Abstract: The present invention relates to a communications headset. The headset comprises a housing that includes a speaker driver. The headset further comprises a nozzle for insertion into an ear canal. The nozzle is coupled to the housing. The headset additionally comprises an acoustically isolating ear piece coupled to the nozzle, the ear piece and the housing providing of acoustic isolation from ambient sound over the range of audible frequencies. The headset further comprises a microphone.

Abstract: In a distributed speech recognition system comprising a first communication device which receives a speech input (34), encodes data representative of the speech input, and transmits the encoded data and a second remotely-located communication device which receives the encoded data and compares the encoded data with a known data set, the device including a processor with a program which controls the processor to operate according to a method of reconstructing the speech input including the step of receiving encoded data including encoded spectral data and encoded energy data. The method further includes the step of decoding the encoded spectral data and encoded energy data to determine the spectral data and energy data. The method also includes the step of combining the spectral data and energy data to reconstruct the speech input.

Abstract: Based on local detection of input events at a subscriber unit, presentation of subscriber-targeted information (e.g., audio or visual data) may be quickly halted in response to a barge-in request indicated by an input event. The determination whether a given input event constitutes a valid barge-in request is preferably based on input event prioritization data provided to the subscriber from, for example, a server running one or more applications currently communicating with the subscriber unit. Furthermore, detection of an input event indicative of a barge-in request at a subscriber unit causes the subscriber unit to transmit a message to the source of the subscriber-targeted information (e.g., the server), which message in turn causes the information source to discontinue presentation of the subscriber-targeted information. In this manner, the present invention provides a technique for quickly responding to barge-in requests regardless of the delay characteristics of the underlying communication system.

Abstract: In a distributed speech recognition system (20) comprising a first communication device (22) which receives a speech input (34), encodes data representative of the speech input (36, 38), and transmits the encoded data (42) and a second remotely-located communication device (26) which receives the encoded data (44) and compares the encoded data with a known data set, the device (26) including a processor (92) with a program which controls the processor (92) to operate according to a method of reconstructing the speech input including the step (44) of receiving encoded data including encoded spectral data and encoded energy data. The method further includes the step (46, 48) of decoding the encoded spectral data and encoded energy data to determine the spectral data and energy data. The method also includes the step (50, 52) of combining the spectral data and energy data to reconstruct the speech input.

Abstract: Quantization unit (108) comprises evaluator (120) and comparator (122) in signal processing for identifying an utterance in system (100). The evaluator (120) weights a first intermediate result of an operation on a first set of a plurality of speech parameters (104) differently than a second intermediate result of an operation on a second set of the plurality of speech parameters (104) in a weighted representation of the plurality of speech parameters (104). The comparator (122) employs the weighted representation of the plurality of speech parameters (104) to determine a vector index to represent the plurality of speech parameters (104). The quantization unit (108), in one example, can employ split vector quantization in conjunction with the weighted representation to determine a vector index to represent the plurality of speech parameters (104).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of calculating, within the framework of a speaker dependent system, a standard filler, or garbage model, for the detection of out-of-vocabulary utterances. In particular, the method receives new training data in a speech recognition system (202); calculates statistical parameters for the new training data (204); calculates global statistical parameters based upon the statistical parameters for the new training data (206); and updates a garbage model based upon the global statistical parameters (208). This is carried out on-line while the user is enrolling the vocabulary. The garbage model described in this disclosure is preferably an average speaker model, representative of all the speech data enrolled by the user to date. Also, the garbage model is preferably obtained as a by-product of the vocabulary enrollment procedure and is similar in it characteristics and topology to all the other regular vocabulary HMMs.