WO2008039031A1

WO2008039031A1 - Method and apparatus for transmitting the result of voice analysis

Info

Publication number: WO2008039031A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/004768
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gil-Soo Lee; Jae-Sil Leem
Original assignee: Ti Square Technology Ltd.
Priority date: 2006-09-29
Filing date: 2007-09-28
Publication date: 2008-04-03
Also published as: KR20080029390A; KR100834908B1; CN101523935A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for analyzing emotional state of a speaker in real time over a communication network, and transmitting the result of the analysis to a calling terminal. In the method, a first call connection request signal is received from an MSC. A second call connection request signal is transmitted to the called terminal. A second call connection answer signal is received from the called terminal in response to the second call connection request signal. A first call connection answer signal is transmitted to the MSC. A voice of at least one of the calling terminal and the called terminal is analyzed during a call between the calling terminal and the called terminal made through a channel established using the first call connection answer signal and the second call connection answer signal. The result of voice analysis is transmitted to the calling terminal.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING THE RESULT OF VOICE ANALYSIS

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for analyzing emotional state of a speaker and transmitting the result of analysis to the calling party in real time in a communication network. Background Art

[2] Generally, voice analysis refers to the technology for the extraction of parameters, linguistic information, or speaker's relevant information for describing the characteristics of sound sources and vocal tracts from voice waveforms. In the prior art, such voice analysis technology has been used in a form that a additional device is attached to a telephone, and a value measured by an infrared sensor is transmitted over the wireless Internet. Therefore, in order to be provided with such a voice analysis service, an expensive additional device must be purchased. Also, it's hard to provide various functions simultaneously.

[3] Further, in another prior art, there is provided a method of downloading Virtual

Machine (VM) software over the wireless Internet, analyzing the vibration of voice during a call, and analyzing the result of the call. However, such a call result analysis method is disadvantageous in that, since it can be provided only through a terminal in which the VM software is downloaded and a call should be made using VM, the usage procedure is complicated and it is inconvenient for a user to use this method. Further, the conventional method is disadvantageous in that, since the result of analysis can only be known after a call is terminated, it is impossible to know the emotional state of the other party during a call. Moreover, the conventional method is also disadvantageous in that content download costs and wireless Internet access fees required for downloading VM software are additionally required, thus increasing costs to be paid by a user. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[4] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that analyze the emotional state of a speaker (a called party or a calling party) in real time in a wired/wireless communication network, and immediately notify the calling subscriber of the result of analysis, thus enabling the emotional state of the other party to be recognized during a call. For example, when a calling party talks to his or her lover over the telephone, the love index of the lover, that is, the called party, is measured and analyzed in real time, and the result of the analysis is provided in real time in the form of an audible voice.

[5] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus in which the detailed results of voice analysis can be checked through a short message service(SMS) or over the wired/wireless internet after a call is terminated.

[6] A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that analyze the honesty level of a called party and notify the calling party of the result of honesty level analysis in real time in the form of an audible sound during a call.

[7] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a function of checking the result of analysis through a short message service(SMS) or over the wired/wireless Internet after a call is terminated.

[8] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that analyze the stress level of a calling party and notify the calling party of the stress level thereof in real time in the form of an audible sound during a call to a calling party. In relation to a stress measurement function, still another object of the present invention provides a function of providing a menu capable of moving to a program or content required to relieve stress if a measured stress level is equal to or greater than a specific value, thus inducing the calling party to relieve stress.

[9] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a function of enabling respective measured values to be viewed for respective calls or dates over the wired/ wireless Internet, thus managing the measured values of each individual. Technical Solution

[10] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention to accomplish the above objects, there is provided a method of analyzing emotional state of a speaker and transmitting the result of the analysis to a calling terminal during a call, in a service providing apparatus connected to a calling terminal, a called terminal, and a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) over a wired/wireless communication network, comprising the steps of receiving a first call connection request signal from the MSC, wherein the first call connection request signal is generated from the MSC corresponding to a call setup request signal transmitted from the calling terminal to the MSC to make a call with the called terminal and the call setup request signal includes a service feature code; transmitting a second call connection request signal to the called terminal corresponding to the first call connection request signal; receiving a second call connection answer signal from the called terminal in response to the second call connection request signal; transmitting a first call connection answer signal to the MSC corresponding to the second call connection answer signal; analyzing a voice of at least one of the calling terminal and the called terminal during a call between the calling terminal and the called terminal made through a channel established using the first call connection answer signal and the second call connection answer signal; and transmitting the result of the voice analysis to the calling terminal.

[11] Preferably, the method may further comprises the steps of receiving a wireless

Internet access request signal from the calling terminal, wherein the wireless Internet access request signal is generated from the calling terminal when a phone number of the called terminal and a wireless Internet access button are entered in the calling terminal; transmitting an integrated supplementary service screen including a list of supplementary services to the calling terminal in response to the wireless Internet access request signal; receiving a service request signal from the calling terminal; and terminating wireless Internet connetction with the calling terminal, wherein the calling terminal transmits the call setup request signal to the MSC through a feature code provided in the Wireless Markup Language (WML) of the service providing apparatus or a wireless Internet browser page in response to the service request signal.

[12] Preferably, the call setup request signal may be transmitted through a menu provided by the calling terminal, or be transmitted by receiving the service feature code, the phone number of the called terminal, and a dial button from a user of the calling terminal.

[13] Preferably, the result of the voice analysis may be transmitted in real time to the calling terminal in a form of an audible sound during a call.

[14] Preferably, the method may further comprises the steps of releasing the channel established between the calling terminal and the called terminal; and

[15] transmitting the result of the voice analysis to the calling terminal through a short message service(SMS).

[16] Preferably, the method may further comprises the steps of releasing the channel established between the calling terminal and the called terminal; and providing detailed content of the result of the voice analysis to the calling terminal over a WEB page.

[17] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a service providing apparatus connected to a calling terminal, a called terminal and a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) over a wired/wireless communication network, and for analyzing emotional state of a speaker and transmitting the result of the analysis to a calling terminal during a call, comprising means for receiving a first call connection request signal from the MSC, wherein the first call connection request signal is generated from the MSC corresponding to a call setup request signal transmitted from the calling terminal to the MSC to make a call with the called terminal and the call setup request signal includes a service feature code; means for transmitting a second call connection request signal to the called terminal corresponding to the first call connection request signal; means for receiving a second call connection answer signal from the called terminal in response to the second call connection request signal; means for transmitting a first call connection answer signal to the MSC corresponding to the second call connection answer signal; means for analyzing a voice of at least one of the calling terminal and the called terminal during a call between the calling terminal and the called terminal made through a channel established using the first call connection answer signal and the second call connection answer signal; and means for transmitting the result of the voice analysis to the calling terminal.

[18] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a service providing apparatus comprising an Intelligent Peripheral (IP) server for analyzing voice transmitted from a calling terminal or a called terminal, analyzing emotional state of a speaker, and providing the result of analysis of the emotional state of the speaker in real time to the calling terminal during a call in a form of an audible sound; and an Application Server (APS) for operating in association with an existing server in response to a request from the IP server and providing the result of the analysis as an answer.

[19] In a preferred embodiment, the service providing apparatus may further comprises a web server for providing a call connection menu to the calling terminal over the wireless Internet, and providing a menu for inquiring about a history of the result of the emotional states and a menu for viewing ranking of the result of analysis of the emotional state to the calling terminal.

Advantageous Effects

[20] According to the present invention, a phone user can use various supplementary services. That is, the user can use various supplementary services, showing his or her own personality, as well as a simple voice call.

[21] The present invention can provide a supplementary service for analyzing the emotional state of the other party on call or his own and utilizing the analyzed emotional state as data required to control his own emotion, or providing advice or the like to the other party on call.

[22] The present invention can also provide a scheme for supporting all of a method usi ng "called number + wireless Internet access key", and a method using the menu of a terminal, as well as a method using "feature code + phone number + dial button", as in the case of an existing voice supplementary service, thus enabling services to be variously and conveniently used. That is, there is inconvenience in that, when the existing scheme using "feature code + phone number + dial button" is used, a user, desiring to use a voice supplementary service provided in mobile communication, must know the feature code. In contrast, when the present invention is used, there is an advantage in that a voice supplementary service can be easily accessed through a wireless Internet access key or a terminal menu. That is, the present invention provides a convenient access method using a feature code or the like, thus providing convenience compared to a conventional inconvenient method.

Brief Description of the Drawings [23] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the construction of an apparatus for analyzing the emotion of a speaker and providing the result of analysis to a calling terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; [24] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing interworking between a service providing apparatus and a communication service provider according to an embodiment of the present invention; [25] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a procedure in which a calling party enters a feature code and a called number and accesses a service providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [26] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure in which a calling terminal accesses a service providing apparatuse depending on a wireless Internet menu method according to another embodiment of the present invention; [27] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a procedure in which a calling party accesses the wireless Internet and attempts to transmit a message so as to perform the feature call of the service providing apparatus according to a further embodiment of the present invention; [28] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a procedure for revising a phonebook menu provided in a calling terminal and directly accessing service to perform communication according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; [29] FIG. 7 is a signal flowchart showing a service procedure based on a Service Node

(SN) method according to an embodiment of the present invention; [30] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a method of establishing a channel between a calling party and a called party in a conventional SN method; [31] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a channel for a conventional three-party conference call; [32] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a dual-conference channel required to record and analyze the voice of a called party, as in the case of a love call or a lie detection call according to an embodiment of the present invention; [33] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a dual-conference channel required to record and analyze the voice of a calling party, as in the case of a stress sensing call, according to an embodiment of the present invention; [34] FIGS. 12 to 14 are flowcharts showing an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) scenario required to use a love call service according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[35] FIG. 15 is a diagram of an example of a screen of a terminal showing a procedure for accessing a love call service over the wireless Internet according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[36] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a short message for checking the result of a love call service after a call is terminated according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[37] FIGS. 17 and 18 are diagrams showing the management functions of a love call service provided over the wireless Internet according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[38] FIGS. 19 to 23 are diagrams showing examples of a screen for inquiring about the love call usage history of a client, who uses a love call service, among the management functions of the love call service in the wired Internet according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[39] FIGS. 24 and 25 are diagrams showing a function of searching a recorded file list and listening to a recorded file among the management functions of the love call service in the wired Internet according to an embodiment of the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[40] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[41] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the construction of an apparatus for analyzing the emotion of a speaker and providing the result of analysis to a calling terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[42] Referring to FIG. 1, the service providing apparatus 120 according of the present invention is connected to an existing service network 101, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) user 135 and a web user 137 connected to each other over the Internet 133.

[43] The existing service network 101 includes a user terminal 103, a switching device

105, an authentication server 107, a billing server 109, a message service center 111, and a web portal server 113. The user terminal 103 is a calling party and a subscriber to the service according to the present invention. The called party is not shown in FIG. 1, and is not necessarily a subscriber to the service. The switching device 105 is the telephone network of the service provider, and may be, for example, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The telephone network of the service provider is connected to the wired/wireless telephone networks of other service providers. The authentication server 107 manages information about subscription of the user to a service provider, and transmits the result of authentication when the authentication of the user is requested by the service providing apparatus 120. The billing server 109 is used to receive detailed information about the result of service, provided to the user from the service providing apparatus 120, and to bill the user for the use of the service. The message service center (Short Message Service Center: SMSC) 111 allows the service providing apparatus 120 to transmit the result of analysis of the emotion of a called party to the user in the form of a short message after the call of the user is terminated. The web portal server 111 is connected to web servers 123 provided in the service providing apparatus 120 and is configured to provide and support inquiries about the User Interface (UI) of the user.

[44] The service providing apparatus 120 includes an Intelligent Peripheral (IP) server

121, the web servers 123, database (DB) servers 125, an auxiliary storage device (Redundant Array of Independent Disks: RAID) 127, Application Servers (APSs) 129, and an Operation administration and Management Server (OMS) 131.

[45] When an incoming call from the user is routed to the main server of the service providing apparatus 120, the IP server 121 generates a call to be transmitted to a called party, establishes a channel therebetween, records the voice of the called party at regular intervals, analyzes the emotional state of the called party, notifies the calling party of the result of analysis in real time in the form of an audible sound, and transmits the result of analysis to a corresponding APS 129. The APS 129 functions to operate in association with the existing server of the service provider, and is configured to receive information about the user from the IP server 121, to request user authentication from the authentication server 107, and to request the SMSC 111 to transmit the detailed result of emotion analysis in the form of a short message after the user terminates the call. Further, the APS 129 functions to periodically transmit billing data to the billing server 109. Each web server 123 is a device for processing a function of inquiring about the history of the results of analysis of the emotion of the called party and a function of viewing the ranking of the results of emotion analysis over the web or wireless Internet, as well as the function of providing a call connection menu over the wireless Internet. The Operation administration and Management Server (OMS) 131 is a device capable of operating/managing the present service providing apparatus.

[46] Each DBS 125 is a device for storing and managing data used in the present apparatus, such as subscriber information and information about the result of voice analysis. The RAID 127 is a device for safely storing identical copies of important data. When the RAID 127 is used, dual DBSs can share DB data with each other, and balance data input/output operations, thus improving the performance of the system.

[47] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing interworking between a service providing apparatus and a communication service provider according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[48] Referring to FIG. 2, a service providing apparatus 120 includes an IP server 121, an

APS 129, a DB server 125, a web server 123, and an OMS server 131.

[49] The IP server 121 operates in association with the switching device of a service provider through a Signaling System 7 (SS7) ISDN User Part (ISUP), and functions to store the voice of a calling party or a called party and to analyze the voice in real time. The APS 129 operates in association with the service platform of the service provider on the basis of Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) depending on the interworking standard of the service provider, thus performing the functions of requesting subscriber authentication, short message transmission, and billing information transmission. The DB server 125 stores subscriber information, information about the results of service provided to a subscriber, billing information, server information, an operation log, etc.

[50] The web server 123 provides a User Interface (UI) capable of inquiring about the results of service provided to a subscriber in association with the web portal server 113 of the service provider. The OMS server 131 provides a UI capable of allowing an operator to perform system configuration management, statistics management, system alarm management, operation information management, etc.

[51] Access methods for utilizing the service function of the present invention can be mainly classified into three methods. The first method is a method in which a subscriber presses a feature code and a called number, and then presses a dial button. The second method is a method in which, in the case of a mobile communication subscriber, the subscriber presses a called number, and presses a wireless Internet access key on a mobile phone. The third method is a method using the menu of a mobile phone. The first method, the second method, and the third method will be respectively described with reference to FIG. 3, FIGS. 4 and 5, and FIG. 6.

[52] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a procedure in which a calling party enters a feature code and a called number and accesses a service providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[53] According to the procedure shown in the drawing, a calling subscriber personally enters a feature code (or a specific number) for the present service and a called number, and accesses the service providing apparatus, thus being provided with a given service. This procedure can be applied to a wired network.

[54] Referring to FIG. 3, a calling subscriber enters "feature code + called number + dial button", thus attempting to dial a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) at step 301. The MSC receives the "feature code + phone number", and transmits a feature request to the Home Location Register (HLR) of the calling party at step 303. The HLR of the calling party checks the given service, and transmits the resulting value of the feature request to the MSC at step 305, the resulting value including the routing address of the IP server. The MSC transmits an outgoing call to the IP server on the basis of the received routing address at step 307. In a wired communication network, special codes are input to the databases of respective MSCs, and a call is routed to the IP server according to a routing table corresponding to a given special code.

[55] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure in which a calling terminal accesses a service providing apparatus depending on a wireless Internet menu method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[56] The method shown in the drawing is a method using the wireless Internet access key of a mobile phone after a called number is pressed, and the drawing briefly illustrates a routing procedure in which, after a calling subscriber selects a voice analysis service menu from a wireless Internet page based on Wireless Internet Number contents (WINC), a call for real-time voice analysis service is routed to a corresponding service device.

[57] Referring to FIG. 4, a calling subscriber presses the phone number of a called subscriber and a wireless Internet access button (for example, a MagicN key, a Nate key, an EZ-i key, etc.), and accesses a service providing apparatus. In this procedure, the calling subscriber accesses the service providing apparatus in a WINC manner over the wireless Internet of a mobile communication service provider at step 401.

[58] The service providing apparatus outputs a wireless Internet page, enabling a feature call to a called party, to the calling party at step 403. In this case, menu items for respective supplementary services include phone numbers as Wireless Markup Language (WML) or Mobile Explorer (ME) codes enabling dialing. For example, a voice analysis service menu item according to the present invention includes a Tel tag corresponding to <feature code> + <called number>.

[59] When the calling subscriber selects a voice analysis service menu item, current access to the wireless Internet is interrupted, and a call to the MSC is attempted at step 405. The MSC, receiving a call setup request from the calling subscriber, asks the HLR the location to which the corresponding call is to be routed at step 407. The HLR analyzes the received phone number (service feature code + called number), and transmits routing information to the MSC at step 409. The MSC routes the service call from the calling subscriber to the IP server using the routing information at step 411.

[60] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a procedure in which a calling party accesses the wireless Internet and attempts to transmit a message so as to make the feature call of the service providing apparatus, as an additional description to FIG. 4. This procedure can be changed according to the internal network or service procedure of a service provider. [61] Referring to FIG. 5, a calling party enters the phone number of a called subscriber and a wireless Internet access button (for example, a MagicN key, a Nate key, or an EZ-i key), and thus accesses the web server of the service providing apparatus at step 501. The service providing apparatus outputs a wireless Internet page, enabling a feature call to a called party, to the calling party at step 503. The calling subscriber selects a menu number corresponding to the menu item required to make a feature call at step 505.

[62] In order to analyze the voice of the calling party or called party, a voice file must be received, and thus the current connection to the wireless Internet is released at step 507. Thereafter, the calling subscriber requests an MSC to set up a call so as to access the service providing apparatus using the feature code (or special code) of the present service and the called number entered by the calling party at step 509.

[63] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a procedure for revising a phonebook menu provided in a calling terminal and directly accessing required service to perform communication according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. In accordance with the procedure shown in the drawing, a direct call to the MSC can be attempted without accessing the wireless Internet menu, as described in the WINC menu method.

[64] Referring to FIG. 6, when the calling party selects a supplementary service menu from a new menu screen 601 of a phone book, a supplementary service menu 603 is displayed on the display unit of the terminal. When "love call" is selected from the supplementary service menu 603, the terminal adds a feature code corresponding to a voice analysis service before the phone number of the called party in the phonebook. That is, when the "love call" menu item is selected, the mobile phone terminal transmits a feature code (for example: # or *66), indicating real-time voice analysis service, and the phone number of a called party, to the MSC, thus attempting to make a call.

[65] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a user can access the service providing apparatus using various access methods, and can use the services. That is, in order to use services in a wired/wireless communication network through the above access procedures, call processing can be performed using a method of connecting a wired/wireless communication network system to a Service Node (SN). In this way, from the standpoint of the user, the user accesses the service providing apparatus using three different methods, but call setup request signals, which are transmitted from the calling terminal to the MSC so as to access the service providing apparatus, are the same signal in the three methods. In any cases, the call setup request signal includes a specific feature code for the present service and the number of a called terminal.

[66] FIG. 7 is a signal flowchart showing a service procedure based on a service node method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [67] Referring to FIG. 7, in order for a calling party to be provided with service, the calling party transmits a call setup request signal to an MSC at step 701. The call setup request signal includes a feature code for this service and a called number.

[68] The MSC transmits a message FEATREQ to the Home Location Register (HLR) of the calling party, and queries the HLR about prefix information required to route a call to an IP server at step 703. The HLR transmits prefix information, required to route a call to the IP server, to the MSC at step 705. The MSC routes a call, including calling number/called number, to the IP server with reference to the information provided by the HLR at step 707. The IP server may output a service information message, for example, "Hello! This is love call service", to the calling party at step 709.

[69] Thereafter, the IP server requests that the APS authenticate a subscriber using the received calling party information at step 711. The APS requests authentication from the authentication server of the service provider, receives the result of authentication, and notifies the IP server of the result of authentication at step 713. When the result of authentication of the calling party is abnormal, the IP server transmits a release signal for the call to the MSC, whereas, when the result of authentication of the calling party is normal, the IP server requests an outbound call to the MSC using the called number at step 715.

[70] The MSC attempts to transmit a call setup request to the called party at step 717.

When the called party answers an incoming call at step 719, the MSC transmits an answer signal to the IP server at step 721.

[71] The IP server receives an answer signal to an outgoing call, and then transmits an answer signal to the incoming call to the MSC at step 723. Thereafter, the MSC answers the call from the calling party at step 725.

[72] The IP server establishes a channel between the called party and the calling party, and the calling party and the called party communicate with each other at step 727. Here, when the service type is a love call or a lie detection call, the IP server records the voice of the called party, and when the service type is a stress sensing call, the IP server records the voice of the calling party and periodically (for example, at regular intervals of 10 seconds) analyzes a recorded file using a voice analysis engine. After analysis has been completed, notification of the result of analysis is provided in real time to the calling party in the form of an audible sound, and is also transmitted to the APS at step 729. The APS stores the received subscriber analysis information in a database with reference to the analysis time, the calling number, the called number, and analyzed data at step 731.

[73] If the calling party terminates the call, and releases the call at step 733, the MSC transmits a call release signal to the IP server at step 735. The IP server transmits a call release signal to the MSC so as to release the outgoing call at step 737, and the MSC transmits a call release signal to the called party at step 739.

[74] After call release is completed, the IP server notifies the APS that the service for the calling party is completed at step 741. The APS stores the result of service and a service log in the database at step 743.

[75] The APS transmits a service name, a call time point, and the result of service to the message service center (SMSC) so as to transmit them through a short message at step 745. The SMSC transmits a corresponding text message (SMS message) to the calling party at step 747. In this case, they can be transmitted through a multimedia service, instead of the short message. The APS transmits Call Detail Record (CDR) data to a billing server so as to charge a fee after the service has been terminated at step 749.

[76] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a method of establishing a channel between a calling party and a called party in a typical Service Node (SN) method. In this case, in order to make a call between the calling party and the called party, the transmission (Tx) channel of the calling party is connected to the reception (Rx) channel of the called party, and the reception (Rx) channel of the calling party is connected to the transmission (Tx) channel of the called party through a switch.

[77] When the above voice channel is established, voice data to be analyzed cannot be extracted. Therefore, in order to extract voice data to be analyzed, a channel for a three-party conference call is established, as shown in FIG. 9. In order to realize a three-party conference call, the transmission (Tx) channels and reception (Rx) channels of both the calling party and the called party are connected to a call mixer, and the call mixer mixes the voices of the transmission channels of the calling party and the called party, and stores the mixed voices.

[78] As described above, when the voices of the calling/called parties are recorded using a typical conference call function, the voices of the calling/called parties are mixed, so that it is difficult to analyze the voice of a specific user (calling party or called party). Therefore, channels are connected to each other using the following methods, and voices are recorded as two types, so that the voice of only the called party or only the calling party is recorded and used for voice analysis, and the voices of both the calling and called parties are mixed and recorded and are thus used for recorded file playback in the wired Internet.

[79] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the construction of a dual-conference channel required to record and analyze the voice of a called party, as in the case of a love call or a lie detection call according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[80] Referring to FIG. 10, the dual-conference channel is composed of a portion in which the voice of only a called party is recorded using the transmission (Tx) channel of the called party, and a portion in which the transmission (Tx) channel of the calling party is mixed with the transmission (Tx) channel of the called party, and the call content of the calling/called parties is recorded.

[81] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a dual-conference channel required to record and analyze the voice of a calling party, as in the case of a stress sensing call according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[82] Referring to FIG. 11, the dual-conference channel is composed of a portion in which the voice of only a calling party is recorded using only the transmission (Tx) channel of the calling party, and a portion in which the transmission (Tx) channel of the calling party is mixed with the transmission (Tx) channel of a called party, and the call content of both the calling and called parties is recorded.

[83] As shown in FIG. 10 or 11, in the service providing apparatus, the call mixer records the voice of the called party or the calling party, and transmits the recorded voice to a voice analysis engine. The voice analysis engine analyzes a voice segment extracted using a mathematical algorithm. When the voice analysis engine analyzes various emotional states, such as honesty, dishonesty, excitation, stress, worry, and uncertainty, which appear as a combination of the wideband spectrum of a speech waveform and fine variation thereof, and outputs the results of analysis as numerical values, notification of the results of analysis is provided to the calling party in real time in the form of a voice.

[84] FIGS. 12 to 14 are flowcharts showing an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) scenario required to use a love call service according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 illustrates a scenario by which a service providing apparatus determines a service desired by a calling party when the calling party enters "feature code + called number" and accesses the service providing apparatus. FIG. 13 illustrates a scenario by which the service providing apparatus authenticates the calling party, and FIG. 14 illustrates a scenario for a process in which the calling party uses a love call service during a call to a called party. The scenarios of a lie detection call service and a stress sensing call service are the same as that of the love call service, except for information message contents and voice analysis procedures.

[85] Referring to FIG. 12, when a call from a calling party is connected to the IP server of the service providing apparatus, the IP server determines the type of service using a feature code included in the call from the calling party at step 1201. When the type of service is one of a love call service, a lie detection call service, and a stress sensing call service, the IP server executes a scenario for providing the service at steps 1203, 1205, and 1207. In this case, when the number of the feature code is not valid, the IP server transmits an information message, such as "Sorry, please check the number and call again. Thank you for calling." to the calling party at step 1209, and terminates connection at step 1211.

[86] Referring to FIG. 13, when, for example, a love call service scenario is executed at step 1301, the service providing apparatus first inquires about the subscriber information of the calling party at step 1303. In this case, the service providing apparatus determines whether the calling party is a subscriber at step 1305. If it is determined that the calling party is a subscriber, the process proceeds to step 1309, whereas if it is determined that the calling party is not a subscriber, the process proceeds to step 1307.

[87] At step 1307, the service providing apparatus transmits an information message, for example, "This is a love call service. We indicate the love index of the other party, and the service fee is 900 Won per use. A subscriber paying a fixed monthly fee can use this service without limit for a service fee of 3500 Won per month.", and terminates the call.

[88] At step 1309, the service providing apparatus determines whether a called number is a valid number. If it is determined that the called number is a valid number, the love call service is provided at step 1313, whereas, if it is determined that the called number is not a valid number, the service providing apparatus transmits an information message to the calling party, and terminates the service at step 1311. In this case, as an example of the information message, a message "This number is not available for the love call service." can be used.

[89] Referring to FIG. 14, when authentication has been completed, as in the case of a love call service, the service providing apparatus establishes a channel between the calling party and the called party through a call mixer at step 1401. When the establishment of the channel is completed, and the calling party and the called party communicate with each other, the service providing apparatus analyzes the voice of the called party at step 1403, and transmits the result of analysis to the calling party at step 1405. The result of analysis can be transmitted in the form of, for example, an audible sound. Thereafter, when the call is terminated at step 1407, the service providing apparatus transmits a recorded file and the analysis result to the calling party through a short message or a multimedia message at step 1409. In this case, it is also possible for the calling party to check the analysis result over the wired/wireless Internet, without the service providing apparatus transmitting the analysis result through a message.

[90] FIG. 15 is a diagram of an example of a screen of a terminal showing a procedure for accessing a love call service over the wireless Internet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[91] Referring to FIG. 15, when the terminal receives "called number + wireless Internet access key" from a user and accesses the service providing apparatus at step 1501, the terminal displays a menu screen 1503, enabling various voice services to be provided, on a display unit. In this case, when a menu item for an emotion call service is selected by the user, a screen 1505 for the emotion call service is displayed on the display unit of the terminal. Menu items for the emotion call service may include a love call, a lie detection call, a stress sensing call, etc. When a love call is selected by the user, the terminal attempts to access the service providing apparatus while displaying a love call connection screen 1507 on the display unit. In this case, the love call denotes a service for measuring the love index of the called party. The lie detection call and the stress sensing call can be provided through the same procedure.

[92] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a short message enabling the result of a love call service to be checked after a call is terminated according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[93] Referring to FIG. 16, after the call corresponding to the love call service is terminated, the service providing apparatus transmits an analysis result message 1601 to a terminal. In this case, when the user presses a connection button to view detailed content, a detailed screen 1603 showing the result of analysis is displayed on the display unit of the terminal over the wireless Internet. The love index can be indicated through numbers and graphs.

[94] FIGS. 17 and 18 are diagrams showing the management functions of a love call service provided over the wireless Internet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[95] Referring to FIG. 17, when a terminal receives "terminal's own number + wireless

Internet access key" from the user, and accesses the service providing apparatus at step 1701, a service management mode screen 1703 is displayed on the display unit of the terminal. In this case, when an emotion call management menu is selected from the service management mode screen 1703, an emotion call service list screen 1705 is displayed on the display unit. The emotion call service list screen 1705 includes a love call menu item, a lie detection call menu item, and a stress sensing call menu item. When the love call menu item is selected, a love call service list screen 1707 is displayed on the display unit. When a recent call history menu item is selected from the love call service list screen 1707, a recent call list 1709 is displayed. When a specific number is selected, a love index screen 1711 corresponding to the selected number is displayed on the display unit.

[96] Referring to FIG. 18, when a terminal receives a "terminal's own number + wireless

Internet access key" from the user, and accesses the service providing apparatus at step 1801, a service management mode screen 1803 is displayed on the display unit of the terminal. When an emotion call management menu item is selected from the service management mode screen 1803, an emotion call service list screen 1805 is displayed on the display unit. The emotion call service list screen 1805 includes a love call menu item, a lie detection call menu item, and a stress sensing call menu item. In this case, when the love call menu item is selected, a love call service list screen 1807 is displayed on the display unit. When a love Top 10 menu item is selected from the love call service list screen 1807, a love call Top 10 screen 1809 is displayed on the display unit of the terminal. The love call Top 10 screen 1809 sequentially shows phone numbers having higher love indices from a love call usage history. When a specific phone number is selected from the love call Top 10 screen 1809, a love index history screen 1811 corresponding to the selected phone number is displayed. When a specific call time is selected, detailed content can be displayed on a detailed love index screen 1813 corresponding to the selected call time.

[97] In FIGS. 17 and 18, a procedure for processing a menu for love call usage history of a client, who uses the love call service, and a Top 10 inquiry menu in the love call usage history menu has been described. In the case of a lie detection call, the lie detection call usage history of a client, Liar Top 10 information, etc. can be viewed through the screens of FIGS. 17 and 18. In the case of a stress sensing call, the stress sensing call history of a client, stress Top 10 information, etc. can be viewed through the screens of FIGS. 17 and 18.

[98] FIGS. 19 to 23 are diagrams showing examples of a screen for inquiring about the love call usage history of a client, who uses a love call service, among the management functions of the love call service in the wired Internet according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19 illustrates a screen for inquiring about a recent call history using the wired Internet, and FIGS. 20, 21, and 22 illustrate examples of a screen for inquiring about detailed information in the love call usage history of a client. FIG. 23 illustrates an example of a screen for inquiring about Top 10 information in the love call usage history. In the case of a lie detection call, the lie detection call usage history of a client, liar Top 10 information, etc. can be viewed through the screens of FIGS. 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. In the case of a stress sensing call, the stress call usage history of a client, stress Top 10 information, etc. can be viewed through the screens of FIGS. 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23.

[99] FIGS. 24 and 25 are diagrams showing a function of searching a recorded file list and listening to a recorded file among the management functions of the love call service in the wired Internet according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the function of searching a list of recorded call contents of a client while using the love call service. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the function of displaying the result of analysis of recorded content on the screen in synchronization with the recorded content when the recorded content is played. In the case of a lie detection call and a stress sensing call, a function of searching the recorded file list of a client and a function of listening to a recorded file can be viewed through the screens of FIGS. 24 and 25.

[100] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

[1] A method for analyzing emotional state of a speaker and transmitting the result of the analysis to a calling terminal during a call, in a service providing apparatus connected to a calling terminal, a called terminal, and a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) over a wired/wireless communication network, comprising the steps of: receiving a first call connection request signal from the MSC, wherein the first call connection request signal is generated from the MSC corresponding to a call setup request signal transmitted from the calling terminal to the MSC to make a call with the called terminal and the call setup request signal includes a service feature code; transmitting a second call connection request signal to the called terminal corresponding to the first call connection request signal; receiving a second call connection answer signal from the called terminal in response to the second call connection request signal; transmitting a first call connection answer signal to the MSC corresponding to the second call connection answer signal; analyzing a voice of at least one of the calling terminal and the called terminal during a call between the calling terminal and the called terminal made through a channel established using the first call connection answer signal and the second call connection answer signal; and transmitting the result of the voice analysis to the calling terminal.

[2] The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: receiving a wireless Internet access request signal from the calling terminal, wherein the wireless Internet access request signal is generated from the calling terminal when a phone number of the called terminal and a wireless Internet access button are entered in the calling terminal; transmitting an integrated supplementary service screen including a list of supplementary services to the calling terminal in response to the wireless Internet access request signal; receiving a service request signal from the calling terminal; and terminating wireless Internet connetction with the calling terminal, wherein the calling terminal transmits the call setup request signal to the MSC through a feature code provided in the Wireless Markup Language (WML) of the service providing apparatus or a wireless Internet browser page in response to the service request signal.

[3] The method according to claim 1, wherein the call setup request signal is transmitted through a menu provided by the calling terminal, or is transmitted by receiving the service feature code, the phone number of the called terminal, and a dial button from a user of the calling terminal.

[4] The method according to claim 1, wherein the result of the voice analysis is transmitted in real time to the calling terminal in a form of an audible sound during a call.

[5] The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: releasing the channel established between the calling terminal and the called terminal; and transmitting the result of the voice analysis to the calling terminal through a short message service(SMS).

[6] The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: releasing the channel established between the calling terminal and the called terminal; and providing detailed content of the result of the voice analysis to the calling terminal over a WEB page.

[7] A service providing apparatus connected to a calling terminal, a called terminal and a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) over a wired/wireless communication network, and for analyzing emotional state of a speaker and transmitting the result of the analysis to a calling terminal during a call, comprising: means for receiving a first call connection request signal from the MSC, wherein the first call connection request signal is generated from the MSC corresponding to a call setup request signal transmitted from the calling terminal to the MSC to make a call with the called terminal and the call setup request signal includes a service feature code; means for transmitting a second call connection request signal to the called terminal corresponding to the first call connection request signal; means for receiving a second call connection answer signal from the called terminal in response to the second call connection request signal; means for transmitting a first call connection answer signal to the MSC corresponding to the second call connection answer signal; means for analyzing a voice of at least one of the calling terminal and the called terminal during a call between the calling terminal and the called terminal made through a channel established using the first call connection answer signal and the second call connection answer signal; and means for transmitting the result of the voice analysis to the calling terminal.

[8] A service providing apparatus comprising: an Intelligent Peripheral (IP) server for analyzing voice transmitted from a calling terminal or a called terminal, analyzing emotional state of a speaker, and providing the result of analysis of the emotional state of the speaker in real time to the calling terminal during a call in a form of an audible sound; and an Application Server (APS) for operating in association with an existing server in response to a request from the IP server and providing the result of the analysis as an answer.

[9] The service providing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a web server for providing a call connection menu to the calling terminal over the wireless Internet, and providing a menu for inquiring about a history of the result of the emotional states and a menu for viewing ranking of the result of analysis of the emotional state to the calling terminal.