AT&T Labs Research — Leading Invention, Driving Innovation

A method and system of controlling recordation and transmission of audio and video signals on a per-conference-leg basis are described. By providing a recordation and transmission control mechanism, teleconference participants may request to go "off-the-record." A per-conference-leg recording and transmission control system enhances the flexibility of teleconference participant's interaction with one or more other participants. The control system and method may further allow a single individual to control the recordation and transmission of the teleconference or alternatively, grant each participant individual control over their own conference leg.

Systems, methods, and programs for generating an authorized profile for a text communication device or account, may sample a text communication generated by the text communication device or account during communication and may store the text sample. The systems, methods, and programs may extract a language pattern from the stored text sample and may create an authorized profile based on the language pattern. Systems, methods, and programs for detecting unauthorized use of a text communication device or account may sample a text communication generated by the device or account during communication, may extract a language pattern from the audio sample, and may compare extracted language pattern of the sample with an authorized user profile.

A trust propagation system is disclosed that propagates trust data based on established trust relationships. The trust system may automatically propagate trust data between parties A and C based on trust relationships with a common party B. Trust data may include authentication data such as biometric data, encryption data, passwords, etc. that may be used to conduct exclusive communications.

A speaker-verification digital signature system is disclosed that provides greater confidence in communications having digital signatures because a signing party may be prompted to speak a text-phrase that may be different for each digital signature, thus making it difficult for anyone other than the legitimate signing party to provide a valid signature.

Systems, methods, and programs for generating an authorized user profile for a mobile communication device, may sample an audio stream generated by the mobile communication device during communication and may store the audio sample. The systems methods and programs may determine an audio characteristic of the stored audio sample and may create the authorized user profile based on the audio characteristic. Systems, methods, and programs for detecting unauthorized use of a mobile communication device may sample an audio stream generated by the device during communication, may determine an audio characteristic of the audio sample, and may compare the determined audio characteristics of the sample with an authorized user profile.

A method and system for reporting data from a spoken dialog service is disclosed. The method comprises extracting data regarding user dialogs using a dialog logging module in the spoken dialog service, analyzing the data to identify trends and reporting the trends. The data may be presented in a visual form for easier consumption. The method may also relate to identifying data within the control or outside the control of a service provider that is used to adjust the spoken dialog service to maximize customer retention.

A method and system for associating concurrent communication sessions. First and second communication sessions are established. The first and second communication session correspond to a common user account and are active concurrently. The first and second communication sessions are associated with each other to share data between the first and second communication sessions. The first and second communication sessions can be data network and telephone communication sessions established by a web server and a telephony network server, respectively. An application server can connect the web server and the telephony server to associate the data network and telephone communication sessions and share data between the data network and telephone network communication sessions.

A method is provided for subscriber-related call log information for a plurality of distributed services from a remotely accessible consolidating server. The distributed services include at least a plain old telephone service, a wireless service, and a long distance telephone service. The call log information for the plurality of services is received in the consolidating server from a network. The call log information may be stored in the server as a consolidated list sorted by at least one of name of a remote party, remote party telephone number, time of call, remote party mailing address, remote party e-mail address, and/or a remote number identifier. The consolidated list is communicated to a remote location responsive to a subscriber request. Such a remote location can be a general purpose computing device equipped with a web browser, an Internet-enabled phone, or a similar device. A transfer-hub may store the call log information. The transfer-hub may be Blued-enabled to communication with other devices for a Personal Local Area Network of a subscriber.

An arrangement for allowing hands-free access to DTMF-controlled systems, such as one's voice mail messaging systems, utilizes a speech-to-DTMF tone application that monitors the communication between the user and the DTMF-controlled system. A speech recognition unit is utilized to retrieve certain voice commands (e.g., next, skip, repeat, forward, etc.) when uttered by the user. The application then translates the received commands into the proper DTMF tone sequence used by the DTMF-controlled system and transmits the DTMF tones to the system. The application is particularly useful in the cell phone environment and avoids the necessity of the user to constantly switch between using the keypad and listening to messages/commands from the system.

A master telephony message system (TMS) application has been developed to allow an individual to access multiple message services (such as voice mail, telephone-accessed email, unified messaging, etc.) in succession without the need to repeatedly hang up and dial into each different system. The master application includes a database record of each TMS dial-in number and proceeds to dial the first number in sequence. The user then accesses the messages in a conventional manner, while the master application listens for a prompt from the user to disconnect from the first TMS account and dial in to the next TMS included in the user record. The application proceeds in sequence through each TMS included in the user record until each message system has been accessed or the user chooses to exit the program.

A pseudo proxy server is provided for a host network when the host network experiences periods of congestion. The host network determines whether an arrival rate of data requests exceeds a predetermined threshold. If so, the host network adds an address of a pseudo proxy server to a list of servers aliased to the host network. Thereafter, data requests are routed to the pseudo proxy server on a round robin basis. The pseudo proxy server may be engaged without first loading information content from the host network on the pseudo proxy server.

A method for transferring money is described. This method can include providing a cash card having stored thereon an amount of money; making a telephone call to a predetermined telephone number using the cash card as a payment device for the telephone call; dialing a predetermined suffix to the predetermined telephone number followed by a desired dollar amount; debiting the cash card by the desired dollar amount; and, crediting an account associated with the predetermined telephone number by the desired dollar amount.

An emergency breakthrough system allows users to break through a busy signal, using an automated rather than operator assisted technique. Upon receipt of a busy signal, rather than hanging up and dialing an operator to gain a manual assistance for third party call breakthrough, the calling party is able to keypad an enablement request, such as *85, requesting emergency call breakthrough. After that entry, the system awaits a breakthrough passcode, such as a four digit number, which if validated permits the user to breakthrough the busy signal and reach the called party, without operator intervention. Predesignated numbers can gain automated access by ANI identity of the calling number.

An individual transfers money from a cash card (or the account that the cash card is tied to) by making a wireless phone call to another individual. A combination of a MONDEX style card with the individual phone cards are used for this purpose. This electronic cash (ecash) ecash/phone card is inserted into the phone to activate it for billing use and serves as the basis for a cash transaction. For example, person A makes a telephone call to person B and dials a suffix after the number to indicate the transaction and the amount. For example, one could transfer money to another card or account holder from one's card by dialing their number followed by CASH#200# to transfer 200 dollars to the other account. The card is then capable of being used as a cash card to make purchases or as a phone card to make calls. A database links the identity of the caller to the cash account and the transaction appears as part of a bank statement or as part of a wireless phone bill. A user could use his wireless phone to dial an account number and transfer money by entering the amount via DTMF or by speaking the amount to an ASR application connected to the database. A user could also use the phone to make purchases via the card by just dialing a number and having an anonymous purchase made of the item. Since the user would be identified by the wireless network, the user would not have to enter any additional information about identification or credit card. The number that the user dialed could then debit the user's card directly and the item could be delivered without any need for the user to enter more information.

A method and apparatus for recognizing an identifier entered by a user. A caller enters a predetermined identifier through a voice input device or a touch-tone keypad of a telephone handset. A signal representing the entered identifier is transmitted to a remote recognizer, which responds to the identifier signal by producing a recognized output intended to match the entered identifier. The present invention compares this recognized identifier with a list of valid reference identifiers to determine which one of these reference identifiers most likely matches the entered identifier. In performing this determination, the present invention employs a confusion matrix, which is an arrangement of probabilities that indicate the likelihood that a given character in a particular character position of the reference identifier would be recognized by the recognizer as a character in the corresponding character position of the recognized identifier. This determination yields an identifier recognition probability for every reference identifier, and the present invention selects the reference identifier with the highest identifier recognition probability as most likely corresponding to the entered identifier.

A voice dialing system that includes a voice dialing device and a terminal. The voice dialing device is coupled to the terminal through a network. The voice dialing device stores a telephone directory that includes text-based and voice entries. The terminal is coupled to the voice dialing device through a network and sends to the voice dialing device text-based telephone directory information. The voice dialing device modifies the telephone directory based on the text-based telephone directory information sent by the terminal. At a later time, a subscriber calls and the voice dialing device selects an entry from the telephone directory based on a name spoken by the subscriber. The voice dialing device dials a telephone number retrieved from the selected entry of the telephone directory and connects the subscriber with a called party.

Automated capture of an uttered alphabetic character is provided by using an input, beyond the uttered alphabetic character, to disambiguate an incorrectly captured character. The input is an indication of a telephone key representing the uttered alphabetic character. The indication can be a dual tone multifrequency signal or an utterance of the number of the telephone key. Alternatively, the input is an indication that the incorrectly captured alphabetic character differs from the uttered alphabetic character.