Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable storage media for captioning a media presentation. The method includes receiving automatic speech recognition (ASR) output from a media presentation and a transcription of the media presentation. The method includes selecting via a processor a pair of anchor words in the media presentation based on the ASR output and transcription and generating captions by aligning the transcription with the ASR output between the selected pair of anchor words. The transcription can be human-generated. Selecting pairs of anchor words can be based on a similarity threshold between the ASR output and the transcription. In one variation, commonly used words on a stop list are ineligible as anchor words. The method includes outputting the media presentation with the generated captions. The presentation can be a recording of a live event.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products authenticate users for access to devices, applications, and services. Skills of a user are learned over time, such that an electronic model of random subject matter may be generated. The user is prompted to interpret the random subject matter, such as with an electronic drawing. The user's interpretation is then compared to the electronic model of the random subject matter. If the user's interpretation matches the electronic model, the user may be authenticated.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products help users recall memories and search for content of those memories. When a user cannot recall a memory, the user is prompted with questions to help recall the memory. As the user answers the questions, a virtual recollection of the memory is synthesized from the answers to the questions. When the user is satisfied with the virtual recollection of the memory, a database of content may be searched for the virtual recollection of the memory. Video data, for example, may be retrieved that matches the virtual recollection of the memory. The video data is thus historical data documenting past events.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products provide personalized feedback in a cloud-based environment. A client device routes image data to a server for analysis. The server analyzes the image data to recognize people of interest. Because the server performs image recognition, the client device is relieved of these intensive operations.

Abstract: Devices, systems, methods, media, and programs for detecting an emotional state change in an audio signal are provided. A number of segments of the audio signal are analyzed based on separate lexical and acoustic evaluations, and, for each segment, an emotional state and a confidence score of the emotional state are determined. A current emotional state of the audio signal is tracked for each of the number of segments. For a particular segment, it is determined whether the current emotional state of the audio signal changes to another emotional state based on the emotional state and a comparison of the confidence score of the particular segment to a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer readable-media for providing an automatic synthetically generated voice describing media content, the method comprising receiving one or more pieces of metadata for a primary media content, selecting at least one piece of metadata for output, and outputting the at least one piece of metadata as synthetically generated speech with the primary media content. Other aspects of the invention involve alternative output, output speech simultaneously with the primary media content, output speech during gaps in the primary media content, translate metadata in foreign language, tailor voice, accent, and language to match the metadata and/or primary media content. A user may control output via a user interface or output may be customized based on preferences in a user profile.

Abstract: A system for providing an acoustic environment recognizer for optimal speech processing is disclosed. In particular, the system may utilize metadata obtained from various acoustic environments to assist in suppressing ambient noise interfering with a desired audio signal. In order to do so, the system may receive an audio stream including an audio signal associated with a user and including ambient noise obtained from an acoustic environment of the user. The system may obtain first metadata associated with the ambient noise, and may determine if the first metadata corresponds to second metadata in a profile for the acoustic environment. If the first metadata corresponds to the second metadata, the system may select a processing scheme for suppressing the ambient noise from the audio stream, and process the audio stream using the processing scheme. Once the audio stream is processed, the system may provide the audio stream to a destination.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer readable-media for answering a communication notification. The method for answering a communication notification comprises receiving a notification of communication from a user, converting information related to the notification to speech, outputting the information as speech to the user, and receiving from the user an instruction to accept or ignore the incoming communication associated with the notification. In one embodiment, information related to the notification comprises one or more of a telephone number, an area code, a geographic origin of the request, caller id, a voice message, address book information, a text message, an email, a subject line, an importance level, a photograph, a video clip, metadata, an IP address, or a domain name. Another embodiment involves notification assigned an importance level and repeat attempts at notification if it is of high importance.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products provide personalized feedback in a cloud-based environment. A client device routes image data to a server for analysis. The server analyzes the image data to recognize people of interest. Because the server performs image recognition, the client device is relieved of these intensive operations.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and tangible computer readable-media for detecting synthetic speaker verification. The method comprises receiving a plurality of speech samples of the same word or phrase for verification, comparing each of the plurality of speech samples to each other, denying verification if the plurality of speech samples demonstrate little variance over time or are the same, and verifying the plurality of speech samples if the plurality of speech samples demonstrates sufficient variance over time. One embodiment further adds that each of the plurality of speech samples is collected at different times or in different contexts. In other embodiments, variance is based on a pre-determined threshold or the threshold for variance is adjusted based on a need for authentication certainty. In another embodiment, if the initial comparison is inconclusive, additional speech samples are received.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable storage media for captioning a media presentation. The method includes receiving automatic speech recognition (ASR) output from a media presentation and a transcription of the media presentation. The method includes selecting via a processor a pair of anchor words in the media presentation based on the ASR output and transcription and generating captions by aligning the transcription with the ASR output between the selected pair of anchor words. The transcription can be human-generated. Selecting pairs of anchor words can be based on a similarity threshold between the ASR output and the transcription. In one variation, commonly used words on a stop list are ineligible as anchor words. The method includes outputting the media presentation with the generated captions. The presentation can be a recording of a live event.

Abstract: Network connectivity is used to share relevant visual and other sensory information between vehicles, as well as delivering relevant information provided by network services to create an enhanced view of the vehicle's surroundings. The enhanced view is presented to the occupants of the vehicle to provide an improved driving experience and/or enable the occupants to take proper action (e.g., avoid obstacles, identify traffic delays, etc.). In one example, the enhanced view comprises information that is not visible to the naked eye and/or cannot be currently sensed by the vehicle's sensors (e.g., due to a partial or blocked view, low visibility conditions, hardware capabilities of the vehicle's sensors, position of the vehicle's sensors, etc.).

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for building an automatic speech recognition system through an Internet API. A network-based automatic speech recognition server configured to practice the method receives feature streams, transcriptions, and parameter values as inputs from a network client independent of knowledge of internal operations of the server. The server processes the inputs to train an acoustic model and a language model, and transmits the acoustic model and the language model to the network client. The server can also generate a log describing the processing and transmit the log to the client. On the server side, a human expert can intervene to modify how the server processes the inputs. The inputs can include an additional feature stream generated from speech by algorithms in the client's proprietary feature extraction.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products monitor a person's regimen for medicinal and dietary restrictions. When the person's regimen requires a liquid medication or supplement, an oral instrument is commanded to dispense a dosage of fluid. The oral instrument stores a reservoir of the fluid. If the oral instrument is a spoon, for example, the spoon may automatically dispense cough syrup or other medicine. A toothbrush, likewise, may automatically dispense mouthwash. A sensor may confirm presence of the oral instrument in the person's mouth, thus ensuring the dosage of fluid is ingested.

Abstract: A system for self-organized acoustic signal cancellation over a network is disclosed. The system may transmit an acoustic sounding signal to an interfering device so that a channel measurement may be performed for a channel between the interfering device and an interferee device. The system may receive the channel measurement for the channel from the interfering device and also receive a digitized version of an audio interference signal associated with the interfering device. Based on the channel measurement and the digital version of the interference signal, the system may calculate a cancellation signal prior to the arrival of the original over-the-air audio interference signal that corresponds to the digital version of audio interference signal. The system may then apply the cancellation signal to an audio signal associated with the interferee device to remove the interference signal from the audio signal.

Abstract: Devices, systems, methods, media, and programs for detecting an emotional state change in an audio signal are provided. A number of segments of the audio signal are analyzed based on separate lexical and acoustic evaluations, and, for each segment, an emotional state and a confidence score of the emotional state are determined. A current emotional state of the audio signal is tracked for each of the number of segments. For a particular segment, it is determined whether the current emotional state of the audio signal changes to another emotional state based on the emotional state and a comparison of the confidence score of the particular segment to a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and tangible computer readable-media for detecting synthetic speaker verification. The method comprises receiving a plurality of speech samples of the same word or phrase for verification, comparing each of the plurality of speech samples to each other, denying verification if the plurality of speech samples demonstrate little variance over time or are the same, and verifying the plurality of speech samples if the plurality of speech samples demonstrates sufficient variance over time. One embodiment further adds that each of the plurality of speech samples is collected at different times or in different contexts. In other embodiments, variance is based on a pre-determined threshold or the threshold for variance is adjusted based on a need for authentication certainty. In another embodiment, if the initial comparison is inconclusive, additional speech samples are received.

Abstract: Network connectivity is used to share relevant visual and other sensory information between vehicles, as well as delivering relevant information provided by network services to create an enhanced view of the vehicle's surroundings. The enhanced view is presented to the occupants of the vehicle to provide an improved driving experience and/or enable the occupants to take proper action (e.g., avoid obstacles, identify traffic delays, etc.). In one example, the enhanced view comprises information that is not visible to the naked eye and/or cannot be currently sensed by the vehicle's sensors (e.g., due to a partial or blocked view, low visibility conditions, hardware capabilities of the vehicle's sensors, position of the vehicle's sensors, etc.).

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer readable-media for providing an automatic synthetically generated voice describing media content, the method comprising receiving one or more pieces of metadata for a primary media content, selecting at least one piece of metadata for output, and outputting the at least one piece of metadata as synthetically generated speech with the primary media content. Other aspects of the invention involve alternative output, output speech simultaneously with the primary media content, output speech during gaps in the primary media content, translate metadata in foreign language, tailor voice, accent, and language to match the metadata and/or primary media content. A user may control output via a user interface or output may be customized based on preferences in a user profile.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and tangible computer-readable storage media for captioning a media presentation. The method includes receiving automatic speech recognition (ASR) output from a media presentation and a transcription of the media presentation. The method includes selecting via a processor a pair of anchor words in the media presentation based on the ASR output and transcription and generating captions by aligning the transcription with the ASR output between the selected pair of anchor words. The transcription can be human-generated. Selecting pairs of anchor words can be based on a similarity threshold between the ASR output and the transcription. In one variation, commonly used words on a stop list are ineligible as anchor words. The method includes outputting the media presentation with the generated captions. The presentation can be a recording of a live event.