KR20060133002A - Method and system for sending an audio message - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention describes a method for sending an audio message (AM) from a sender (US) to a recipient (UR) over an audio messaging system. Thereby, a sender's (US) audio message is first collected by a transmitting device (2T). The audio message (AM) is then analysed for detection of a control information part (CP) concerning communication specifications of the message (AM) and a main part (MP) comprising the effective message which is to be sent to the recipient (UR). The control information part (CP) of the audio message (AM) is at least partially interpreted for controlling the audio messaging system (1) for communicating the (specific) audio message (AM). At least the main part (MP) of the audio message (AM) is transmitted to a receiving device (3) and presented to the recipient (UR). Furthermore, an appropriate audio messaging system, a transmitting device and a receiving device for such an audio messaging system are described.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SENDING AN AUDIO MESSAGE}

The present invention relates to a method for transmitting an audio message from a sender to a receiver via an audio messaging system and to an appropriate audio messaging system. In addition, the present invention relates to a transmitting device and a receiving device for such an audio messaging system.

The popularity of text-based messaging services has increased significantly since this introduction several years ago. The widely deployed Short Messaging Service (SMS) is just one example of such a service. Text news systems such as AOL's instant messenger, Microsoft's MSN messenger and Yahoo's messenger for PC can be used free of charge after downloading the required free software. Some of these PC-based messaging providers provide voice-chat functionality in addition to text messaging services. In addition, some other providers have specialized in voice chat, ultimately leading to voice scenarios using the Internet protocol (IP).

A clear distinction between voice chat functionality and text messaging is the possibility that the user can explicitly interact, for example, by selecting and typing in a chat window or through other actions such as creating and sending a word document. . On the other hand, voice conversations are transmitted continuously, i.e., uninterrupted conversations occur. This is often what the user does not really want if the user wants to send only a specific statement as a message in the room with someone else, while the statements he specifies should not be sent to someone else in the room. A regular phone can circumvent this problem by covering the microphone with the user's hand or by placing the phone in a "quiet" state. Clearly, this is not possible when using hands-free phones or headsets. The recipient of the message has a similar problem. Even if a third party is in the same room, you can use a text-based messaging service to read a private message received by reading the message on a screen or display that the third party cannot see, while not listening to the message on headphones. For example, it is almost impossible to ensure that a third party who is not the recipient of the message does not hear the audible message.

Text messaging systems actually appear to enjoy greater levels of acceptance than voice chat capabilities. This is probably due to the user's tendency to actually not want a permanent conversation experience. On the one hand, the user wants to be able to connect with others. On the other hand, they may wish to be equally connected in an offline mode where all their speech is permanently included in the ongoing conversation in which they are conveyed.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an audio messaging system that provides a user with essentially the same experience as a text messaging system and a method of transmitting an audio message from a sender to a receiver via an appropriate audio messaging system. In particular, the user should be able to easily send certain speech as an audio message, while preventing other speech from being sent by the messaging system.

To this end, the present invention provides a method for transmitting an audio message from a sender to a receiver via an audio messaging system comprising the following steps.

First, the sender's audio message is collected by the sending device. The message is usually created by the sender speaking the message. Nevertheless, it is also possible for the caller to generate the message or part of the message in other forms, such as singing, playing an instrument, or clapping.

This audio message may then be referred to as a control information section called " audio header ", which includes instructions such as details of the communication specification of the message; And a main part including valid message or valid information to be transmitted to a receiver referred to as " audio main body " hereinafter.

The terms "sender" and "recipient" do not necessarily mean an individual user, but may mean a user group or a member or all members of such a user group. For example, a user group, such as a member of a family to which a device belongs or an employee in an office using a device designated for that office, may use one shared transmitting or receiving device. A user group may also mean a user group, each of which owns its own device, in which case a message for the user group will be sent to all receiving devices.

The communication specification of a message, coupled within the control information section, is a transmission and / or provision specification such as, for example, the message type and / or mode of transmission (e.g., information indicating that the message is confidential, private, urgent, etc.). Can be of any type. The control information may also include information for specifying the sender identification or the recipient of the message. For example, a typical audio header may be "Personal Message from Bob to Carl." The control information portion of such an audio message is at least partially interpreted to control the audio messaging system to transmit and / or provide a particular audio message. For example, control signals for other parts, such as transmitting stations, routers, and the like of the transmitting device and / or the receiving device and / or the audio messaging system, may be generated based on the control information.

In an additional step, at least the major part of the audio message is sent to a receiving device located near the receiver and provided to the receiver at this device.

According to this method, a suitable audio messaging system for transmitting an audio message from a sender to a receiver can be transmitted to a receiver and a control information relating to a communication specification of the audio message and a transmission device having a user interface for collecting the sender's audio message. Message analyzing means for analyzing the audio message for detecting the main part including the actual message. In addition, the audio messaging system includes an interpretation unit for at least partially interpreting the control information portion of the audio message for controlling the audio messaging system for transmitting the specific audio message. The audio messaging system also includes a receiving device having a user interface for providing at least a major portion of the audio message to the recipient. Finally, the audio messaging system needs a means for transmitting at least the major part of the audio message from the transmitting device to the receiving device.

With the aid of the method and the audio messaging system according to the invention, the user controls the audio messaging system by the instructions contained in the audio message, thus avoiding the continuous transmission of everything the user speaks. In other words, the user can provide the system with "meta-information" in the utterance along with the actual audio content of the message. The system thus parses the audio message and separates the audio header containing control information from the audio body including any speech for transmission. If the system cannot detect an audio header with the appropriate indication to send a message to a particular person in a particular way, nothing will be sent.

This is illustrated in the following simple example: If a user of the system said "Message to Carl: Soccer game starts at 7.00pm", this is collected and analyzed by the user interface of the transmitting device. The audio header "message to Carl" will be detected and interpreted and the message "football game starts at 7.00pm" will be sent to the receiver "Carl". On the other hand, if the user wants to inform someone in the room about the start time of the football by saying "Pete, I know the football game starts at 7.00pm", the activated audio messaging system or the corresponding transmitting device may We will analyze the speech and conclude that it does not include the audio header. This remark will therefore not be identified as an audio message and will not be sent.

Therefore, the present invention provides a very simple and easy to use system control means, so that only certain remarks are transmitted to others via an audio messaging system, where a part of the system or part of the system, such as a microphone or speaker, for example There is no need to disable it. In addition, the sending user can control the system for sending and providing the message, such that all control instructions are comfortably included in the message in the appropriate form in the audio header without the user having to perform any manual operation. Can be. That is, the overall control of the audio messaging system can be performed comfortably using the hand-free set. Thus, such a system offers the advantage of general voice control for a typical mobile phone, for example in an automatic hand-free set, so that access to other participants is initiated and controlled using voice commands. Persistent access is then maintained between the user and the participant. All user remarks are sent to other participants, and putting the phone in "quiet" mode can be done by commanding appropriately, or by covering the microphone or the like.

The dependent claims and the following description particularly disclose advantageous embodiments and features of the invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control information portion of the audio message is also at least partly transmitted to the receiving device and interpreted to control the provision to the receiver of the audio message. That is, the receiving device receives appropriate information, for example with the support of an audio header, when, how and to which user the audio message or the audio body of the audio message is to be output. Preferably, the audio header may also be output at least in part to the receiver.

Since it is preferable that the control information unit processes the command spoken by the user, the automatic speech recognition technique can be used to identify the control information portion in the audio message, and in this case, the automatic speech recognition technique is strictly speaking language understanding technique, not speech recognition technique. it means. For this purpose, the transmitting device should comprise an automatic speech recognition device.

In order to support identification of the control information part in the audio message, the audio message is preferably composed of a defined complex structure in which the control information part is located at a specific position with respect to the main part. More preferably, the control information part is located at the beginning of the audio message and follows the main part. The advantage of this is that the control information part is the first detected by the speech recognition device, and the following main part should be buffered or ready for transmission only. However, the control information may be located at any suitable location within the message, for example at the end of the message, or the control information may be distributed over several locations within the message, such that certain control information may be located at the beginning of the message. And additional control information is located towards the middle or end of the message.

Analysis of audio messages supported by an automatic speech recognizer may involve retrieving a particular key-word that may be stored by an audio messaging system in a suitable memory, such as a storage unit in a transmitting device or a receiving device. Common examples of such key-words are "messages," which are descriptors for possible recipients of the message, as well as keywords that specify the type of message or transmission method, such as, for example, "confidential", "private", or "urgent." "," Message to ... ", and the like.

To make the transmission of the message as easy as possible, a unique identifier string is associated with a possible user or group of users in the audio messaging system. Such a unique identifier string may include, for example, the real name of the user, or may be any other string that hides the identity of the various users. In particular, the entire group of users can be identified collectively using a single string. The use of aliases or pseudonyms that are most easily recalled by other users is desirable. These aliases are included in the words of the system and can only be used to efficiently assign fellow users within the audio header by saying the alias. In addition, groups can be defined so that all connected members will receive a message if the audio header contains the name of the group.

Preferably, the identifier string of possible recipients is stored with corresponding address book entries in the memory of the transmitting device and, if necessary, in the receiving device or in an additional suitable location in the audio messaging system.

Audio messages will often be sent to multiple people simultaneously. During longer conversations, the same list of recipients will often be used. Speaking of the audio header, it is inconvenient for the user if all names of all receivers have to be spoken every time. Therefore, dynamically associating an alias or other identifier string with a list of related address book entries will make the transmission of the message easier.

Preferably, an "answer" or similar keyword is used to indicate that the associated audio message in the audio header should be sent to the sender of the last message received and possibly to all users to whom the last message was sent.

The transmitting device is preferably realized as a conversation system, and preferably comprises or is part of such a conversation system. In this particular preferred case, the automatic conversation is used to identify the control information portion of the audio message when the ambiguity value (eg, based on an internal confidence measure) of the recognition result of the automatic speech recognizer reaches or exceeds a certain ambiguity threshold level. It may be initiated between an audio messaging system or more specifically between the transmitting device and the sender.

In other words, if the system is unclear as to whether a message should be sent, to whom, or how to send it, the system may issue a prompt to the user requesting confirmation, A conversation with the user can be initiated to allow correction of the assumed audio header. In this way, the system ensures that no message is sent unintentionally or to the wrong recipient.

As already mentioned, the control information part, in a preferred embodiment, is also at least partly transmitted to the receiving device and is interpreted to control the output of the audio message. This is particularly useful when information pertaining to the recipient ID, such as an identifier string, is also transmitted. With the support of the identifier string, the user can be identified on the part of the receiving device before the output of the audio message of the audio body of the audio message occurs.

To this end, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the identifier string of the user or user group is linked to the identifier property of the particular user, user group or member of the user group. The identifier characteristic may be, for example, a video characteristic such as a confidential sequence of characteristics, a characteristic of a speaker identifier and / or biometric data of a suitable user. With the support of these identifier properties, an authenticated recipient of a particular audio message can be identified among other possible users present near the receiving device when receiving the message, before outputting the main portion of the audio message.

Preferably, the identifier characteristics may be stored in a memory to which the receiving device has access, the receiving device comprising means for identifying the recipient based on these identifier characteristics.

Another possibility may be that the camera looks at the people in the room and identifies the recipient's face with the aid of biometric data and using known image processing techniques.

Alternatively, the device may identify the user via voice. For example, an audio header may be output, followed by an appropriate prompt. If the user answers, it can be identified as a suitable user through the speaker's ID. The message is output once the user's identity has been successfully verified.

In a preferred embodiment, the sender of the audio message can be identified via an identifier property and the corresponding information about the sender can be sent with the audio message. As long as the sender identifies himself with an audio header, for example in the form of "Message Bob sends to Carl," the sender can validate the sender with the aid of the identifier property.

Usually, due to topicality, the audio message should be immediately output to the authorized recipient. However, there are situations where output may be inadequate, for example when a confidential or private message is to be output and the recipient is not alone in the room or otherwise is full of people and cannot receive the message. The recipient may be talking or talking on the phone. Considering this situation is particularly important because the audio message is not persistent. If the user is not in the room or the message is output immediately without paying attention, it will be lost unsearchable.

To this end, the preferred method according to the invention automatically analyzes the situation in which the identified recipient is currently included and the audio message is provided to the recipient in a particular form and / or at a specific time, depending on the situation. For example, if the recipient is present and does not engage in immersive work (eg, phone conversation), the incoming message can be played immediately. Otherwise the message can be buffered and played as soon as the user enters the room or finishes his work. If longer messages need to be interrupted (eg due to an incoming phone call) playback will resume at a later point in time.

There are several ways to automatically analyze the situation in which the receiver is currently involved. In a preferred embodiment, a very satisfactory receiving device is realized as a conversation system with the additional ability to receive an image of the environment via a camera or similar device. Identification of the recipient and / or current situation can then be determined by using known image processing techniques. The easiest way to identify the recipient and / or analyze the current situation is to initiate an automatic conversation between the audio messaging system / receiving device and the recipient. For example, the device may precede the conversation described above by outputting the audio header "Message for Carl" and then issuing the prompt "Are you ready to receive the message?" If the user answered "yes", the message will be provided, otherwise it will be buffered until the user explicitly requests the message later.

As already explained above, in addition to the transmitting device located near the sender, the audio messaging system also requires the receiving device located near the actual receiver.

Suitable transmission devices include at least the following components:

A user interface for collecting the caller's audio message;

-Message analyzing means for analyzing an audio message for detecting a main portion including a control information portion relating to a transmission specification of the audio message and a valid message to be transmitted to a specific receiver;

An interpretation unit for at least partially interpreting the control information portion of the audio message for controlling the audio messaging system for transmission of the audio message;

A transmission interface for transmitting at least the main part of the audio message to the receiving device.

Suitable receiving devices should contain at least the following components:

A receiving interface which receives an audio message sent by the transmitting device and includes a main part including control information about the transmission specification of the audio message and a valid message sent to a specific receiver;

A user interface for providing at least the main part of the audio message to the recipient;

An interpretation unit for at least partially interpreting the control information portion of the audio message which controls the audio messaging system with respect to the provision of the audio message.

As already explained above, the transmitting device and / or the receiving device is preferably realized as a conversation system. The transmitting device and the receiving device may be configured identically and may include all necessary components for the transmitting message as well as the receiving message. The conversation system used for other purposes, such as the control of other devices, may be equipped with suitable components, such that the conversation system may be used as a transmitting device and / or a receiving device for the audio messaging system according to the present invention.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the transmitting device and the receiving device comprise part of a conversation system as described in DE 102 49060 A1. In this case, the conversation system should be further equipped with appropriate message analysis means, interpretation unit and transmitter / receiver interface to be able to transmit audio messages via the communication network. The message parsing means may be essentially a speech recognition unit already present in such a device, provided with a suitable word for the detection of the audio header. The interpretation unit for interpreting the control information portion of the audio message is preferably realized as a software routine in the actual conversation control unit or in another form of software executed on the processor of the conversation system. The interpretation unit must be able to convert the control signal into a control command contained in the audio header, so that the message is transmitted from the sender's sending device to the receiver's receiving device in the intended manner, or the received message is received by the receiving device as appropriate. Is provided in the right way.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended as limitations of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of an audio messaging system according to the present invention;

2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a transmitting and / or receiving device for the audio messaging system according to FIG. 1.

3 shows a very simple example for an audio message with a structure according to the invention.

4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process flow in a transmitting device beginning with user input until the transmission of an audio message.

1 shows, for simplicity, an audio messaging system with only two devices: a transmitting device 2 _T near the sender U _S and a receiving device 2 _R near the receiver U _R. The transmitting device 2 _T and the receiving device 2 _R are connected to each other by a network N.

The communication network N can be any type of network, such as a telephone network, a cellular network, the Internet, an office intranet or a home-communication network. It is only necessary for the two devices 2 _T and 2 _R to be able to communicate with each other via the appropriate interface 14.

In general, such an audio messaging system 1 comprises a significantly larger number of devices. Any number of devices can be combined. In particular, a particular message need not only be sent from one particular device to another. Such a message may be sent simultaneously to several devices, for example, to send a message from one user to a group of users, ie, many recipients.

In the example shown, the transmitting device 2 _T and the receiving device 2 _R are generally configured in the same way, ie they can be used for both receiving and transmitting audio messages. Reference numerals 2 _T and 2 _R only serve to distinguish between the receiving device 2 _R and the transmitting device 2 _T for clarity. In general, messages can also be sent in the opposite direction. Therefore, to simplify the problem, the device is also referred to as " transmission and reception device " ( _2T and _2R ) as appropriate.

These transmitting and receiving devices 2 _T and 2 _R are constituted by a device advantageous as a conversation system.

This type of conversation system, along with other components not shown in the figures, may include a user interface 10 having a device for taking or collecting audio signals from a user, such as voice or song, by a microphone or the like. Include. This user interface 10 also features a sound output device 12, such as a speaker. In addition, the user interface 10 may include components for visual output or input, such as a display and / or a camera.

In the preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 2, the user interface is movable, for example can be rotated about an axis, mounted on a housing 18, which is a transceiving device 2 _T and 2 _R. It may include any additional component of. The user interface 10 has a clearly recognizable front appearance 17 and includes a speaker 12, two microphones 11 and a camera 16. In addition, this embodiment may include a display unit (not shown) for visual output of the information. A preferred conversation system with such a display unit is the home conversation system described in DE 102 49 060 A1, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety. Additional functions which are advantageous for the present invention and achieved with this realization of the transmitting and receiving devices 2 _T and 2 _R are described later.

An additional component of the transmitting and receiving devices 2 _T and 2 _R is the audio control unit 8, which, for example, controls the audio function of the user interface 10 and prepares incoming voice signals for later processing steps. An example of this later processing step is the automatic speech recognition device 7, which comprises a real speech recognition unit 5 followed by a subsequent language understanding unit 6. With the support of these components, the incoming voice signal of the user U _S can be analyzed and recognized in the usual way, ie the basic meaning of the voice input can be determined.

The speech recognition result is then sent to the conversation control unit 3, which works with the application (in this case, the message sending and receiving application 12) to control the actual conversation with the user and to send or receive audio messages. do. This message transceiving application 13, together with the physical network interface 14 connected to the communication network N, ensures that messages can be transmitted and received in the appropriate electronic form. Therefore, the message transmitting and receiving application 13 together with the network interface 14 may also be regarded as a "receiving interface" or "transmission interface" or, as appropriate, a "transmit and receive interface".

The system also features a prompt generator 9 for generating an output prompt, since the output to the user must allow a conversation with the user U _S , U _R. Such prompt generator 9 may output a pre-generated prompt retrieved from memory or may comprise a speech generating unit for converting a text prompt into a speech signal, which speech signal is connected to the audio controller 8 and the user interface. By 12, it can be output as synthesized speech.

The audio message of the sending user U _S can be sent to the receiver U _R , in this case another individual user:

The sender U _S refers to an audio message AM which is detected by the user interface 10, or more precisely, the audio detection arrangement 11 of the transmitting and receiving device 2 _T. The recorded speech signal is then pre-processed by the audio control unit 8 and sent to the kernel of the automatic speech recognition unit 5, which recognition unit user U together with the subsequent language understanding unit 6. Analyze the speech of _S ).

According to the invention, this audio message AM comprises a control information part CP (audio header) with the actual information to be transmitted, called the main part MP. This structure is shown in FIG. The message shown in this specification, "Personal Message to Carl: Meeting Starts at 7.00pm" is followed by the main part (MP), "Meeting Begins at 7.00pm", Control Information Unit (CP) "Personal Message to Carl" It includes.

The automatic speech recognition device 7 is configured in such a way that it is possible to identify the control information part CP and to separate it from the main part MP. To this end, the word of the automatic speech recognition device 7 includes a specific control word CW, which, when used within a specific phrase, is identified as belonging to the control information part CP of the audio message AM. Will be.

These control words CW are stored in the memory unit 15 in the receiving device 2 _T. In addition, this memory unit 15 also stores an identifier string IS, such as aliases of various users of the audio messaging system, which may be possible recipients. The corresponding "friend list", including aliases of potential recipients and their addresses in the audio messaging system 1, can be assembled by the user of the transmitting device 2 _T. This list can be stored in the transmitting device 2 _T or at another location of the audio messaging system 1, for example on the server of the service provider.

In the example shown in the figure, both the main part MP and the control information part CP of the audio message AM are transferred from the automatic speech recognition device 7 to the conversation control module 3, where, for example, software The analysis unit 4, which is in the form of a routine, is installed. This interpretation unit 4 also has access to the control word CW and the identifier string IS in the memory 15 and, therefore, the corresponding control for the audio messaging system 1, in particular the transmission device 2 _T. It is possible to interpret the control information part CP of the audio message AM in order to generate a signal and thus control the audio messaging system, in particular the transmitting device 2 _T. If the control information section CP is not clearly identifiable, the dialogue control unit 3 may, for example, prompt the generator 9 to send an appropriate prompt (eg, “Do you want to send a personal message to Carl?”). and, initiating a dialogue by having issued to _S). caller (U _S) is to shut down the process in the case of a control header (CP), a control header (CP to confirm or incorrectly detecting the home), simply, if appropriate You can answer "yes" or "no".

If the system confirms that the control header has been correctly identified, or if the user has confirmed the assumed control header through the following dialogue, the main part (MP) of the audio message (AM) attached to the audio header (CP) is an identifier. It is sent by the string IS to the receiver U _R specified in the audio header CP, which in the previous example is a user with the alias "Carl".

For this purpose, the conversation control unit 3 delivers the main part MP and preferably also the control information part CP to the message transmission / reception application 13, and simultaneously on any corresponding control signal, so that the audio message AM , Via the communication network N, can be transmitted to the address of the receiving device 2 _R of the user whose alias is "Carl". The control information part CP and the main part MP of the audio message AM are then transmitted to the receiving device 2 _R via the network interface 14 connected to the communication network N.

The sequence of operations in the transmitting device 2 _{T is} shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4. This process begins in step I with user input. In stage II, an appropriate analysis determines whether the user input includes an audio header (CP), so that next stage III checks to see if all required portions of the audio header are present and clearly identifiable. Otherwise, step IV initiates the conversation, i.e. the questions are thrown to the user and the answers are analyzed until all required parts of the audio header are identified. A common case of misinterpretation can occur as follows: "Personal message to Julie: Ann, see you at lunch today.". This message may be interpreted as providing an audio header called "Personal message arrived at Julie" and an audio header "Ann, meet me at lunch today" or an audio header "personal message arrived at Julian" and "Meet at lunch today". Can be. In this case, the system might prompt, "Do you want to send a private message to Julian?" The sender U _S may reply, "No, I want to send a personal message to Julie." Here, the answer clarifies the interpretation error by specifying the first of the possible alternatives. In step V, the audio body, ie the main part MP, can be separated from the audio header CP. Thereafter, further processing steps are possible within the conversation. In the above example, the user is asked whether additional information is sent with the audio message AM, ie whether an image or video should be sent. Other attachments may involve an audio message AM, such as a document. If confirmed by the user, processing step VII may determine which image or video should be attached to the message. Another prompt in step VI may ask whether there are pictures, videos, etc. that should be further attached. Once the message is complete, step VIII finishes sending the message.

In the receiving device 2 _R , the control information part CP and the main part MP of the audio message AM are received on the network interface 14 and processed by the message transmission application 13 in the device. The output of the message is directed to the audio control unit 8 as well as the dialog control unit 3, if necessary the prompt generator 9 and the speaker 12 of the user interface 10 of the receiving device 2 _R.

In order to avoid the output of the message if the intended recipient U _R is not in the room, or if it is in the room at that time, or with someone other than the recipient of the content of the message, the receiving device 2 _R may advance in advance. Analyze the situation. For example, a movable user interface (see FIG. 2) can be turned into a rotating ring to scan the entire room with the aid of camera 16. Using known image processing techniques, it may be determined whether the intended recipient U _R is in the room. The intended recipient U _R can be identified with the aid of the identifier characteristic IC associated with the various identifier strings IS stored in memory.

To this end, the identifier string (IS) accompanying the message retrieves the corresponding identifier characteristics (IC) from the memory 15 and uses these identifier characteristics (IC) to identify the receiver U _R , a message transceiving application. 12, or is used by analogy to the appropriate module of the receiving device (2 _R). The identifier characteristic IC may be biometric data used in image processing to identify the recipient U _R from others in the room.

Equally, the speaker ID feature can be applied. In this case, for example, the dialogue control unit 3 can only have the audio header CT-"Personal message arriving at Carl"-the user interface 10 of the audio control unit 8 and the receiving device 2 _R. Is outputted, followed by an attachment message "Do you want to listen to the message now?", Which can ensure that the prompt generator 9 generates. Thus, when the user who receives the message responds, the answer can continue to be analyzed by the speech recognition unit 5 and the language understanding unit, and at the same time validated by the speaker identification, and the extracted feature is thus a suitable user. And an information characteristic IC in the memory 15 to determine whether or not the authorized recipient U _R is answering.

In addition, with the help of the camera 16 and general image processing techniques, it may be determined whether the user is participating in a conversation with another user, whether he is on a call, or in other situations where he or she is not receiving a message.

If the receiver U _R is not in the room or the message AM cannot be received, the message is buffered and output later. If the receiver U _R wants to listen to the message alone, the receiving device 2 _R will also buffer the audio message AM and this will be until the receiver U _R is alone again in the room or the receiver U _R ) will not play it until it is guaranteed to be able to listen to the audio message AM personally, for example by wearing headphones or the like.

The user interface 10 of the receiving device (2 _R) is there is that to authorized recipient of the advantageously recognized to the receiving device (2 _R), message service that the front facade (17), that is, the receiving device (2 _R) Is directly facing the receiver U _R when outputting a dialog prompt or the main part of an audio message AM or an audio message AM. Other advantageous means of output or use of the receiving device 2 _R or the transmitting and receiving device 2 _T , realized in the form of a dialogue system, are described in document DE 102 49 060 A1.

Although the invention has been disclosed in the form of preferred embodiments and variations thereof, it will be understood that numerous additional modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the transmitting device and / or the receiving device may be configured using an architecture different from that described above, for example.

For clarity, it will also be understood that singular elements in the present application do not exclude a plurality of elements and that “comprises” does not exclude other steps or elements. A "unit" may include a number of blocks or devices unless explicitly stated as a single entity.

The present invention relates to a method for transmitting an audio message from a sender to a receiver via an audio messaging system and to an appropriate audio messaging system, comprising: audio messaging for transmitting an audio message (AM) from a sender (U _S ) to a receiver (U _R ). System and the like.

Claims (16)

A method of transmitting an audio message (AM) from a sender (U _S ) to a receiver (U _R ) through an audio messaging system, Collecting an audio message of the sender U _S using the transmitting device 2 _Γ ; Analysis of the audio message AM for detecting the main part MP including the control information CP related to the communication specification of the message AM and the valid message to be transmitted to the receiver U _R , the audio message ( The control information section CP of the AM comprises an analysis step of the audio message AM, which is at least partly interpreted to control the audio messaging system 1 for transmitting the (specific) audio message AM; Sending at least the main part MP of the audio message AM to the receiving device 3; Providing at least the principal part MP of the audio message AM to the receiver U _R. And transmitting the audio message (AM) from the sender (U _S ) to the receiver (U _R ) via the audio messaging system. The method according to claim 1, wherein the control information part CP of the audio message AM is at least partly transmitted to the receiving device 3 and interpreted to control providing the audio message AM to the receiver U _R. A method of transmitting an audio message (AM) from a sender (U _S ) to a receiver (U _R ) via an audio messaging system. The receiver U _R from the sender U _S via an audio messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the control information part CP of the audio message AM is at least partially provided to the receiver U _R. To send an audio message (AM) to a user The sender of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the audio message (AM) consists of a finite complex structure in which the control information part (CP) is located at a specific position with respect to the main part (MP). A method of sending an audio message (AM) from (U _S ) to a receiver (U _R ). The control information unit (CP) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control information unit (CP) is identified from the sender (U _S ) to the receiver (U _R ) via an audio messaging system, which is identified in the audio message by using an automatic speech recognition technique. How to send an audio message (AM). The automatic conversation between the audio messaging system 1 and the caller is controlled by the audio message AM when the ambiguity value of the recognition result of the automatic speech recognition device 7 reaches or exceeds a certain ambiguity limit. A method for transmitting an audio message (AM) from a sender (U _S ) to a receiver (U _R ) via an audio messaging system, which is initiated to identify an information unit (CP). 7. A unique identifier string (IS) is associated with a possible user or group of users of an audio messaging system and the control information part (CP) of the audio message (AM) is connected to this audio message (7). how to transfer the receiver (U _R) with the associated identifier string (IS) audio message (AM to the receiver (U _R) from a sender (U _S), through the audio messaging system comprising a) the AM). A caller (U) via an audio messaging system according to claim 1, wherein the identifier string (IS) of the user or user group is associated with an identifier characteristic (IC) of the user or user group and / or another member of the user group. A method of transmitting an audio message (AM) from _S ) to a receiver (U _R ). The method of claim 8, wherein the authorized recipient U _R of the audio message AM is identified based on the identifier characteristic IC before providing the main part MP of the audio message. A method for transmitting an audio message (AM) from U _S ) to a receiver U _R. 10. The sender U _S of claim 8 or 9, wherein the sender U _S of the audio message AM is identified based on the identifier characteristic IC from the sender U _S to the receiver U _R via an audio messaging system. How to send an audio message (AM). The method according to claims 1 to 10, wherein the identified receiver U _R is automatically analyzed for the currently associated situation DL and the audio message AM is provided to the receiver U _R at a particular form and / or at a specific time according to the situation. Transmitting an audio message (AM) from a sender (U _S ) to a receiver (U _R ) via an audio messaging system. Audio messaging system according to claim 10 or 11, wherein an automatic conversation between the audio messaging system 1 and the receiver U _R is initiated to identify the receiver U _R and / or to analyze the current situation. To send an audio message (AM) from the sender (U _S ) to the receiver (U _R ) via. 13. A user interface as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least the main part (MP) of the audio message (AM) comprises an automatically directable front face (17) which is directed towards the destination during the presentation of the message. A method for transmitting an audio message (AM) from a sender (U _S ) to a receiver (U _R ) via an audio messaging system provided to the receiver on (10). An audio messaging system (1) for transmitting an audio message (AM) from a sender (U _S ) to a receiver (U _R ), A sending device 2 _Γ with a user interface 10 for collecting the audio message AM of the sender U _S ; -Message analyzing means (7) for analyzing an audio message for detecting a main portion (MP) including a control information portion (CP) relating to a communication specification of an audio message (AM) and a valid message to be transmitted to a receiver (U _R ); ; An interpretation unit 4 for at least partially interpreting the control information part CP of the audio message AM for controlling the audio messaging system 1 for transmitting the (specific) audio message AM; A receiving device 2 _R with a user interface 10 for providing at least the main part MP of an audio message AM to a receiver U _R ; Means (13,13, N) for transmitting at least the main part MP of the audio message AM from the transmitting device 2 _Γ to the receiving device 2 _R ; An audio messaging system for transmitting an audio message (AM) from a sender (U _S ) to a receiver (U _R ). A transmission device 2 _Γ for an audio messaging system 1 according to claim 14, A user interface 10 for collecting the audio message AM of the sender U _S , Message analyzing means (7) for analyzing an audio message (AM) for detecting a main portion (MP) including a control information (CP) relating to a communication specification of an audio message and a valid message to be transmitted to a specific receiver (U _R ); ), An interpretation unit 4 for at least partially interpreting the control information part CP of the audio message AM for controlling the audio messaging system 1 for transmitting the audio message AM, And a transmission interface 13, 14 for transmitting at least the main part MP of the audio message AM to the receiving device 2 _R. Comprising a transmission device for an audio messaging system (1). A receiving device 2 _R for an audio messaging system according to claim 14, Receiving interfaces 13, 14 for receiving audio messages AM transmitted by the transmitting device 2 _R , the audio messages AM being control information part CP relating to a communication specification of the audio messages AM; And a receiving part 13, 14 comprising a main part MP containing a valid message to be sent to a specific receiver U _R , A user interface 10 for providing at least the main part of the audio message to the recipient, And an interpretation unit 4 for at least partially interpreting the control information part CP of the audio message AM for controlling the audio messaging system 1 for providing the audio message AM. Comprising a receiving device for an audio messaging system.

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