Patent Document ID: 7725309
Application ID: 11422406

Base Claim:
1. A method for performing speech recognition, the method being performed by one or more processors that perform steps comprising: identifying a plurality of entries from a sequence of phonetic units that are recognized from a spoken input, wherein the plurality of entries individually match to one or more items that comprise one or more records of a database that comprises a plurality of records; accessing a search node for the database, wherein the search node includes, for each record of at least some of the plurality of records, multiple phonetic representations, including at least one phonetic representation that contains at least one of (i) an abbreviation of an entry that is included in the record, or (ii) a null use of an entry that is included in the record when that entry is combined with one or more other entries; and selecting, from the search node, a matching record of the database for the spoken input, wherein selecting the matching record includes comparing the plurality of entries identified from the spoken input to the phonetic representations of the individual records, including to the multiple phonetic representations of records in the at least some of the plurality of records.

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Claim 2:
2. The method of claim 1 , identifying a plurality of entries from a sequence of phonetic units that are recognized from a spoken input includes identifying one or more names, and wherein accessing the search node includes accessing the search node for a directory of people and/or businesses.