Methods and apparatus for performing speech recognition over a network and using speech recognition results

Abstract

Techniques for generating, distributing, and using speech recognition models are described. A shared speech processing facility is used to support speech recognition for a wide variety of devices with limited capabilities including business computer systems, personal data assistants, etc., which are coupled to the speech processing facility via a communications channel, e.g., the Internet. Devices with audio capture capability record and transmit to the speech processing facility, via the Internet, digitized speech and receive speech processing services, e.g., speech recognition model generation and/or speech recognition services, in response. The Internet is used to return speech recognition models and/or information identifying recognized words or phrases. Thus, the speech processing facility can be used to provide speech recognition capabilities to devices without such capabilities and/or to augment a device's speech processing capability. Voice dialing, telephone control and/or other services are provided by the speech processing facility in response to speech recognition results.

1 . A speech processing method, comprising the steps of: operating a first device to receive speech; transmitting the received speech from the first device to a remote speech processing facility via the Internet; performing a speech recognition operation on said speech at the remote speech processing facility; and performing an action based on the outcome of the speech recognition operation.  
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of performing an action includes: transmitting information generated from said speech recognition operation via the Internet.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said information generated from said speech recognition operation is information indicating at least some of the recognized content of said speech.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said step of performing an action includes: retrieving from memory a telephone number associated with a name which was recognized in said speech; and transmitting the telephone number to the first device via the Internet.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising the steps of: operating the first device to receive the telephone number transmitted via the Internet; and operating the first device to initiate a telephone call using the telephone number.  
     
     
         6 . A method of operating a speech processing facility coupled to the Internet, the method comprising the steps of: receiving speech data transmitted over the Internet; performing a speech recognition operation using the received speech data; and performing an action based on the results of the speech recognition operation performed using the received speech information.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of performing an action includes: initiating a telephone call using a telephone number associated with a name recognized by performing said speech recognition operation.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising the steps of: initiating an additional telephone call to a telephone where the human being who was the source of speech corresponding to said speech data can be contacted; and bridging said telephone call and said additional telephone call.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of: receiving via the Internet said telephone number where the human being who was the source of speech corresponding to said speech data can be contacted.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said speech data includes at least one of digitized speech and speech feature vectors.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of performing an action includes: transmitting the speech data via the Internet to another speech processing facility for additional processing.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of performing an action includes: transmitting information generated from said speech recognition operation to a device via the Internet.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising the step of: operating said device to fill out at least a portion of a form based on the information generated from said speech recognition operation.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of performing an action includes: controlling a telephony device as a function of recognized speech.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the telephony device is coupled to the Internet and a telephone line; and wherein the telephony device is controlled to perform a dialing operation as a function of recognized speech.  
     
     
         16 . A speech processing method, the method comprising the steps of: operating a first device to receive speech; operating the first device to perform a speech recognition operation on said received speech using a first vocabulary including words; and when the first device fails to recognize any words in the first vocabulary in said received speech, performing the step of: transmitting digital speech data via the Internet to a remote speech processing facility capable of performing a speech recognition operation using a second vocabulary which is different from said first vocabulary.