formed are not dependent on the number of coated layers. There are a number of properties, characteristic for the method of the present invention, and resulting in said excellent electrical characteristics. In fact said method can comprise a multi coating process wherein a reduced number of coated layers is used but where intermediate crystallization steps are performed.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for programming SSI cells or an array of said cells. The method achieves very fast programming while consuming only a very small amount of power, which paves the way for new applications such as battery-operated systems, page-mode programming for very high data throughput. The method also allows for the bitline voltage to be increased internally on the chip in order to circumvent the efficiency decrease associated with supply voltage scaling. By exploring the SSI mechanism in the subthreshold regime, an optimum value for the CG voltage is found for which the gate current is no longer maximized, but the energy consumed from the power supply is minimized and the injection efficiency during programming is maximized. The programming of a memory cell in this regime, where the gate current is a very steep function of the CG voltage, is, however, still achieved in a few microseconds while consuming only a very small cell current in the range of nanoamperes.

Abstract: A method of identifying homophones of a word uttered by a user from at least a portion of existing words of a vocabulary of a speech recognition engine comprises the steps of: a user uttering the word; decoding the uttered word; computing respective measures between the decoded word and at least a portion of the other existing vocabulary words, the respective measures indicative of acoustic similarity between the word and the at least a portion of other existing words; if at least one measure is within a threshold range, indicating, to the user, results associated with the at least one measure, the results preferably including the decoded word and the other existing vocabulary word associated with the at least one measure; and the user preferably making a selection depending on the word the user intended to utter.

Abstract: Apparatus for preventing unauthorized use of a voice dialing system and, particularly, a call forwarding feature associated with the system whereby system users may forward a telephone number respectively associated therewith to a remote location in order to receive phone calls at the remote location, comprises: a database for pre-storing telephone numbers of system users and for pre-storing acoustic models respectively representative of speech associated with each system user, the acoustic models respectively corresponding to the telephone numbers; and a speaker identification module operatively coupled to the database for obtaining and decoding a speech sample from a potential system user during the potential users' attempt to make a telephone call, the speaker identification module comparing the decoded speech sample obtained with the pre-stored acoustic model associated with the telephone number dialed by the potential user; whereby if the decoded speech sample substantially matches the pre-stored ac

Abstract: A contacted array of programmable and erasable semiconductor memory devices. Each of the memory devices has a split gate structure, including a source region, a drain region, a channel extending between the source and drain regions, a floating gate extending over a portion of the channel with a first dielectric layer therebetween, a control gate extending over a portion of the floating gate through a second dielectric layer, and a program gate extending above the floating gate with a dielectric layer therebetween. The program gate forms a capacitor with the floating gate with a coupling ratio sufficient to couple a voltage at least as high as the drain voltage to the floating gate, thereby establishing a high voltage at a point in the channel between the control gate and the floating gate and ensuring a high hot-electron injection towards the floating gate.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing speaker recognition comprise processing a video signal associated with an arbitrary content video source and processing an audio signal associated with the video signal. Then, an identification and/or verification decision is made based on the processed audio signal and the processed video signal. Various decision making embodiments may be employed including, but not limited to, a score combination approach, a feature combination approach, and a re-scoring approach. In another aspect of the invention, a method of verifying a speech utterance comprises processing a video signal associated with a video source and processing an audio signal associated with the video signal. Then, the processed audio signal is compared with the processed video signal to determine a level of correlation between the signals. This is referred to as unsupervised utterance verification.

Abstract: A telephone voice mail messaging system for performing recognition of characters included in a telephone message left by a caller includes: speaker recognition means, responsive to the telephone message, for extracting a voice model of the caller from the telephone message and comparing the voice model of the caller against a plurality of pre-obtained voice model's respectively associated with a plurality of potential callers to find a pre-obtained voice model from among the plurality of pre-obtained voice models that matches the voice model of the caller and, if the matching pre-obtained voice model is found, then the speaker recognition means identifying at least one pre-obtained set of characters attributed to a potential caller from among the plurality of potential callers associated with the matching pre-obtained voice model; character spotting means, responsive to the telephone message, for identifying sets of characters in the telephone message; and comparator means for comparing characters of the

Abstract: A method for recognizing an individual based on attributes associated with the individual comprises the steps of: pre-storing at least two distinctive attributes of the individual during at least one enrollment session; contemporaneously extracting the at least two distinctive attributes from the individual during a common recognition session; segmenting the pre-stored attributes and the extracted attributes according to a sequence of segmentation units; indexing the segmented pre-stored and extracted attributes so that the segmented pre-stored and extracted attributes corresponding to an identical segmentation unit in the sequence of segmentation units are associated to an identical index; and respectively comparing the segmented pre-stored and extracted attributes associated to the identical index to each other to recognize the individual.

Abstract: Fast and detailed match techniques for speaker recognition are combined into a hybrid system in which speakers are associated in groups when potential confusion is detected between a speaker being enrolled and a previously enrolled speaker. Thus the detailed match techniques are invoked only at the potential onset of saturation of the fast match technique while the detailed match is facilitated by limitation of comparisons to the group and the development of speaker-dependent models which principally function to distinguish between members of a group rather than to more fully characterize each speaker. Thus storage and computational requirements are limited and fast and accurate speaker recognition can be extended over populations of speakers which would degrade or saturate fast match systems and degrade performance of detailed match systems.

Abstract: A method of controlling access of a speaker to one of a service and a facility, the method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving first spoken utterances of the speaker, the first spoken utterances containing indicia of the speaker; (b) decoding the first spoken utterances; (c) accessing a database corresponding to the decoded first spoken utterances, the database containing information attributable to a speaker candidate having indicia substantially similar to the speaker; (d) querying the speaker with at least one question based on the information contained in the accessed database; (e) receiving second spoken utterances of the speaker, the second spoken utterances being representative of at least one answer to the at least one question; (f) decoding the second spoken utterances; (g) verifying the accuracy of the decoded answer against the information contained in the accessed database serving as the basis for the question; (h) taking a voice sample from the utterances of the speaker and processing the voic

Abstract: The present invention discloses a memory device having memory cells capable of storing three or more charge leves in said memory cell. The cells can be programmed according to a method including a single pulse charge level injection mechanism in said cells. The method does not require a program verify scheme, permits increased speed during programming, and reduces the area necessary for storing one bit of information. The memory device of the present invention further includes information write or storage or programmation means, information erase means and information read-out means. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and a circuit that implements said method for determining the charge level of a memory cell having t possible levels (t being larger than or equal to three).