RU9562U1 - INFOCOM INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM OF SUBSCRIBERS SERVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Information and communication system for customer service "INFOCOM", containing channels of the public telephone network, connected by a synchannel telephone connected to a reference and information device, including means for recognizing subscriber access rights and means for converting a response message into a synthesized speech signal, characterized in that the reference and information device is equipped with a server, a means for converting a subscriber’s audio voice request into a natural language sentence in in arbitrary form, by means of converting said sentences into a formalized request to a server, the input of which is connected to the output of the means for recognizing subscriber access rights, the input of the latter is connected to the output of the means for converting the subscriber’s voice request into a natural language sentence in symbolic form connected to a multi-channel telephone, output of the conversion of the above proposals in a formalized request, the server is connected to the server designed to search for information on request and is formed I response message server via said output means for converting the reply message into synthesized speech signal coupled to a multichannel telefonom.2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for converting a subscriber’s audio speech request into natural language sentences in symbolic form comprises a switch connected by a synchannel telephone and in each information channel with an analog-to-digital converter and a memory unit connected in series, one output of information memory blocks to�

Description

Information and communication system for customer service "INFOCOM

The proposal relates to information technology and can be used as a reference service for serving the population, while combining the capabilities of information and communication networks.

A known system of reference and information services for the population by verbally issuing a statement for a voice request by a subscriber’s phone is used in city telephone inquiry services, the services of which are limited to fairly simple inquiries, mainly about telephone network numbers. Such an information service system does not require sophisticated equipment by the subscriber, but it allows you to serve each subscriber request only in this communication session, does not have the properties of information storage and packet communication, the databases of such systems are limited.

Known information and communication telephone

a system containing telephones of system subscribers connected via terminal switches to a communication telephone network connected to a processor or several processors serving the system (US, 5432845 A, H 04 M 3/42, 11.07.95). The system can serve up to 800 subscribers,

IPC 6 N 04 M 3/42 N 03 M 7/28 G About F 17/30 provide telephone communication with the processor, which can

act as an answering machine, can carry out a number of logical functions, for example, recognize and highlight particular requirements, connect to the telephone network, work in conference mode.

However, this system has a limited number of subscribers (about 800) and has a limited database.

Known information and communication system for servicing subscribers of a communication network, containing many users connected via client computers to a communication network associated with the base of this information processor service system (US 5668988 A, G 06 F 17/30, 09/16/97). The indicated system relates to access systems of a client computer for reference information databases of server computers. Systems of this class can operate in different modes, from the simplest email mode to the interactive navigation mode on the information nodes of the Internet. The systems are characterized by a complex structure of requests, the ability to communicate both between the subscriber and the servers, and between the network subscribers in the packet switching mode, they make it easy to accumulate the information of subscribers in the system, however, it requires

expensive terminal equipment at the subscriber with installed software and a sufficiently high special qualification of the subscriber user.

The closest in technical essence to the claimed system is the information and communication system

2 subscriber services containing telephone network channels

common use connected to a multi-channel telephone connected to a reference and information device including a means for recognizing subscriber access rights, a means for converting a response message into a synthesized speech signal, a message receiving unit, a data bus, a database controller (US 4608460, H 04 M 3 / 42, 08.26.86).

The system serves subscribers of the communication system when receiving a call from them. The connection unit can operate in multi-channel telephone mode, connecting the equipment to the called party from a standard telephone call of a public telephone network. The subscriber receives a predetermined number of tones over the trunk. This number must be less than the length of the surname of the required subscriber. Each tone corresponds to one letter of the name of the subscriber needed by the caller. The system provides a damage sensor that switches the caller to the telephone operator, if the specified reception unit is damaged, the telephone operator in this case receives input tones.

Several indices are recorded in the memory, each of which is a digital representation of a given number of letters of the last name of each subscriber, with each index associated with an identifier corresponding to one of the subscribers. Individual identifiers associated with a single index can be preselected. Several data groups are recorded in the scanned data file, each of which has a part of an identifier and a part of a digital speech signal containing information for

3 callers. Reference equipment also contains

temporary storage device. The program unit controls the unit for digitally converting tonal input signals from the caller into a digital index, and searches the memory for all identifiers related to the specified index, outputs each recognized data group from the file, and writes such data groups to a temporary storage device.

The system described above has a limited reference database, due to the structure of information services, and a limited number of users, because it serves subscribers with a digital representation in the database of a given number of letters for each subscriber.

The technical result of the proposal is the combination of the advantages of helpdesk systems of public network subscribers, the possibility of information services such as the global Internet communications network and the adaptability of the information system by creating a database of accumulation of subscribers' requests during the operation of the customer service system.

In addition, the technical result of the proposal is to provide easy access to the system for telephone subscribers

public networks using a regular telephone and a regular voice request from a subscriber. In addition, the technical result of the proposal is to ensure the formation of a database received in the subscriber request system, in addition, the system provides a search for the object of the request of subscribers using

4 formalized request to the server. The system also provides

access to server resources and access to network resources.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that in

information and communication subscriber service system containing channels of the public switched telephone network connected to a multi-channel telephone connected to a reference and information device, including means for recognizing subscriber access rights and means for converting a response message into a synthesized speech signal, the reference and information device is provided with a server, means converting a subscriber’s audio speech request into a natural language sentence in symbolic form by means of Browsing the said proposals into a formalized request to the server, the input of which is connected to the output of the means for recognizing subscriber access rights, the input of the latter is connected to the output of the means for converting the subscriber’s voice request into a natural language sentence in symbolic form connected to a multi-channel telephone, and the output of the means for converting the said offers into a formalized one the request to the server is connected to the server, designed to search for information on request and generate a response message, the output is azannogo server via means for converting the response

messages in a synthesized speech signal connected to a multi-channel telephone.

The means for converting a subscriber’s audio voice request into natural language sentences in symbolic form comprises a switch connected to a multi-channel telephone and in

5

each information channel with an analog-to-digital converter and a memory block connected in series, some outputs of the memory channels of the information channels are connected to the inputs of the first group of the memory block of the received digital queries and the corresponding sentences of the natural language in symbolic form, the outputs of the input block are connected to the inputs of the second group of which connected to the corresponding keyboards, the other outputs of the memory blocks in each information channel through a digital converter are connected to the corresponding to the sound transducers of the operator, the memory block of the received digital queries and the corresponding natural language sentences in symbolic form are connected via a bus to the analysis block, the outputs of which are connected to the control input of the memory blocks of the information channels, the information outputs of the memory block of the received queries and the corresponding natural language sentences in symbolic form are the output of the specified means.

The system is illustrated by drawings.

Figure 1 shows an example of a functional diagram of an information and communication system for servicing subscribers,

Figure 2 is an example of a possible implementation of the means for converting the audio voice request of the subscriber to

natural language sentence in symbolic form.

Figure 3 shows the block diagram of the algorithm of the means of location of access rights of subscribers. Figure 4 shows a block diagram of the algorithm of the means

conversion of natural language sentences in symbolic form into a formalized request to the server.

The system includes (Fig. 1) channels 1 of the public telephone network with the telephone sets of 2 subscribers, a multi-channel telephone 3 connected to the indicated telephone network, the specified telephone is connected via communication lines to the means 4 for converting the subscriber's voice request into natural language sentences in symbolic form.

To provide access to a reference information and communication system, the system is equipped with a subscriber access rights recognition means 5 for analyzing a subscriber’s request with the data about him stored in the system.

The specified tool 5 is associated with the tool 4 on the one hand and with the means of converting natural language sentences in symbolic form into a formalized request to the server, the specified tool is connected to the server 7. Server 7 is designed to search for the request object by the information request received to it, and generate reply message to the subscriber. The server 7 is connected to the means 8 for converting the response message into a synthesized speech signal, the outputs of the specified means through the multiplexer 9 are connected to a multi-channel telephone 3. In this case, the multiplexer in the system is made programmatically.

Blocks 4,5,6,7,8 and 9 form a reference and information device designed to recognize a voice request

7 subscribers searching for the requested object in the database (in

system resource) and generating a response message about the request object into a speech signal.

System Preferred Embodiment

The system operates as follows.

The subscriber of the system dials with the help of a telephone set 2 the regular number of the public telephone network. Then, when connecting the line, the subscriber reports a request in the form of ordinary audio speech, consisting of an audio message of the subscriber’s name and a code sequence of digits of this subscriber for access to the system. After that, the subscriber verbally reports his request by phone. The request comes through a multi-channel telephone 3, designed to provide simultaneous communication of several subscribers to the system, to the switch 10 conversion means 4 (figure 2). Through a dedicated channel 11, an audio speech signal is supplied to the corresponding analog-to-digital converter 12 (ADC), from which the signal is transmitted in digital form to the corresponding memory block 13, where it is stored and from where it is overwritten into the memory block 14 by the corresponding control signal (realized programmatically) intended for storing received requests in digital and corresponding requests in the form of sentences of a natural language in a symbolic

form. The specified memory unit 14 is designed to accumulate and store requests in digitized form and in the form of sentences of the natural language and in symbolic form corresponding to the digitized requests that arrive in the memory unit 14 as the system operates.

8 For example, when you receive the first sound speech

of the subscriber’s request, the specified signal on line 11 through the switch 10 is fed to the corresponding ADC 12, where the specified analog signal is converted into a digital signal, which is then stored in the corresponding memory unit 13, this signal is also transmitted to the memory unit 14 by the control signal (as described above ) is compared in block 15 analysis with stored requests in digital form in block 14, if any. If a similar request is not found in the memory unit 14 in the analysis unit 15, the command is sent via the bus 16 to the corresponding memory unit 13, from which the request is read in digital form for conversion in the corresponding digital-to-analog converter 17, and is transmitted to the telephone headsets 18 of the operator. The operator enters the newly converted voice voice request of the subscriber through the keyboard 19 and the input unit 20 into the memory unit 14.

At the same time, the operator enters the sound of the subscriber’s request in the form of letters of natural sound by letters, and in the input unit 20, the corresponding alphabetic sequence of words of the sentences of the subscriber’s request is converted into natural language sentences in symbolic form. In this case, a four-digit letter coding method is used.

binary code, however, the type of conversion may be different.

The indicated symbolic sequence of natural language sentences uttered by the subscriber over the phone goes to block 14, where the same

9 request in the form of a digital binary signal converted to

ADC 12.

The memory unit 14 remembers the same query sentence in symbolic form as two types of the same query written differently (the first in the form of a digitized analog signal, the second in the form of a sentence of a natural language in symbolic form). Further, in the next step of the procedure, since the request in the form of a sentence of the natural language in symbolic form is already stored in the memory unit, the same request goes further to the access rights recognition means 5.

The procedure for processing part of the request in the specified tool is shown in Fig.3.

Since the subscriber informs his name at the beginning of his request, the indicated name enters the means 5 already in the symbolic form of the natural language, first this means searches for the indicated name. The tool contains a memory for registered names, if the subscriber’s name is found, the system proceeds to the following procedure - checking the possibility of working with this subscriber, for example, the presence of an unexhausted advance account, the absence of locks.

At the end of this procedure, the tool checks the code sequence entered by the subscriber, then the subscriber category is established (ordinary, privileged, administrative, system).

When passing through all stages of the access check, the tool provides a request from the memory unit 14 in the form of sentences of a natural language in symbolic form to the tool 6

ten

converting these offers into a formalized request to the server 7.

In case of failure of the incoming request of the means 5 recognition of access rights of the subscriber, the specified tool does not at every stage of verification generates a reasoned refusal upon request.

If the outcome is favorable, the request arrives at means b.

Figure 4 presents a block diagram of the algorithm of means 6 for converting these offers into a formalized request.

At the first step, a word-by-word analysis of the received proposal is made. The tool has a database of words of the language that stores about 50,000 words, a database of concepts and help areas, a database of word forms containing the words of the word database in different grammatical forms (form, case, declension, time, etc.).

At the first step, the tool searches the database for the words given in the query and supplies these words with the indexes of the area to which they relate, the indexes of grammatical forms.

At the second step, they analyze the sentence, establish subordination relationships between words, search for strong ties, i.e. established phrases. Depending on the grammatical forms, the subject, predicate, circumstances, pronouns, etc. are determined.

At the next step, the analyzed request form is compared in the form of indices of quality and type assigned to the words of the studied sentence with the accumulated interrogative forms, for example, in the form: interrogative word

plus verb-predicate.

At the fourth step, they select from the existing database of descriptions of formalized queries by the cross-index of words that make up the sentence under investigation. The stage is completed by the formation of a formalized request for server 7.

Server 7 operates in the usual way, according to the generated formalized request, it searches the query object in its database (resource) and sends this message to the means 8 for converting the response message into a synthesized speech signal, which, through the multiplexer 9, transmits a message to the inputs of a multi-channel telephone that transmits a message in sound form. Server 7 can also provide communication over existing information networks to the Internet.

In the proposed system, the means 5 recognition of access rights can be performed similarly to the same tool in the prototype; conversion tool implementation

subscriber’s audio speech request into a natural language sentence is represented in symbolic form in FIG. 2, means 6 for converting said sentences into a formalized request can be implemented using programs of known search engines, for example, described in WO 97/24686, G F 17/30,

07/10/97 or in WO 97/32263, G 06 F 17/30, 09/04/97.

Server 7 is a standard tool used to implement the tasks of storing information, its search and the formation of information flows upon request. Conversion Tool 8

12 of the response message executed in the synthesized speech signal may be similar to this tool in the prototype. 13

Claims (2)

1. Information and communication system for customer service "INFOCOM", containing channels of the public telephone network, connected by a blue-channel telephone connected to a reference and information device, including means for recognizing subscriber access rights and means for converting a response message into a synthesized speech signal, characterized in that the reference and information device is equipped with a server, a means for converting a subscriber’s audio voice request into a natural language sentence in in arbitrary form, by means of converting said proposals into a formalized request to a server, the input of which is connected to the output of the means for recognizing subscriber access rights, the input of the latter is connected to the output of the means for converting the subscriber’s voice-to-speech request into a natural language sentence in symbolic form connected to a multi-channel telephone, the output of the conversion means of the above proposals in a formalized request, the server is connected to the server designed to search for information on request and is formed I response message server via said output means for converting the reply message into synthesized speech signal coupled to the multi-channel telephone.  2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for converting a subscriber’s audio speech request into natural language sentences in symbolic form comprises a switch connected by a synchannel telephone and in each information channel with an analog-to-digital converter and a memory unit connected in series, one block outputs the memory of information channels are connected to the inputs of the first group of the memory block of the received digital queries and the corresponding sentences of the natural language in symbolic form, to the outputs of T A group of which the outputs of the input unit connected to the corresponding keyboards are connected to, the other outputs of the memory blocks in each information channel are connected via a digital converter to the corresponding sound transformers of the operator, the memory block of the received digital queries and the corresponding natural language sentences in symbolic form are connected via a bus to the block analysis, the outputs of which are connected to the control inputs of the memory blocks of information channels, the information outputs of the memory block stumbling requests and corresponding sentences of the natural language in symbolic form are the output of the specified means.