Abstract: A self-help application such as in an interactive voice response (IVR) platform serving users is enabled for providing an integrated development (IDE) and monitoring environment. This provides real-time reporting and analysis on user behavior, application performance and transaction success. The application is coded in software objects (VoiceObjects) specific to the context of the application. These are pre-built objects that include dialog components, resource management, logic, actions, layer and business tasks. This object-oriented approach uncouples the underlying technology from the application and allows designers to build user-friendly applications. In one embodiment, Java or VoiceXML codes are generated dynamically from these objects and executed by a browser in the IVR. A set of core metrics is defined for each object type as well as configurable levels for these metrics. Data associated with individual objects are collected, aggregated, analyzed and displayed in context by the IDE.

Abstract: A self-help application such as in an interactive voice response (IVR) platform serving users is enabled for providing an integrated development (IDE) and monitoring environment. This provides real-time reporting and analysis on user behavior, application performance and transaction success. The application is coded in software objects (VoiceObjects) specific to the context of the application. These are pre-built objects that include dialog components, resource management, logic, actions, layer and business tasks. This object-oriented approach uncouples the underlying technology from the application and allows designers to build user-friendly applications. In one embodiment, Java or VoiceXML codes are generated dynamically from these objects and executed by a browser in the IVR. A set of core metrics is defined for each object type as well as configurable levels for these metrics. Data associated with individual objects are collected, aggregated, analyzed and displayed in context by the IDE.

Abstract: The method enables a user of a client (2) to invoke predefined information units in a communications network per speech input. For this purpose, a client (2) downloads a private information unit (27) that enables a speech input from a server (6), a speech recognizer (8) produces a recognition result from an uttered speech input and with the recognition result a link (44-46, 48) to an information unit is determined in a data file (5) to which information unit a word (41-43, 47) is assigned that correlates with the recognition result.

Abstract: In a method in which an information unit (4) enabling a speech input is stored on a server (5) and can be retrieved by a client (1, 2, 3) and in which the client can be coupled to one or more speech recognizers (7, 8, 9) through a communications network (6), the information unit (4) is assigned additional information (12) which is provided for determining a combination of a client (1, 2, 3) for recognizing an uttered speech signal and at least one of the speech recognizers (7, 8, 9), to dynamically assign the speech recognizers (7, 8, 9) in a communications network (6) to the information units (4) and thus ensure an acceptable processing time for the recognition of a speech input with a high recognition quality.

Abstract: A huge vocabulary speech recognition system for recognizing a sequence of spoken words, having an input means for receiving a time-sequential input pattern representative of the sequence of spoken words. The system further includes a plurality of large vocabulary speech recognizers each being associated with a respective, different large vocabulary recognition model. Each of the recognition models is targeted to a specific part of the huge vocabulary. The system comprises a controller operative to direct the input pattern to a plurality of the speech recognizers and to select a recognized word sequence from the word sequences recognized by the plurality of speech recognizers.

Abstract: A distributed speech recognition system includes at least one client station and a server station connected via a network, such as Internet. The client station includes means for receiving the speech input signal from a user. A speech controller directs at least part of the speech input signal to a local speech recognizer. The, preferably limited, speech recognizer is capable of recognizing at least part of the speech input, for instance a spoken command for starting full recognition. In dependence on the outcome of the recognition, the speech controller selectively directs a part of the speech input signal via the network to the server station. The server station includes means for receiving the speech equivalent signal from the network and a large/huge vocabulary speech recognizer for recognizing the received speech equivalent signal.

Abstract: The transportation costs of a mass transit system are subsidized in the following manner. A person is enabled to use a mass transport system wherein a passenger uses a transportation pass. The pass is also validated for conducting a commercial transaction outside the system. This works as an incentive for people to use the system, and enables to acquire data about the flow of passengers in the system and beyond. Commercial enterprises may benefit from the data collection, and may further subsidize the system by attracting patrons through the pass that can serve as an electronic coupon.

Abstract: A system includes means for creating a vocabulary and/or statistical language model from a textual training corpus. The vocabulary and/or language model are used in a pattern recognition system, such as a speech recognition system or a handwriting recognition system, for recognizing a time-sequential input pattern. The system includes means for determining at least one context identifier and means for deriving at least one search criterion, such as a keyword, from the context identifier. The system further includes means for selecting documents from a set of documents based on the search criterion. Advantageously, an Internet search engine is used for selecting the documents. Means are used for composing the training corpus from the selected documents.

Abstract: A distributed pattern recognition system includes at least one user station and a server station. The server station and the user station are connected via a network, such as Internet. The server station includes different recognition models of a same type. As part of a recognition enrolment, the user station transfers model improvement data associated with a user of the user station to the server station. The server station selects a recognition model from the different recognition models of a same type in dependence on the model improvement data. For each recognition session, the user station transfers an input pattern representative of time sequential input generated by the user to the server station. The server station retrieves a recognition model selected for the user and provides the retrieved recognition model to a recognition unit for recognising the input pattern using the recognition models.

Abstract: For speech recognition, notably the recognition of curtly spoken speech with a large vocabulary, language models which take into account the probabilities of occurrence of word sequences are used so as to enhance the recognition reliability. These language models are determined from rather large quantities of text and hence represent an average value formed over several texts. However, the language model hence is not adapted very well to particularities of a special text. In order to achieve such adaptation of an existing language model to a special text while using only a small quantity of text, the invention proposes to determine confidence intervals from the counts of the word sequences occurring in the short text; this determination is possible by using calculation methods which are known from statistics.