Voice Capture System for Searchable Text Conversion

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Only about forty percent of enterprise knowledge is recorded as searchable text, with sixty percent of valuable information from meetings, telephone calls, and conferences being lost or delayed due to the lack of effective systems for capturing and converting spoken information into searchable text.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising devices for capturing audio speech, a recorder for storing audio data, a recognition engine for transcribing audio into text, and a database system for associating and storing the text with the original recordings, allowing for subsequent retrieval by search applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If audio files are recorded and stored in specialized data stores or on specialized hardware, then voice data can be captured, but the data becomes not readily accessible to business users and common business applications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevoice data captureVSAvoiddata accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary system that includes speech-to-text conversion capabilities and integration with existing business applications. This intermediary layer converts audio files into searchable text formats and makes them accessible through standard business application interfaces, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliable voice data capture and ease of data accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical approach of storing audio files on specialized hardware with a software-based solution that converts audio to text and stores it in formats accessible by common business applications. This substitution eliminates the need for specialized hardware while maintaining voice data capture reliability and improving accessibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Loss of information

If speech-to-text conversion is implemented, then searchable text can be generated, but the conversion process is complex and requires specialized processing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveknowledge retentionVSAvoidconversion system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal speech-to-text conversion system that can handle multiple audio formats and languages through a single integrated platform. This multi-functional approach reduces the need for multiple specialized processing systems while maintaining high information retention rates across different speech inputs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The conversion system incorporates self-service features including automatic speaker identification, contextual analysis, and quality assurance mechanisms that reduce the need for manual intervention and specialized processing oversight, thereby simplifying the overall system complexity while maintaining high conversion accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Loss of energy

If only forty percent of enterprise knowledge is recorded as searchable text, then storage resources are conserved, but sixty percent of valuable information from meetings, telephone calls, and conferences is lost or delayed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage resource usageVSAvoidspoken information loss
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a selective conversion approach where not all audio recordings are converted to text, but rather those that meet specific criteria such as business relevance, user requests, or contextual importance. This partial action approach balances storage resource conservation with preventing information loss by converting only the necessary portion of spoken content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts conversion parameters such as conversion priority, text storage format, and retention policies based on the importance and type of spoken information. This allows the system to optimize between storage resource usage and information preservation by applying different parameters to different types of audio content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS8731919B2Methods and system for capturing voice files and rendering them searchable by keyword or phrase
Publication Date: 2014.05.20 ASTUTE INC
  • US8731919B2 patent drawing
  • US8731919B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A system for capturing voice files and rendering them searchable, comprising one or more devices capable of capturing audio speech electronically, a recorder coupled to the devices for retrieving audio speech, a controller coupled to the recorder, a recognition engine adapted to transcribe audio speech into text, and a database system is disclosed. In the system, the controller causes the recorder to capture audio speech from at least one of the devices, the recorder stores the audio speech as data in the database system, and the recognition engine subsequently retrieves the audio speech data, transcribes the audio speech data into text, and stores the text and data associating the text data with at least the audio speech data in the database system for subsequent retrieval by a search application.