Abstract: An apparatus includes a transparent chamber having a space therein for containing an object while heating under vacuum, at least one directed energy source configured to direct energy to heat the object positioned within the space of the transparent chamber, a cap on the transparent chamber, and a connection between the transparent chamber and at least one vacuum for creating a vacuum within the transparent chamber. The apparatus may further include at least one temperature sensor to measure temperature of the object. The apparatus may further include a control system, the control system operatively connected to the at least one temperature sensor and the at least one directed energy source and wherein the control system is a closed loop system to adjust laser power to provide more or less energy to heat or maintain the temperature of the object.

Abstract: Symbol sequences are estimated using a computer-implemented method including detecting one or more candidates of a target symbol sequence from a speech-to-text data, extracting a related portion of each candidate from the speech-to-text data, detecting repetition of at least a partial sequence of each candidate within the related portion of the corresponding candidate, labeling the detected repetition with a repetition indication, and estimating whether each candidate is the target symbol sequence, using the corresponding related portion including the repetition indication of each of the candidates.

Abstract: An approach is provided that receives an audio stream and utilizes a voice activation detection (VAD) process to create a digital audio stream of voices from at least two different speakers. An automatic speech recognition (ASR) process is applied to the digital stream with the ASR process resulting in the spoken words to which a speaker turn detection (STD) process is applied to identify a number of speaker segments with each speaker segment ending at a word boundary. A speaker clustering algorithm is then applied to the speaker segments to associate one of the speakers with each of the speaker segments.

Abstract: A method of combining data streams from fixed audio-visual sensors with data streams from personal mobile devices including, forming a communication link with at least one of one or more personal mobile devices; receiving at least one of an audio data stream and/or a video data stream from the at least one of the one or more personal mobile devices; determining the quality of the at least one of the audio data stream and/or the video data stream, wherein the audio data stream and/or the video data stream having a quality above a threshold quality is retained; and combining the retained audio data stream and/or the video data stream with the data streams from the fixed audio-visual sensors.

Abstract: A diarization embodiment may include a system that clusters data up to a current point in time and consolidates it with the past decisions, and then returns the result that minimizes the difference with past decisions. The consolidation may be achieved by performing a permutation of the different possible labels and comparing the distance. For speaker diarization, a distance may be determined based on a minimum edit or hamming distance. The distance may alternatively be a measure other than the minimum edit or hamming distance. The clustering may have a finite time window over which the analysis is performed.

Abstract: Symbol sequences are estimated using a computer-implemented method including detecting one or more candidates of a target symbol sequence from a speech-to-text data, extracting a related portion of each candidate from the speech-to-text data, detecting repetition of at least a partial sequence of each candidate within the related portion of the corresponding candidate, labeling the detected repetition with a repetition indication, and estimating whether each candidate is the target symbol sequence, using the corresponding related portion including the repetition indication of each of the candidates.

Abstract: Symbol sequences are estimated using a computer-implemented method including detecting one or more candidates of a target symbol sequence from a speech-to-text data, extracting a related portion of each candidate from the speech-to-text data, detecting repetition of at least a partial sequence of each candidate within the related portion of the corresponding candidate, labeling the detected repetition with a repetition indication, and estimating whether each candidate is the target symbol sequence, using the corresponding related portion including the repetition indication of each of the candidates.

Abstract: An approach is provided that receives an audio stream and utilizes a voice activation detection (VAD) process to create a digital audio stream of voices from at least two different speakers. An automatic speech recognition (ASR) process is applied to the digital stream with the ASR process resulting in the spoken words to which a speaker turn detection (STD) process is applied to identify a number of speaker segments with each speaker segment ending at a word boundary. The STD process analyzes a number of speaker segments using a language model that determines when speaker changes occur. A speaker clustering algorithm is then applied to the speaker segments to associate one of the speakers with each of the speaker segments.

Abstract: Identification of an intent of a conversation can be useful for real-time or post-processing purposes. According to example embodiments, a method, and corresponding apparatus of identifying at least one intent-bearing utterance in a conversation, comprises determining at least one feature for each utterance among a subset of utterances of the conversation; classifying each utterance among the subset of utterances, using a classifier, as an intent classification or a non-intent classification based at least in part on a subset of the at least one determined feature; and selecting at least one utterance, with intent classification, as an intent-bearing utterance based at least in part on classification results by the classifier. Through identification of an intent bearing utterance, a call center for example, can provide improved service for callers through, for example, more effective directing of a call to a live agent.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-implemented method for communicating a reference code for a transaction. The method monitors a communication session conducted between a user and an agent via a communication channel, extracts user and channel properties from the monitored communication session, selects a reference code from a set of references codes stored on a database, in which the selection is based at least in part on the extracted communication channel properties and the extracted user properties, and then communicates the selected reference code to the user.

Abstract: An approach is provided that receives an audio stream and utilizes a voice activation detection (VAD) process to create a digital audio stream of voices from at least two different speakers. An automatic speech recognition (ASR) process is applied to the digital stream with the ASR process resulting in the spoken words to which a speaker turn detection (STD) process is applied to identify a number of speaker segments with each speaker segment ending at a word boundary. The STD process analyzes a number of speaker segments using a language model that determines when speaker changes occur. A speaker clustering algorithm is then applied to the speaker segments to associate one of the speakers with each of the speaker segments.

Abstract: An approach is provided that receives an audio stream and utilizes a voice activation detection (VAD) process to create a digital audio stream of voices from at least two different speakers. An automatic speech recognition (ASR) process is applied to the digital stream with the ASR process resulting in the spoken words to which a speaker turn detection (STD) process is applied to identify a number of speaker segments with each speaker segment ending at a word boundary. A speaker clustering algorithm is then applied to the speaker segments to associate one of the speakers with each of the speaker segments.

Abstract: A method of combining data streams from fixed audio-visual sensors with data streams from personal mobile devices including, forming a communication link with at least one of one or more personal mobile devices; receiving at least one of an audio data stream and/or a video data stream from the at least one of the one or more personal mobile devices; determining the quality of the at least one of the audio data stream and/or the video data stream, wherein the audio data stream and/or the video data stream having a quality above a threshold quality is retained; and combining the retained audio data stream and/or the video data stream with the data streams from the fixed audio-visual sensors.

Abstract: Symbol sequences are estimated using a computer-implemented method including detecting one or more candidates of a target symbol sequence from a speech-to-text data, extracting a related portion of each candidate from the speech-to-text data, detecting repetition of at least a partial sequence of each candidate within the related portion of the corresponding candidate, labeling the detected repetition with a repetition indication, and estimating whether each candidate is the target symbol sequence, using the corresponding related portion including the repetition indication of each of the candidates.

Abstract: Symbol sequences are estimated using a computer-implemented method including detecting one or more candidates of a target symbol sequence from a speech-to-text data, extracting a related portion of each candidate from the speech-to-text data, detecting repetition of at least a partial sequence of each candidate within the related portion of the corresponding candidate, labeling the detected repetition with a repetition indication, and estimating whether each candidate is the target symbol sequence, using the corresponding related portion including the repetition indication of each of the candidates.

Abstract: A method of combining data streams from fixed audio-visual sensors with data streams from personal mobile devices including, forming a communication link with at least one of one or more personal mobile devices; receiving at least one of an audio data stream and/or a video data stream from the at least one of the one or more personal mobile devices; determining the quality of the at least one of the audio data stream and/or the video data stream, wherein the audio data stream and/or the video data stream having a quality above a threshold quality is retained; and combining the retained audio data stream and/or the video data stream with the data streams from the fixed audio-visual sensors.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-implemented method for communicating a reference code for a transaction. The method monitors a communication session conducted between a user and an agent via a communication channel, extracts user and channel properties from the monitored communication session, selects a reference code from a set of references codes stored on a database, in which the selection is based at least in part on the extracted communication channel properties and the extracted user properties, and then communicates the selected reference code to the user.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include method, systems and computer program products for role modeling. Aspects of the invention include receiving, by a processor, audio data, wherein the audio data includes a plurality of audio conversation for one or more speakers. The one or more segments for each of the plurality of audio conversations are partitioned. A speaker is associated with each of the one or more segments. The one or more segments for each of the plurality of audio conversations are labeled with roles utilizing a speaker recognition engine. Speakers are clustered based at least in part on a number of times the speakers are present in an audio conversation.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include method, systems and computer program products for role modeling. Aspects of the invention include receiving, by a processor, audio data, wherein the audio data includes a plurality of audio conversation for one or more speakers. The one or more segments for each of the plurality of audio conversations are partitioned. A speaker is associated with each of the one or more segments. The one or more segments for each of the plurality of audio conversations are labeled with roles utilizing a speaker recognition engine. Speakers are clustered based at least in part on a number of times the speakers are present in an audio conversation.

Abstract: Symbol sequences are estimated using a computer-implemented method including detecting one or more candidates of a target symbol sequence from a speech-to-text data, extracting a related portion of each candidate from the speech-to-text data, detecting repetition of at least a partial sequence of each candidate within the related portion of the corresponding candidate, labeling the detected repetition with a repetition indication, and estimating whether each candidate is the target symbol sequence, using the corresponding related portion including the repetition indication of each of the candidates.