Abstract: An interactive speech-activated information retrieval application for use in automated telephone systems includes a control manager that interfaces between the caller's speech input and applications and enables several applications to be open at the same time. The control manager continually monitors for control words, enabling the user to switch between applications at will. When a user switches to another application, the control manager suspends the first application and stores its context, enabling the user to later return to the application at the point where the application was previously suspended.

Abstract: An interactive speech-activated information retrieval application for use in automated telephone systems includes a control manager that interfaces between the caller's speech input and applications and enables several applications to be open at the same time. The control manager continually monitors for control words, enabling the user to switch between applications at will. When a user switches to another application, the control manager suspends the first application and stores its context, enabling the user to later return to the application at the point where the application was previously suspended.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for improving the accuracy of a speech recognition system in recognizing alphabetic character input. If spoken alphabetic characters are erroneously recognized by a speech recognition system, a user may reenter the alphabetic characters using DTMF key tones on the user's telephone keypad to assist the speech recognition system in determining the correct input. If the input is originally input using DTMF key tones, the user may reenter the input as spoken alphabetic characters to assist the system to identify the correct input from the combinations of input that may be associated with the DTMF key tone entry.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for testing and improving the performance of a speech recognition system. Words, phrases or utterances are assembled for recognition by one or more speech recognition engines. At a text-to-speech application, an audio pronunciation of each word, phrase or utterance is created. Each audio pronunciation is passed to one or more speech recognition engines. The speech recognition engine analyzes the audio pronunciations and derives one or more words, phrases or utterances from the audio pronunciations. A confidence score is assigned to each of the one or more words, phrases or utterances derived from the audio pronunciations. If the confidence score for any derived word, phrase or utterance is below an acceptable threshold, the results of the speech recognition engine for the word, phrase or utterance are passed to a developer to allow the developer to take corrective action with respect to the speech recognition engine.

Abstract: Methods and systems assist in real estate transactions by automating the generation of real estate listings utilizing verbal communication with a real estate seller and/or automating the access of real estate listings utilizing verbal communication with real estate customers. A real estate seller may contact a listing service by telephone to provide verbal answers to questions posed through a voice services node. The verbal answers are converted to listing data that is stored for later retrieval when needed by a real estate customer. A real estate customer may contact a listing service by a voice call to provide verbal information that identifies a piece of real estate of interest or identifies real estate preferences. A voice services node then verbally provides listing information about the piece of real estate or about pieces of real estate matching the preferences to the real estate customer.

Abstract: Methods and systems establish games with automation using verbal communication for exchanges between the automated game and the one or more game players. Game information data is converted into verbal information that is provided to the individual. The individual provides verbal instruction which is received and converted into the instruction data. The instruction data is applied to the current game to update the current game status. Information data for the current game status is converted to verbal information for the current game status which is provided to the individual. The game may be implemented on a local device of the individual or may be network-based and accessed remotely by the individual through verbal communication over a voice connection. The voice connection may be of various forms such as a conventional voiced call to a voice services node of a telephone network or a voice-over IP voiced call on a data network.

Abstract: Methods and systems for automating the assembly or creation of audio files for providing to listeners or for use in voice interactive services are provided. A voice application script is prepared and text associated with a desired audio file statement is inserted in the voice application in place of an audio file name. A recording manager software program passes the voice application script to an Extensible Markup Language (XML) parser that locates audio file tags in the voice application script. The XML parser extracts voice properties, if any, for each found audio tag, such as age and gender properties. The XML parser extracts the text string, and the recording manager software module passes the text string and associated properties in a database query to an audio file recording library database for locating an audio file matching the text string and properties.

Abstract: Systems and methods for checking broadband network components are provided in which an automated interactive system permits a field technician to check various conditions of a communication line or other broadband network components without the assistance of a support technician. While options to request assistance from a support technician are provided, the automated interactive system permits the field technician to perform various functions on a communication line without additional assistance, especially for routine tasks. The automated interactive system, therefore, removes efficiencies that may be associated with conventional approaches for checking broadband network components.

Abstract: Multiple processing stages are provided with different vocabulary databases to improve processing time, efficiency, and accuracy in speech recognition. The entire vocabulary is divided into smaller vocabulary subsets, which are associated with particular keywords. A small vocabulary subset is generated or retrieved based on certain information, such as a calling party's locality. A user is prompted to provide input information, such as the locality in which a business whose phone number is requested is located, in the form of a spoken utterance to the system. If the utterance matches one of the entries in the initial small vocabulary subset, then the utterance is considered to be recognizable. If the utterance is not recognizable when compared to the initial small vocabulary subset, then the utterance is stored for later use. The user is then prompted for a keyword related to another subset of words in which his initial utterance may be found.

Abstract: An information retrieval system is described that dynamically prioritizes search request results prior to output to a user. When a database search yields multiple hits, the results are first categorized into a series of groups. Categories are determined from any number of different factors, such as geographical locations of the search results, amenities, hours of operation, etc. For each category, the search results can be parsed into groups within the category. The results are first reported to the user in general terms, as a number of search results in each of the groups. The user is prompted to select the group that is of most interest, and the portion of the individual search results that are within the selected group are reported.

Abstract: An information retrieval system is described that dynamically prioritizes search request results prior to output to a user. When a database search yields multiple hits, the results are first categorized into a series of groups. Categories are determined from any number of different factors, such as geographical locations of the search results, amenities, hours of operation, etc. For each category, the search results can be parsed into groups within the category. The results are first reported to the user in general terms, as a number of search results in each of the groups. The user is prompted to select the group that is of most interest, and the portion of the individual search results that are within the selected group are reported.

Abstract: An interactive speech-activated information retrieval application for use in automated telephone systems includes a control manager that interfaces between the caller's speech input and applications and enables several applications to be open at the same time. The control manager continually monitors for control words, enabling the user to switch between applications at will. When a user switches to another application, the control manager suspends the first application and stores its context, enabling the user to later return to the application at the point where the application was previously suspended.

Abstract: Multiple processing stages are provided with different vocabulary databases to improve processing time, efficiency, and accuracy in speech recognition. The entire vocabulary is divided into smaller vocabulary subsets, which are associated with particular keywords. A small vocabulary subset is generated or retrieved based on certain information, such as a calling party's locality. A user is prompted to provide input information, such as the locality in which a business whose phone number is requested is located, in the form of a spoken utterance to the system. If the utterance matches one of the entries in the initial small vocabulary subset, then the utterance is considered to be recognizable. If the utterance is not recognizable when compared to the initial small vocabulary subset, then the utterance is stored for later use. The user is then prompted for a keyword related to another subset of words in which his initial utterance may be found.

Abstract: Routing information between an origination module and a destination module using a routing architecture. After an origination module (OM) receives information, a packet is transmitted to a routing architecture (RA) for routing to a destination module (DM) designated by the router packet. The RA interprets the router packet and adaptively routes the router packet to the DM so that the router packet is quickly processed by the DM. If the DM's queue is empty and the DM is not processing any other packets, the RA places the router packet in the queue and the DM reads its queue to process the router packet. If there is another router packet being processed by the DM, the RA adapts by placing the router packet in the queue. Once processing of the other router packet is complete, the DM processes the router packet in the queue. If there is already another router packet pending within the DM's queue, the RA adapts by creating another DM in memory to process the router packet.

Abstract: After an origination module (OM) receives information, a packet is transmitted to a routing architecture (RA) for routing to a destination module (DM) designated by the router packet. The RA interprets the router packet and adaptively routes the router packet to the DM so that the router packet is quickly processed by the DM. If the DM's queue is empty and the DM is not processing any other packets, the RA places the router packet in the queue and the DM reads its queue to process the router packet. If there is another router packet being processed by the DM, the RA adapts by placing the router packet in the queue. Once processing of the other router packet is complete, the DM processes the router packet in the queue. If there is already another router packet pending within the DM's queue, the RA adapts by creating another DM in memory to process the router packet.