System and Method for Speech Recognition System

Abstract

A digital speech enabled middleware module is disclosed that facilitates interaction between a large number of client devices and network-based automatic speech recognition (ASR) resources. The module buffers feature vectors associated with speech received from the client devices when the number of client devices is greater than the available ASR resources. When an ASR decoder becomes available, the module transmits the feature vectors to the ASR decoder and a recognition result is returned.

1 . At a middleware module in a network, a method of facilitating interaction between client devices and automatic speech recognition instances, the method comprising: 
 if a plurality of N client devices is greater than a plurality of M available automatic speech recognition instances: 
 buffering data associated with speech received from each client device not being served by automatic speech recognition instances; and  
 transmitting the buffered data to automatic speech recognition instances when they become available.  
   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data comprises one of feature vectors or cepstrum data.  
   
   
       3 . A system for facilitating interaction between client devices and automatic speech recognition instances, the system comprising: 
 a module configured, if a plurality of N client devices is greater than a plurality of M available automatic speech recognition instances, to buffered data associated with speech to: 
 buffered data associated with speech received from each client device not being served by automatic speech recognition instances; and  
 transmit the buffered data to automatic speech recognition instances when they become available.  
   
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the data is one of feature vectors or cepstrum data.  
   
   
       5 . A computer readable medium storing instructions for controlling a computing device operating a middleware module in a network, to facilitate interaction between client devices and automatic speech recognition instances, the instructions comprising: 
 if a plurality of N client devices is greater than a plurality of M available automatic speech recognition instances: 
 buffering data associated with speech received from each client device not being served by automatic speech recognition instances; and  
 transmitting the buffered data to automatic speech recognition instances when they become available.  
   
   
   
       6 . The computer readable medium of  claim 5 , wherein the data is one of feature vectors or cepstrum data.