Abstract: The method operates in a telecommunications network having at least one subscriber terminal corresponding to at least one subscriber at a subscriber location. The method implements a message waiting indication service for indicating the presence of a data message corresponding to the at least one subscriber in a data message platform. The method begins in step 100 by receiving the data message at the data message platform. A message waiting signal is generated as shown in step 102. The message waiting signal is transmitted to the telecommunications network as shown in step 104 and a message waiting indication signal is generated at the telecommunications network as shown in step 106. Finally, a message waiting indication signal is transmitted to the subscriber terminal in response to the message waiting signal.

Abstract: A customer feedback acquisition and processing system is disclosed. Customer feedback, which may optionally include voice signals, is captured and stored in a database. The database can be searched to develop a subset of records pertaining to an area of interest. A data mining tool can then be used on the subset to identify trend(s) in the customer feedback records. The database tool assigns relevance scores to each word (“concept”) in one or more fields of the records in the subset. It then combines the concepts and develops new relevance scores for the combined concepts to identify trend(s) in the customer feedback records.

Abstract: A home gateway system has a transceiver (70) capable of establishing a wireless local loop connection (72). A voice processing system (74) is coupled to the transceiver (70). The voice processing system (74) is capable of storing a message from an incoming call. A caller identification processing system (76) is coupled to the transceiver (70). The caller identification processing system (76) determines a telephone number of the incoming call and routes the incoming call to the voice processing system (74), if the telephone number belongs to a screened group of telephone numbers.

Abstract: A system has a plurality of memory locations and a processor. The plurality of memory locations is partitioned by security level and by smart card application. The plurality of memory locations has at least one limited access partition to store limited access information associated with a smart card. The processor is coupled to the plurality of memory locations to receive a transaction request related to the smart card, to authenticate the smart card, to access the limited access information of the limited access partition in response to a data pointer of the smart card, and to process the transaction request according to the limited access information. The limited access information includes a restriction defined by an owner of the smart card.

Abstract: A system (10) and method (40) for providing audible caller information to telephone service subscribers is presented. The system (10) includes a pre-processor (28) that converts textual caller information from a first data format to a second data format suitable for text-to-speech synthesis (TTS). The pre-processor (28) can be incorporated in a service node/intelligent peripheral (SN/IP) (24) in an advanced intelligent network (AIN). In this configuration, the pre-processor (28) can be used to convert caller-ID with name database entries into a predetermined TTS format. The TTS formatted information can be provided to a TTS synthesized (30) included in the SN/IP (24). In conjunction with a switching service point (SSP) (20), the pre-processor (28) can provide a talking call-waiting feature to subscribers with significantly improved intelligibility.

Abstract: A telecommunications system (600) distributes text-to-speech synthesis (900) between a telephone network (603) and a telephone subscriber unit (602). The telephone network (603) receives (1102) a telephone call from a first telephone subscriber unit (601) over a first communication channel (604) intended for a second telephone subscriber unit (602), determines (1103) that the second telephone subscriber unit (602) subscribes to a speech-based caller identification service provided by the telephone network (603), converts (1107) text information (707), representing the caller identification of the first telephone subscriber unit (601) into symbols (708), encodes (1108) the symbols (708) to form a data stream (709), opens (1109) a second communication channel (605) between the telephone network (603) and the second telephone subscriber unit (602), and sends (1110) the data stream (709) to the second telephone subscriber unit (602) over the second communication channel (605).

Abstract: A network-based announcement and message delivery service for providing a landline customer with information of interest such as weather, financial market data, time/temperature, sporting event results, etc. The information is provided to the subscriber by way of information displayed on a caller-ID display and/or by way of talking caller-ID.

Abstract: A telecommunication product demonstration system is comprised of three major components, including customer facility equipment, sales agent facility equipment, and telecommunication service simulation equipment. The system allows a sales agent to demonstrate various long distance services and telecommunications services to potential customers.

Abstract: A telecommunications system (600) distributes text-to-speech synthesis (900) between a telephone network (603) and a telephone subscriber unit (602). The telephone network (603) receives (1102) a telephone call from a first telephone subscriber unit (601) over a first communication channel (604) intended for a second telephone subscriber unit (602), determines (1103) that the second telephone subscriber unit (602) subscribes to a speech-based caller identification service provided by the telephone network (603), converts (1107) text information (707), representing the caller identification of the first telephone subscriber unit (601) into symbols (708), encodes (1108) the symbols (708) to form a data stream (709), opens (1109) a second communication channel (605) between the telephone network (603) and the second telephone subscriber unit (602), and sends (1110) the data stream (709) to the second telephone subscriber unit (602) over the second communication channel (605).

Abstract: A speaker verification method consist of the following steps: (1) generating a code book (42) covering a number of speakers having a number of training utterances for each of the speakers; (2) receiving a number of test utterances (44) from a speaker; (3) comparing (46) each of the test utterances to each of the training utterances for the speaker to form a number of decisions, one decision for each of the number of test utterances; (4) weighting each of the decisions (48) to form a number of weighted decisions; and (5) combining (50) the plurality of weighted decisions to form a verification decision (52).

Abstract: A system (10) and method (40) are provided permitting cookie files to be used with telephonic customer premises equipment (CPE) (12). The caller CPE (12) can be an intelligent telephone adapted to generate, store, transmit and receive cookie files. The cookie files can include information tokens describing a caller profile. The CPE (12) can provide a template cookie file upon request from a called party during a conversation between the caller and called party. The template file can then be transmitted to the called party and modified. The modified cookie file can then be returned to the caller CPE (12) for future use during subsequent calls to the called party. The cookie file can reduce the processing time of calls placed to automated dial-up service centers and also reduces its computer resources required by the service system.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for providing an enhanced call waiting message to a customer when the customer is busy on a previous call and receives a current call. The call waiting message preferably includes a call waiting indicator and an audible representation of information associated with a current calling party. The call waiting message alerts the customer that a current call is waiting and provides the customer with information that assists the customer in deciding whether or not to take the current call. The call waiting indicator and the information associated with a current calling party are automatically transmitted to the customer without any customer commands.

Abstract: A method and system for creating and navigating linear hypermedia resource programs are disclosed. The system includes a distributed hypermedia resource network having a plurality of hypermedia resources residing on one or more remote information nodes. A common remote information node is in communication with a subscriber station and the remote information nodes in the distributed network. The common remote information node contains at least one linear hypermedia resource program consisting of pre-selected media elements from one or more hypermedia resources linked with exclusive linear links, each media element in the linear program having only one forward link to the next media element. The method includes the steps of downloading and displaying a media element in the linear program and responding to user commands to download and display the next media element in the linear program.

Abstract: Locating and confirming glottal events within human speech signals is disclosed. In a method of one embodiment of the invention, a signal representing digitized, sampled human speech is received, and at least one speech segment is located within the signal. One or more higher energy sections within each speech segment are also located, as well as glottal events within each speech segment based on these higher energy sections. The glottal events located within each speech segment are confirmed, including registering at least some of the glottal events with adjacent glottal events. Such confirmation allows for more accurate speaker verification to be performed.

Abstract: A method of accessing a dial-up service involves the following steps: (a) dialing a service number (172); (b) speaking a number of digits to form a first utterance (174); (c) recognizing the digits using speaker independent speaker recognition (176); (d) when a user has used the dial-up service previously, verifying the user based on the first utterance using a speaker verification system (178); (e) when the user cannot be verified, requesting the user enter a personal identification number (182); and (f) when the personal identification number is valid (184), providing access to the dial-up service (186).

Abstract: A wide area communications network (500) includes a first digital subscriber line (502). A first network interface device (504) connects to the digital subscriber line (502). The first network interface device (504) separates an ISDN channel (508) from a digital subscriber channel (510). An ISDN telephone (508) is connected to the network interface device (504). A protocol translator (512) is connected to the network interface device (504) by the digital subscriber channel (510). A hub (514) is connected to the protocol translator (512). A plurality of devices (516, 518) is connected to the hub (514). A digital subscriber line access multiplexer (506) is connected to the first digital subscriber line (502). The digital subscriber line access multiplexer (506) separates the digital subscriber channel from the ISDN channel (522). A public switched telephone network (523) is connected to the ISDN channel (522).

Abstract: A speech reference enrollment method involves the following steps: (a) requesting a user speak a vocabulary word; (b) detecting a first utterance (354); (c) requesting the user speak the vocabulary word; (d) detecting a second utterance (358); (e) determining a first similarity between the first utterance and the second utterance (362); (f) when the first similarity is less than a predetermined similarity, requesting the user speak the vocabulary word; (g) detecting a third utterance (366); (h) determining a second similarity between the first utterance and the third utterance (370); and (i) when the second similarity is greater than or equal to the predetermined similarity, creating a reference (364).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for verifying call waiting information in a communication system is particularly well suited for correcting mispronunciation of caller identification information provided for a call waiting call. A current pronunciation of the call waiting information is provided to the calling party who is prompted to change the current pronunciation. The system receives a new pronunciation of the call waiting information and stores information about the new pronunciation for subsequent retrieval.