SpeechWorks™from Applied Language Technologies, Inc.

• Description: SpeechWorks and companion products provide advanced speech recognition technology for the telephony market. SpeechWorks can be used by developers to "speech-enable" call center, messaging, enhanced services, and other types of applications. The three major system modules - SpeechWorks, DialogModules and SpeechBuilder - are described below. More detailed information is available from the Applied Language Technologies home page.
  ALTech develops and markets speech understanding software which provides large vocabulary, speaker-independent, phonetic speech recognition. ALTech's software contains a comprehensive set of features for speech-enabling telephone-based transactions and services. SpeechWorks is based on technology licensed from the Spoken Language Systems Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• SpeechWorks: provides the core speech recognition capabilities. Features include:
  • Phonetic segment-based, speaker-independent, large vocabulary, continuous speech recognition
  • Real-time vocabulary generation directly from text
  • Database integration
  • "Barge-in" capability
  • Adaptive channel normalization
  • "n-best" output and associated confidence scores
  • Support for multiple languages
  • Software-only or DSP-based implementations
  • Support for multiple platforms and operating systems (e.g., SCO UNIX, WindowsNT, etc.)
• DialogModules: manage the "conversation" between the system and the caller within an application. They provide high-level application building blocks which enable developers to quickly and easily add speech interfaces to computer telephony applications. Each DialogModule accomplishes a particular task within an application, ranging from "simple" tasks such as capturing a yes/no response or a phone number, to more complex tasks such as capturing credit card information or name and address information.
  DialogModules provide "out-of-the-box" functionality. They contain pre-built grammars, user-interface design, internal call flow and error recovery routines, parameters for customization and a set of C++ class libraries and C APIs.
• SpeechBuilder: provides tools for customizing the DialogModules and for developing and maintaining applications. A GUI-based Vocabulary Editor provides the ability to generate and maintain vocabulary or word lists. Pronunciations can be generated automatically using the built-in dictionary or can be automatically generated using a set of text-to-phoneme rules.
• Product Bundles: are available which combine SpeechWorks and multiple DialogModules into application templates for a set of generic application categories.
  • SpeechForms SpeechForms provides an interactive method for entering data over the phone, such as ordering products, filling out surveys and completing registration forms. Typical applications include: order entry, reservations, catalog and literature requests, catalog shopping, subscriptions, change of service, claims, credit card activation, home banking, stock transactions, and warranty reservations.
  • SpeechQuery SpeechQuery is used to deliver information in response to voice requests over the phone, such as airline information, product delivery status and retirement benefit information. Typical applications include: order status, product information, account balance, flight status, movie listings, job listings, stock quotes, guide services,classified ads, claims status, dealer locator services, and technical support.
  • SpeechAgent SpeechAgent provides a set of modules for automating telephone-based voice messaging applications, such as integrated messaging, single-number services and voice-dialing. Typical applications include: voice messaging, voice dialing, auto attendant, address book access, email access, and scheduling.
• Platform: Platforms and Operating systems: ALTech's software can be deployed on industry-standard hardware platforms and operating systems including: Sun SPARC-based systems running SunOS or Solaris, IBM RS/6000s running AIX, HP systems running HP-UX, and 486/Pentium-based PCs and servers running Windows, WindowsNT, SCO UNIX, or Solaris. ALTech's systems are designed to run all or some of the software on a digital signal processor.
• Availability: contact ALTech for licensing information.
• Contact: Applied Language Technologies, Inc.
  215 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02142
  Ph: 617-225-0012, Fax: 617-225-0322
  Email: to Alisa Moyer: moyer@altech.com
  WWW: http://www.altech.com/

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