Abstract: Techniques disclosed herein include systems and methods for voice-enabled searching. Techniques include a co-occurrence based approach to improve accuracy of the 1-best hypothesis for non-phrase voice queries, as well as for phrased voice queries. A co-occurrence model is used in addition to a statistical natural language model and acoustic model to recognize spoken queries, such as spoken queries for searching a search engine. Given an utterance and an associated list of automated speech recognition n-best hypotheses, the system rescores the different hypotheses using co-occurrence information. For each hypothesis, the system estimates a frequency of co-occurrence within web documents. Combined scores from a speech recognizer and a co-occurrence engine can be combined to select a best hypothesis with a lower word error rate.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include receiving a time domain voice signal, and extracting a single pitch cycle from the received signal. The extracted single pitch cycle is transformed to a frequency domain, and the misclassified roots of the frequency domain are identified and corrected. Using the corrected roots, an indication of a maximum phase of the frequency domain is generated.

Abstract: Techniques for notifying at least one entity of an occurrence of an event in an audio signal are provided. At least one preference is obtained from the at least one entity. An occurrence of an event in the audio signal is determined. The event is related to at least one of at least one speaker and at least one topic. The at least one entity is notified of the occurrence of the event in the audio signal, in accordance with the at least one preference.

Abstract: A voice processing system includes a real-time voice server, which is arranged to process real-time voice processing tasks for clients of the system. A gateway processor is arranged to accept from a client a request to perform an off-line voice processing task, to convert the off-line voice processing task into an equivalent real-time voice processing task, to invoke the voice server to process the equivalent real-time voice processing task, and to output a result of the equivalent real-time voice processing task.

Abstract: A method that includes: generating an utterance-specific scoring model for each one of a plurality of obtained speech utterances, each scoring model usable to estimate a level of speech naturalness for a respective one of the obtained speech utterances; presenting a plurality of human-testers with some of the obtained speech utterances; receiving, for each presented speech utterance, a plurality of human tester generated speech utterances being at least one human repetition of the presented speech utterance; updating the scoring model for each presented speech utterance, based on respective human-tester generated speech utterances; and obtaining a speech naturalness score for each presented speech utterance by respectively applying the updated utterance-specific scoring model to each presented speech utterance.

Abstract: A method for processing a speech signal includes dividing the speech signal into a succession of frames, identifying one or more of the frames as click frames, and extracting phase information from the click frames. The speech signal is encoded using the phase information. Methods are also provided for modeling phase spectra of voiced frames and click frames.

Abstract: A method for responding to media conference deficiencies, the method includes: monitoring, by at least one receiver, a quality of media conference signals being received by at least one receiver during the media conference; sending, in response to the monitoring, to at least an end user transmitter that transmitted the media conference signals, a quality indication representative of a quality of the received media conference signals; recording inadequately received media conference signals that were inadequately received by a certain end user receiver and participating in an activity related to a transmission, to the certain end user receiver, of the inadequately received media conference signals or of a representation of the inadequately received media conference signals.

Abstract: Method, system, and computer program product for voice transformation are provided. The method includes transforming a source speech using transformation parameters, and encoding information on the transformation parameters in an output speech using steganography, wherein the source speech can be reconstructed using the output speech and the information on the transformation parameters. A method for reconstructing voice transformation is also provided including: receiving an output speech of a voice transformation system wherein the output speech is transformed speech which has encoded information on the transformation parameters using steganography; extracting the information on the transformation parameters; and carrying out an inverse transformation of the output speech to obtain an approximation of an original source speech.

Abstract: Techniques for notifying at least one entity of an occurrence of an event in an audio signal are provided. At least one preference is obtained from the at least one entity. An occurrence of an event in the audio signal is determined. The event is related to at least one of at least one speaker and at least one topic. The at least one entity is notified of the occurrence of the event in the audio signal, in accordance with the at least one preference.

Abstract: Techniques for notifying at least one entity of an occurrence of an event in an audio signal are provided. At least one preference is obtained from the at least one entity. An occurrence of an event in the audio signal is determined. The event is related to at least one of at least one speaker and at least one topic. The at least one entity is notified of the occurrence of the event in the audio signal, in accordance with the at least one preference.

Abstract: A method for responding to media conference deficiencies, the method includes: monitoring, by at least one receiver, a quality of media conference signals being received by at least one receiver during the media conference; sending, in response to the monitoring, to at least an end user transmitter that transmitted the media conference signals, a quality indication representative of a quality of the received media conference signals; recording inadequately received media conference signals that were inadequately received by a certain end user receiver and participating in an activity related to a transmission, to the certain end user receiver, of the inadequately received media conference signals or of a representation of the inadequately received media conference signals.

Abstract: A computer implemented method in a data processing system and a computer program product enable visual selection of a media signal. A set of media signals is received from a set of media providers. A subject matter and a performer of the subject matter are then identified for at least one of the set of media signals. A set of icons is then identified. Each of the set of icons corresponds to at least one of media signals. The set of icons and the set of media providers are then forwarded to a client media player.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product are provided for speech output with confidence indication. The method includes receiving a confidence score for segments of speech or text to be synthesized to speech. The method includes modifying a speech segment by altering one or more parameters of the speech proportionally to the confidence score.

Abstract: A method that includes: generating an utterance-specific scoring model for each one of a plurality of obtained speech utterances, each scoring model usable to estimate a level of speech naturalness for a respective one of the obtained speech utterances; presenting a plurality of human-testers with some of the obtained speech utterances; receiving, for each presented speech utterance, a plurality of human tester generated speech utterances being at least one human repetition of the presented speech utterance; updating the scoring model for each presented speech utterance, based on respective human-tester generated speech utterances; and obtaining a speech naturalness score for each presented speech utterance by respectively applying the updated utterance-specific scoring model to each presented speech utterance.

Abstract: Techniques for notifying at least one entity of an occurrence of an event in an audio signal are provided. At least one preference is obtained from the at least one entity. An occurrence of an event in the audio signal is determined. The event is related to at least one of at least one speaker and at least one topic. The at least one entity is notified of the occurrence of the event in the audio signal, in accordance with the at least one preference.

Abstract: A computer implemented method in a data processing system and a computer program product enable visual selection of a media signal. A set of media signals is received from a set of media providers. A subject matter and a performer of the subject matter are then identified for at least one of the set of media signals. A set of icons is then identified. Each of the set of icons corresponds to at least one of media signals. The set of icons and the set of media providers are then forwarded to a client media player.

Abstract: A Voice User Interface is provided for interactively responding in a synthesized voice to a call from a human caller, a Text to Speech system by which text entered by an agent and interactive data are converted to synthesized speech, a morphing transformation library containing pre-computed voice transformation parameters unique to each agent affiliated with the VUI, and a switching system for transferring handling of the call between the VUI and the agent. The human agent's verbal interaction with the caller is performed in the agent's natural voice. Text transmitted by an agent to a caller and interactive data is in a synthesized voice created using the pre-computed transformation parameters corresponding to the agent's ID selected from the morphing transformation library. All speech presented to a caller is presented in approximately the same unique voice as initially presented when the call is established, thereby permitting an aurally seamless phone call, as perceived by the caller.

Abstract: A method for responding to media conference deficiencies, the method includes: monitoring, by at least one receiver, a quality of media conference signals being received by at least one receiver during the media conference; sending, in response to the monitoring, to at least an end user transmitter that transmitted the media conference signals, a quality indication representative of a quality of the received media conference signals; recording inadequately received media conference signals that were inadequately received by a certain end user receiver and participating in an activity related to a transmission, to the certain end user receiver, of the inadequately received media conference signals or of a representation of the inadequately received media conference signals.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for text-to-speech synthesis with personalized voice. The method includes receiving an incidental audio input (403) of speech in the form of an audio communication from an input speaker (401) and generating a voice dataset (404) for the input speaker (401). The method includes receiving a text input (411) at the same device as the audio input (403) and synthesizing (312) the text from the text input (411) to synthesized speech including using the voice dataset (404) to personalize the synthesized speech to sound like the input speaker (401). In addition, the method includes analyzing (316) the text for expression and adding the expression (315) to the synthesized speech. The audio communication may be part of a video communication (453) and the audio input (403) may have an associated visual input (455) of an image of the input speaker.

Abstract: A voice processing system includes a real-time voice server, which is arranged to process real-time voice processing tasks for clients of the system. A gateway processor is arranged to accept from a client a request to perform an off-line voice processing task, to convert the off-line voice processing task into an equivalent real-time voice processing task, to invoke the voice server to process the equivalent real-time voice processing task, and to output a result of the equivalent real-time voice processing task.