Abstract: Customer service and/or care providers generally have multiple communications channels (i.e., modes of communications, such as an Internet webpage, live agent telephones, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system) of communication with which a customer may interact with the customer service provider. Currently, customers must select the communications channel by guessing which communications channel would best accommodate the customer's purpose/need for communicating with the customer service provider. In some scenarios, the customer may select the wrong communications channel because the selected channel is not able to service the customer's need. In another scenario, the customer may select a channel that is more cumbersome to service the customer's particular need than another channel of the customer service provider.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus to disambiguate requests are presented. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a request for information from a user. Then data is retrieved from a back-end database in response to the request. Based on a predetermined configuration of a disambiguation system and the data retrieved, the ambiguity within the request is dynamically resolved.

Abstract: A method of providing a task assistant to provide an interface to an application is described. The method includes, in one embodiment, receiving input from a user through multimodal input including a plurality of each input, typing input, and touch input, interpreting the input, and providing a formatted query to the application, and receiving data from the application in response to the query. The method further includes identifying a destination providing a response to the query, identifying an anchor pointing to a specific location in the application associated with the response to the query, and directing the user to the specific location, using the anchor, the specific location providing a response to the user.

Abstract: A system and method enable a designer to design an application using a design tool, deploy the application for execution, and subsequently view statistics related to the execution within the design tool. The designer uses the design tool to create an application flow for the application, and the design tool then generates software code for such application. In generating software code, the design tool inserts markers in the application code that demarks the boundaries between nodes in the application flow. When the application is executed, a log is created in accordance with the markers such that data is logged for nodes traversed during the execution of the application. Using the logged data, statistics are calculated for one or more of the nodes. These statistics are provided to the design tool and, in the preferred embodiment, displayed in conjunction with the application flow in the user interface of the design tool.

Abstract: Customer service and/or care providers generally have multiple communications channels (i.e., modes of communications, such as an Internet webpage, live agent telephones, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system) of communication with which a customer may interact with the customer service provider. Currently, customers must select the communications channel by guessing which communications channel would best accommodate the customer's purpose/need for communicating with the customer service provider. In some scenarios, the customer may select the wrong communications channel because the selected channel is not able to service the customer's need. In another scenario, the customer may select a channel that is more cumbersome to service the customer's particular need than another channel of the customer service provider.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus to disambiguate requests are presented. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a request for information from a user. Then data is retrieved from a back-end database in response to the request. Based on a predetermined configuration of a disambiguation system and the data retrieved, the ambiguity within the request is dynamically resolved.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus to disambiguate requests are presented. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a request for information from a user. Then data is retrieved from a back-end database in response to the request. Based on a predetermined configuration of a disambiguation system and the data retrieved, the ambiguity within the request is dynamically resolved.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus to disambiguate requests are presented. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a request for information from a user. Then data is retrieved from a back-end database in response to the request. Based on a predetermined configuration of a disambiguation system and the data retrieved, the ambiguity within the request is dynamically resolved.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for generating and using both speaker dependent and speaker independent garbage models in speaker dependent speech recognition applications are described. The present invention recognizes that in some speech recognition systems, e.g., systems where multiple speech recognition operations are performed on the same signal, it may be desirable to recognize and treat words or phrases in one part of the speech recognition system as garbage or out of vocabulary utterances with the understanding that the very same words or phrases will be recognized and treated as in-vocabulary by another portion of the system. In accordance with the present invention, in systems where both speaker independent and speaker dependent speech recognition operations are performed independently, e.g.

Abstract: Converting speech recognition templates or models from a first format to a second format improves the recognition rate achieved using the converted templates or models. Storing source and/or scoring information for templates or models so that converted models or templates can be scored differently than original models or templates reflects the effect the conversion process has on recognition scores. In order to enhance recognition results in one embodiment, an available compressed voice recording is used in the conversion process. The conversion process of the present invention is described using the conversion of dynamic time warping templates into Hidden Markov Models. Generating garbage models are also described. In one embodiment, a garbage model is generated dynamically at recognition time using a period of silence in the utterance upon which the recognition operation is to be performed as the source of the data required to generate the garbage model.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for generating and using both speaker dependent and speaker independent garbage models in speaker dependent speech recognition applications are described. The present invention recognizes that in some speech recognition systems, e.g., systems where multiple speech recognition operations are performed on the same signal, it may be desirable to recognize and treat words or phrases in one part of the speech recognition system as garbage or out of vocabulary utterances with the understanding that the very same words or phrases will be recognized and treated as in-vocabulary by another portion of the system. In accordance with the present invention, in systems where both speaker independent and speaker dependent speech recognition operations are performed independently, e.g.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for transitioning from one speech recognition system to another and for reusing existing speech recognition data are described. In particular, various methods of converting speech recognition templates or models from a first format to a second format are described. Methods for improving the recognition rate achieved using converted templates or models are also described. These methods involve storing source and/or scoring information for templates or models so that converted models or templates can be scored differently than original models or templates to thereby reflect the effect the conversion process has on recognition scores. In order to enhance recognition results in one embodiment an available compressed voice recording is used in the conversion process. The methods and apparatus of the present invention can be applied to a wide variety of speech recognition template and model conversion applications. Methods and apparatus for generating garbage models are also described.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for the generation of speaker dependent garbage models from the very same data used to generate speaker dependent speech recognition models, e.g., word models, are described. The technique involves processing the data included in the speaker dependent speech recognition models to create one or more speaker dependent garbage models. The speaker dependent garbage model generation technique involves what may be described as distorting or morphing of a speaker dependent speech recognition model to generate a speaker dependent garbage model therefrom. One or more speaker dependent speech recognition models may then be combined with the generated speaker dependent garbage model to produce an updated garbage model. The scoring of speaker dependent garbage models is varied in accordance with the present invention as a function of the number of speech recognition models from which the speaker dependent garbage model was created.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for activating telephone services in response to speech are described. A directory including names is maintained for each customer. A speaker dependent speech template and a telephone number for each name, is maintained as part of each customer's directory. Speaker independent speech templates are used for recognizing commands. The present invention has the advantage of permitting a customer to place a call by speaking a person's name which serves as a destination identifier without having to speak an additional command or steering word to place the call. This is achieved by treating the receipt of a spoken name in the absence of a command as an implicit command to place a call. Explicit speaker independent commands are used to invoke features or services other than call placement. Speaker independent and speaker dependent speech recognition are performed on a customer's speech in parallel.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for activating telephone services in response to speech are described. A directory including names is maintained for each customer. A speaker dependent speech template and a telephone number for each name, is maintained as part of each customer's directory. Speaker independent speech templates are used for recognizing commands. The present invention has the advantage of permitting a customer to place a call by speaking a person's name which serves as a destination identifier without having to speak an additional command or steering word to place the call. This is achieved by treating the receipt of a spoken name in the absence of a command as an implicit command to place a call. Explicit speaker independent commands are used to invoke features or services other than call placement. Speaker independent and speaker dependent speech recognition are performed on a customer's speech in parallel.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for echo cancellation in voice-messaging and voice-response systems, to enhance recognition of received DTMF and voice signals, comprising an efficient software echo canceller using adaptive digital filtering techniques. The voice messaging system includes analog telephone line interface modules which provide digitized voice data to a digital signal processor (DSP) chip. A transmit data line and a receive data line are each coupled to a cancel module with a cancel filter and an adapt/window module with an adaptive digital filter. The cancel filter causes echo cancellation on the receive data line; the adapt/window module monitors buffered transmit data in non-real time, without directly causing cancellation to occur, and selectively transfers an adjacent window of filter coefficients to the cancel filter under control of an adaptation control coupled to the adapt/window module.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for activating telephone services in response to speech are described. A directory including names is maintained for each customer. A speaker dependent speech template and a telephone number for each name, is maintained as part of each customer's directory. Speaker independent speech templates are used for recognizing commands. The present invention has the advantage of permitting a customer to place a call by speaking a person's name which serves as a destination identifier without having to speak an additional command or steering word to place the call. This is achieved by treating the receipt of a spoken name in the absence of a command as an implicit command to place a call. Explicit speaker independent commands are used to invoke features or services other than call placement. Speaker independent and speaker dependent speech recognition are performed on a customer's speech in parallel.