Patent ID: 6850609

Claim:
A transcription method comprising the steps of: coupling a first audio source to an audio recording device using a first communication channel of a communications network, the first communication channel extending from the first audio source to said recording device; coupling a second audio source to the audio recording device using a second communication channel of the communications network, the second communication channel extending from the second audio source to said recording device; coupling the first audio source using a third communication channel to a conference bridge; coupling the second audio source using a fourth communication channel to the conference bridge; using the first communications channel in a uni-directional manner during a communications conference to communicate audio signals from the first audio source to said recording device; using the second communications channel in a uni-directional manner during the communications conference to communicate audio signals from the second audio source to said recording device; using the third communications channel in a bi-directional manner during the communications conference to communicate audio signals between said first audio source and said conference bridge; using the fourth communications channel in a bi-directional manner during the communications conference to communicate audio signals between the second audio source and said conference bridge; operating the recording device to generate a first audio recording of speech signals received from the first audio source; performing a speech recognition operation on the first audio recording of speech signals to generate a first:transcript therefrom; delivering at least a portion of the generated first transcript; and wherein the first and second communications channels are separate from each other such that the audio signals on the first and second channels do not mix.