Prior art

The search results confirm that Google Patents is a good source for prior art citations. I will now go to the Google Patents page for US7634409 directly to find the "Prior art citations" section.

Upon reviewing the actual Google Patents page for US7634409 (https://patents.google.com/patent/US7634409/en), I can see the "Prior art citations" section. I will now extract the relevant information from there.

Prior Art Citations for US7634409:

Here is a list of prior art patents cited against US7634409, along with a brief description and potential claims they may anticipate:

1. US6853965B2

   • Full Citation: US6853965B2, "Systems and methods for responding to natural language speech utterance", issued February 8, 2005.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed June 3, 2003; Published February 8, 2005.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes systems and methods for speech recognition and natural language understanding, including processing natural language input, determining intent, and generating responses. It uses domain-specific knowledge and a flexible architecture to interpret speech.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent broadly covers aspects of natural language speech interpretation and using domain knowledge, which could potentially anticipate the general concept of interpreting an utterance and using "domain agents" (as mentioned in dependent claims 7, 8, 15, 16) to process speech. Given its focus on natural language speech utterances, it could potentially anticipate the broader steps of receiving an utterance and generating an interpretation (Claim 1 and Claim 9) in the context of general speech interpretation systems. However, it does not explicitly detail the phoneme-to-syllable mapping or linking elements with schwa, which are specific features of US7634409's independent claims.

2. US7003463B2

   • Full Citation: US7003463B2, "System and method for supporting adaptive misrecognition in conversational speech", issued February 21, 2006.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed August 10, 2005; Published February 21, 2006.
   • Brief Description: This patent focuses on improving speech recognition accuracy by adapting to a user's speech patterns, including handling misrecognitions in conversational speech. It involves dynamically updating speech models based on user feedback and context.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent's focus on "adaptive misrecognition" and dynamically updating speech models directly relates to the adaptive aspects mentioned in the description of US7634409, particularly regarding the M-Tree being updated using an "adaptive misrecognition model" and augmenting policies to improve accuracy (as described in the detailed description, specifically "The M-Tree may be updated using an adaptive misrecognition model." and "The designated probable interpretation may be stored and used for augmenting the policies to improve accuracy."). While not directly anticipating the core phoneme-to-syllable mapping of Claim 1 and 9, it could potentially anticipate the adaptive learning and refinement components described in the sharpening engine, especially for claims 7, 8, 15, and 16 which refer to "domain agents" and using "history of previous utterances" or "user profile information".

3. US20040044516A1

   • Full Citation: US20040044516A1, "Systems and methods for responding to natural language speech utterance", published March 4, 2004.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed June 3, 2003; Published March 4, 2004.
   • Brief Description: This is a patent application corresponding to US6853965B2, detailing systems and methods for processing natural language speech input to determine user intent and generate responses, often utilizing domain-specific knowledge.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): As an earlier publication of US6853965B2, it shares similar potential anticipatory relevance for the general concepts of natural language speech interpretation and the use of domain knowledge in processing speech (Claim 1 and Claim 9, and dependent claims related to domain agents, e.g., claims 7, 8, 15, 16).

4. US20040193420A1

   • Full Citation: US20040193420A1, "Mobile systems and methods for responding to natural language speech utterance", published September 30, 2004.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed July 15, 2003; Published September 30, 2004.
   • Brief Description: This application extends the natural language speech utterance systems to mobile environments, emphasizing challenges and solutions specific to mobile devices, such as resource constraints and varying contexts.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Similar to the above, this application broadens the scope of natural language speech interpretation to mobile devices. It might anticipate the general application of speech interpretation on electronic devices (Claim 1 and Claim 9's reference to "electronic device" or "input device"), particularly given that US7634409 discusses benefits in the "embedded space." However, it does not explicitly detail the unique phonemic recognition and acoustic grammar structures of US7634409's independent claims.

5. US20050278298A1

   • Full Citation: US20050278298A1, "Method and apparatus for automatic speech recognition using phoneme-based grammars", published December 15, 2005.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed June 15, 2004; Published December 15, 2005.
   • Brief Description: This patent application specifically describes using phoneme-based grammars for automatic speech recognition. It mentions generating word sequences from phoneme hypotheses and associating confidence scores. This is very relevant to US7634409's core claims.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference appears highly relevant. It explicitly teaches "using phoneme-based grammars" for speech recognition, which directly aligns with the "recognizing a stream of phonemes" and "mapping the recognized stream of phonemes to an acoustic grammar that phonemically represents one or more syllables" of Claims 1 and 9. If its phoneme-based grammars are detailed enough to represent syllables as described in US7634409, it could potentially anticipate the core novelty of claims 1 and 9. It also mentions confidence scores, potentially relevant to claims 6 and 14.

6. US20060287864A1

   • Full Citation: US20060287864A1, "System and method of processing multi-modal device interactions in a natural language voice services environment", published December 21, 2006.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed February 20, 2006; Published December 21, 2006.
   • Brief Description: This application describes integrating multiple input modalities (e.g., voice, touch) in a natural language processing environment, and interpreting user intent across these modalities.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This primarily focuses on multi-modal interaction rather than the specific speech interpretation enhancements of US7634409. While it deals with natural language interpretation in an electronic device context (general to claims 1 and 9), it does not seem to directly anticipate the phoneme-to-syllable mapping, acoustic grammar structure with linking elements, or the detailed sharpening techniques.

7. US20060287865A1

   • Full Citation: US20060287865A1, "System and method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface", published December 21, 2006.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed October 16, 2006; Published December 21, 2006.
   • Brief Description: This application describes a conversational voice user interface that supports cooperative dialogue and context tracking over multiple turns.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference focuses on conversational aspects and context tracking, which is partially related to US7634409's "context-tracking module" (described in the detailed description) and its use for managing context agents (claims 8, 16). However, the core phoneme recognition and grammar structure of independent claims 1 and 9 are not directly addressed by its primary focus.

8. US20070055525A1

   • Full Citation: US20070055525A1, "Dynamic speech sharpening", published March 8, 2007.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed August 31, 2006; Published March 8, 2007.
   • Brief Description: This is a patent application for US7634409 itself. It is a publication of the same patent and therefore cannot be prior art under 35 U.S.C. § 102 against US7634409, as it shares the same priority date.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This cannot anticipate US7634409 because it is a publication of the same application (or a related application claiming priority).

Most Relevant Prior Art

Based on the analysis, US20050278298A1 ("Method and apparatus for automatic speech recognition using phoneme-based grammars") appears to be the most relevant prior art. It explicitly discloses the use of phoneme-based grammars for automatic speech recognition, which directly addresses the core inventive step of recognizing a stream of phonemes and mapping them to an acoustic grammar that phonemically represents syllables, as claimed in independent claims 1 and 9 of US7634409. The specific details of how phonemes are mapped to syllables and the use of linking elements (like schwa) would be crucial in determining if it fully anticipates these claims.Here is an analysis of the most relevant prior art for US Patent 7634409, "Dynamic speech sharpening." This analysis focuses on the patents cited within US7634409.

Key Independent Claims of US7634409 for Anticipation Analysis:

• Claim 1 (Method): Receiving an utterance; recognizing a stream of phonemes; mapping the phonemes to an acoustic grammar representing syllables; and generating an interpretation including the series of mapped syllables. (Focus: phoneme recognition, syllable-based acoustic grammar).
• Claim 9 (System): A system with an input device and a speech interpretation engine operable to perform the steps of Claim 1. (Focus: system implementing phoneme recognition, syllable-based acoustic grammar).

Prior Art Citations:

1. US6853965B2

   • Full Citation: US6,853,965 B2 to Voicebox Technologies, Inc. (Inventors: Kennewick et al.), "Systems and methods for responding to natural language speech utterance."
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed June 3, 2003; Issued February 8, 2005.
   • Brief Description: This patent describes a natural language processing system for interpreting speech utterances, determining user intent, and generating responses. It emphasizes the use of domain-specific knowledge and a flexible architecture for speech interpretation.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent broadly covers natural language speech interpretation and the use of domain knowledge in speech processing. It could potentially anticipate the general concept of receiving an utterance and generating an interpretation (elements of Claim 1 and Claim 9). It also has relevance to the post-processing aspects of US7634409, particularly the use of "domain agents" (as detailed in dependent claims 7, 8, 15, and 16). However, it does not explicitly disclose the core phoneme-to-syllable mapping within an acoustic grammar as a primary mechanism for interpretation, nor does it detail the specific grammar optimization techniques like linking elements.

2. US7003463B2

   • Full Citation: US7,003,463 B2 to Voicebox Technologies, Inc. (Inventors: Kennewick et al.), "System and method for supporting adaptive misrecognition in conversational speech."
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed August 10, 2005; Issued February 21, 2006.
   • Brief Description: This patent addresses improving speech recognition by adapting to user speech patterns and handling misrecognitions in conversational contexts. It involves dynamic updates to speech models based on user interaction and context.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): While not directly anticipating the phoneme-to-syllable mapping of independent claims 1 and 9, this patent is highly relevant to the adaptive learning and refinement components of US7634409's "interpretation sharpening module" and "interpretation history analysis module." Specifically, it may anticipate aspects related to adapting policies, models, or weighting schemes based on past interpretations or misrecognitions, as described in US7634409's detailed description (e.g., "The M-Tree may be updated using an adaptive misrecognition model" and augmentations based on "interpretation error frequency"). This could bear on dependent claims 7, 8, 15, and 16, which discuss domain agents and the use of user profile information or a history of previous utterances.

3. US20040044516A1

   • Full Citation: US2004/0044516 A1 to Voicebox Technologies, Inc. (Inventors: Kennewick et al.), "Systems and methods for responding to natural language speech utterance."
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed June 3, 2003; Published March 4, 2004.
   • Brief Description: This is an earlier publication of US6853965B2, covering similar subject matter regarding natural language speech processing, intent determination, and response generation using domain-specific knowledge.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): As a direct predecessor/equivalent to US6853965B2, its anticipatory potential is similar, broadly covering the general speech interpretation aspects and the use of domain knowledge (Claim 1, Claim 9, and dependent claims 7, 8, 15, 16).

4. US20040193420A1

   • Full Citation: US2004/0193420 A1 to Voicebox Technologies, Inc. (Inventors: Kennewick et al.), "Mobile systems and methods for responding to natural language speech utterance."
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed July 15, 2003; Published September 30, 2004.
   • Brief Description: This application extends the natural language speech interpretation technology to mobile environments, addressing specific challenges like resource constraints in embedded applications.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is relevant for the context of applying speech interpretation on "electronic devices," particularly in "embedded space" applications mentioned in US7634409. Its general natural language processing capabilities could broadly touch on Claim 1 and Claim 9, but it does not detail the specific phonemic grammar or syllable-based mapping that forms the core of US7634409's independent claims.

5. US20050278298A1

   • Full Citation: US2005/0278298 A1 to Voicebox Technologies, Inc. (Inventors: Kennewick et al.), "Method and apparatus for automatic speech recognition using phoneme-based grammars."
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed June 15, 2004; Published December 15, 2005.
   • Brief Description: This patent application specifically describes an approach to automatic speech recognition that utilizes phoneme-based grammars. It details generating word sequences based on phoneme hypotheses and assigning confidence scores to these hypotheses.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference is highly relevant and directly anticipates key aspects of US7634409's independent claims. It explicitly teaches "automatic speech recognition using phoneme-based grammars," which directly corresponds to "recognizing a stream of phonemes" and "mapping the recognized stream of phonemes to an acoustic grammar that phonemically represents one or more syllables" as stated in Claim 1 and Claim 9. The extent of its disclosure regarding how phonemes are specifically mapped to syllables and the novelty of using linking elements in such grammars would determine the full scope of anticipation. It also mentions confidence scores, which are central to dependent claims 6 and 14 of US7634409.

6. US20060287864A1

   • Full Citation: US2006/0287864 A1 to Voicebox Technologies, Inc. (Inventors: Kennewick et al.), "System and method of processing multi-modal device interactions in a natural language voice services environment."
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed February 20, 2006; Published December 21, 2006.
   • Brief Description: This application describes integrating multiple input modalities (e.g., voice and other inputs) within a natural language processing environment to interpret user intent.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference's primary focus is on multi-modal interaction rather than the specific phonemic speech recognition and grammar structure of US7634409's independent claims. While it relates to natural language interpretation on electronic devices, it does not appear to directly anticipate the core novelties of claims 1 and 9.

7. US20060287865A1

   • Full Citation: US2006/0287865 A1 to Voicebox Technologies, Inc. (Inventors: Kennewick et al.), "System and method for a cooperative conversational voice user interface."
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed October 16, 2006; Published December 21, 2006.
   • Brief Description: This application details a conversational voice user interface that supports turn-taking dialogue and maintains context across multiple interactions.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent application focuses on conversational flow and context tracking in a user interface, which has some overlap with US7634409's "context-tracking module" and the use of "context agents" (as mentioned in dependent claims 8 and 16). However, it does not directly anticipate the fundamental phoneme recognition and grammar structures of independent claims 1 and 9.

8. US20070055525A1

   • Full Citation: US2007/0055525 A1 to Voicebox Technologies, Inc. (Inventors: Kennewick et al.), "Dynamic speech sharpening."
   • Publication/Filing Date: Filed August 31, 2006; Published March 8, 2007.
   • Brief Description: This is a patent application corresponding to US7634409 itself, sharing the same priority date.
   • Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This document cannot serve as prior art against US7634409 as it shares the same priority date and is an earlier publication of the same (or a closely related) invention.

Most Relevant Prior Art:

US20050278298A1 ("Method and apparatus for automatic speech recognition using phoneme-based grammars") is the most relevant piece of prior art cited against US7634409. It directly discloses the use of phoneme-based grammars for automatic speech recognition, which is a foundational element of independent claims 1 and 9 of US7634409. A detailed comparison would be needed to ascertain if its specific implementation of "phoneme-based grammars" fully anticipates the concept of an "acoustic grammar that phonemically represents one or more syllables" and the utilization of "linking elements" (e.g., schwa) described in US7634409's dependent claims 4 and 5.