JPS6037929B2 - Voice response method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a voice response system having a storage device that stores voice information in the form of digital signals.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional voice response system.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a storage device, 11 and 12 are storage areas, 11, to 11n, 12, and 12n are storage bit loops of the storage device 1, 2 is a parallel-to-serial converter, and 21 and 22 are to parallel-to-serial converters. , 3 is a line support unit, 3, to 3m are line support devices, 4 is a control unit, and 51 to 5m are lines. In general, there are various voice response services for banking operations, such as telephone contact services such as transfer notifications and balance inquiries, and information guidance such as profit margin guidance and foreign exchange rate guidance.

Words necessary for voice responses for these various services are stored in the storage device 1, and the words are read out and combined as words to respond to the user in voice. Therefore, this has conventionally been realized with a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, the memory device 1 stores the word odor necessary for the voice response service as a digital signal (in the past, analog signals were the mainstream, but recently, with the development of storage devices and other controls, digital signals have been used). This is then read out to the parallel-to-serial conversion unit 2 according to instructions from the control unit 4, where it is converted into serial bits.
The line handling section 3 combines the words into words corresponding to the service request from the user, converts them from digital to analog, and sends them to the user through the lines 5, .about.5m. Storage device 10
are generally composed of magnetic drums, magnetic disks, semiconductor memories, etc., but recently magnetic valve memories and the like have come into use. As shown in the figure, the storage device 1 is divided into areas corresponding to the types of voice response services, and words necessary for each service are stored in each area. In the example shown in the figure, there are two areas, that is, two storage areas, and storage area 11 contains information such as ``your'' and ``balance'' as a balance notification service, and storage area 12 contains words such as ``your'' and ``balance is'' as stock price information. "Today's" or "Stock price" etc. are stored in a memory bit loop (also called a track in the case of magnetic valves, magnetic disks, etc.)11
, ~11n, 12, ~12n. This stored word straw is almost always read out to the parallel-to-serial converter 2 according to instructions from the controller 4. As is well known, each word is read out in parallel in a time-division manner, and parallel/serial converters 21 and 22 are provided for the storage areas 11 and 12. Then, the parallel-to-serial converter 2 converts the words read out in parallel into serial bits. Parallel-serial converter 21, 2
2 is a line compatible device 3, which is in line compatible with the line compatible section 3;
3m and is connected in a complete group, and line compatible devices 3, ~ 3
m can extract audio information converted into serial bits from any of the parallel-to-serial converters 21 and 22. Therefore, the control section 4
In response to the instructions, the line compatible devices 3, ~3m temporarily store the audio information needed at that time on that line (functioning as a buffer memory), convert it into digital-to-analog, and transmit it to the line 5,~3m.
Send to 5m. That is, the user hears it as audio. Therefore, in this system, any word that is a combination of words stored in the storage device 1 and that corresponds to the service at that time can be simultaneously output to any of the lines 5, 5m. However, in general, if the content of the service is different, the time zone of the service is often different. In other words, it is sufficient if services in the same time zone can be output simultaneously. Nevertheless, in the conventional system described above, the storage device 1 and the parallel-to-serial converters 21 and 22 are compatible with services in different time zones.
However, all services must always be provided in approximately proportion to the number of types of services. In addition, one storage bit loop 11, ~ 1 1n, 1 2, ~ 1 2n of the storage device 1 has become highly integrated with 6 bits ~ 25 bits (magnetic valve memory). If the loops 111 to 11n, 12, and 12n are stored, there is too much room and a lot of waste occurs. That said, part 1
If long words are stored in the memory bit loops 11, ~11n, and 121~12n, there will be no commonality in meaning, and this will become uneconomical as a voice response method for creating words by combining various words. . From the above, the conventional system has the drawback that the storage device 1 and the parallel/serial converter 2 increase as the types of services increase, making it extremely expensive, regardless of whether the time zone of the service is different or different. An object of the present invention is to divide the storage bit loops 11, 11n, 12, . . . . . . . . . . . . . This is intended to be economical by storing the back of words, and will be explained in detail below. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, in which 6 is a memory mirror switching section, 11, 121, 112, 122...11n and 1.
2n is the same as in FIG. 1, except that it is the same storage bit group of the storage device 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, each storage bit loop of the storage device 1 is divided in the loop direction, that is, into storage areas 11 and 12. Store straw. In the example shown in the figure, the area 10 has the first memory bit loop 1.
1, "Your Ha 2nd memory bit loop 112
There is a balance notification service called "Balance is" in the storage area 12, and the first storage bit loop 12. In the second memory bit loop 122, a phrase for a stock price guide, ``Stock price evening'', is stored. Of course, these details are stored as digital signals. That is, each storage area 11, 12 divided in the direction of the storage bit loop stores different service contents or service contents of different time zones. When reading out the word mulberry from the storage device 1 that stores the word mulberry in this way, which storage area 11 is to be read out in a certain time period?
, 12 is given to the storage area switching unit 6 from the control unit 4, and the storage area switching unit 6 instructs which one of the storage areas '1 and 12' should be read. The storage area partition unit 6 that performs such control may be configured with a logic circuit that receives an area instruction command signal from the control unit 4 and converts it into address information (so-called address of the storage device 1). This can be easily realized using a circuit. The word meaning (audio information) of one area of the storage areas 11 and 12 designated in this way is read out in parallel to the parallel-to-serial converter 2 as in the conventional example, and is converted into serial bits by the parallel-to-serial converter 2, As in the conventional example, this is also passed to the line handling section 3, where it is temporarily stored, assembled as the words of the necessary service, converted into digital-to-analog, and sent out to the lines 5, 5m. Of course, the parallel/serial converter 2 and the line compatible device 3, ~3m of the line compatible unit 3
are connected as a complete group, and the line correspondence section 3 is controlled by the control section 4. As is well known, the control section 4 is program-controlled, and switching instructions and read instruction control through the storage area conversion section 6 according to the time zone of the storage areas 11 and 12 can be easily realized by setting the program. From the above, in this embodiment, voice response service can be provided in a certain time period only when all the data stored in the storage areas 11 and 12 of the storage device 1 are stored in preset areas corresponding to the service in that time period. It's just a combination of words. That is, since this is a method that utilizes the storage bit loop of the storage device 1 as effectively as possible, the number of storage devices 1 does not increase in series every time service terms for different time zones are stored, unlike in the past.
The number of parallel-to-serial converters 2 will not be increased. In other words, it is possible to introduce a storage device 1 with a long storage bit loop (or a highly integrated storage device with a deep bit depth). (As mentioned above, recent magnetic valve storage devices are in that direction.) That is, storage area 11
, 12, and only one area is involved at a certain service point, so the transfer speed does not slow down. Therefore, it becomes easy to introduce an inexpensive storage device 1 such as a magnetic valve memory. In other words, an inexpensive voice response system can be realized. Therefore, according to the present invention to which this embodiment is applied, a very economical method can be realized in a voice response system having voice response services in different time zones, and therefore it can be effectively utilized for voice response services that will become more diverse in the future.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional voice response system, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Storage device, 1 1, 12... Storage area, 11.~11n, 12. ~12n...
・Storage bit loop, 2...Parallel-serial conversion section, 3
・・・・・・Line support unit, 3, ~3m・・・・・・Line support device, 4・・・・Control unit, 5, ~5m・・・・
...Line, 6...Storage area sliding door. No.! Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A voice response device having a magnetic valve storage device having a plurality of memory bit loops for storing audio information as digital signals, and reading out the audio information from the magnetic valve storage device under the control of a control unit, converting it from digital to analog, and sending it out to the line. In the method, each storage bit loop of the magnetic valve storage device is divided into a plurality of storage areas in the loop direction, and each storage area stores a different vocabulary for a voice response service,
The storage area has a storage area switching unit that switches the storage area according to a predetermined time slot according to an instruction from a control unit, and the service vocabulary corresponding to the voice response service in that time slot is stored according to the instruction from the switching unit. A voice response method characterized in that the service vocabulary is read only from a storage area.