METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VOICE ACTIVATED INTERNET ACCESS AND VOICE OUTPUT OF INFORMATION RETRIEVED FROM THE INTERNETVIA A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20010011302A1
• Filed: 07/01/1998
• Published: 08/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Development Innovation Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Development Innovation Group LLC
• Inventors: SON, WILLIAM Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/108,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20010011302A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A method and apparatus providing voice-interactive access to the internet via wireless networks enabling a subscriber, while driving or performing other tasks, to input commands to the internet using a voice input function, such as voice recognition, and retrieve the information from the internet using a voice output function, such as voice synthesis. The present invention allows a subscriber to enter voice commands at an internet terminal, as well as commands through other external interfaces, such as a key pad or touch screen. The internet terminal can also display and store the received data from the internet. in addition to the output by voice synthesis. The present invention may utilize a hands-free kit, allowing the subscriber to drive a car or perform other tasks and receive the internet information without any additional action on the part of the subscriber.

Claims

1. An apparatus providing voice-interactive access to the internet via a wireless communication network, a gateway and a base station, comprising:

command control means for receiving voice commands from a subscriber and for converting the commands into a format compatible with the wireless communication network and the gateway;

data transceiver means for converting the voice commands from the command control means into a format for transmission to the base station as radio frequency (RF) signals;

information processing means for receiving information from the internet through the data transceiver means and for displaying and storing the received information; and

voice output means for outputting the received information in a voice format.

2. The apparatus of

claim 1

, wherein the command control means comprises:

voice interface means for converting voice communications and the voice commands into a digital format and for outputting the voice communications to the data transceiver means;

external command input means for entering commands through an external interface;

voice recognition means for converting the voice commands from the voice interface means into a text format using voice recognition;

command conversion means for converting the voice commands from the voice recognition means into commands compatible with the internet; and

protocol conversion means for converting the commands from the external command input means and the command conversion means into a format compatible with the protocol used between the wireless communication network and the gateway.

3. The apparatus of

claim 2

, wherein the data transceiver means comprises:

data signal processing means for converting the commands from the command control means into a frame format and for reconstructing information received from the internet;

voice processing means for converting the voice communications from the command control means into a frame format and converting voice communications received from the base station into a digital format; and

data processing means for transmitting the commands from the data signal processing means and the voice communications from the voice processing means as RF signals to the base station, and for demodulating RF signals received from the base station.

4. The apparatus of

claim 3

, wherein the information processing means comprises:

information processing control means for controlling the information processing means using the internet information received from the data signal processing means;

information display means for receiving the internet information from the data signal processing means and control messages from the information processing control means and displaying the internet information in a display interface;

information storage means for storing the internet information from the data signal processing means in memory for later use in accordance with control messages from the information processing control means; and

voice synthesis means for receiving internet information from the data signal processing means and control messages from the information processing control means and converting the internet information into a voice format by voice synthesis;

wherein the voice output means receives the voice communications from the voice processing means and the voice-synthesized information from the voice synthesis means and converts the voice communications and internet information into an analog signal and outputs the analog signal to an external voice interface.

5. A method providing voice-interactive access to the internet via a wireless communication network and a base station, comprising the steps of:

converting voice commands entered by a subscriber into a format compatible with the internet;

converting the voice commands into a format for transmission to the base station as radio frequency (RF) signals; and

processing information received from the internet for display and storage and outputting the internet information as a voice signal.

6. The method of

claim 5

, wherein the step of converting commands comprises the steps of:

converting voice communications and the voice commands entered by the subscriber into a digital format;

converting the digital voice commands into a text format using voice recognition; and

converting the commands in text format to commands that are compatible with the internet.

7. The method of

claim 5

, wherein the step of processing information comprises the steps of:

controlling the information processing using the internet information;

synthesizing a voice signal from the internet information using voice synthesis; and

storing the internet information in memory for later use.

8. An apparatus providing voice-interactive access to the internet via a wireless communications network, a gateway, and a base station using a hands-free kit, comprising:

hands-free kit means for receiving voice commands from a subscriber and for displaying and storing information received from the internet;

voice output means for outputting the internet information as a voice signal; and

mobile transceiver means for converting the commands received from the hands-free kit means to a format compatible with the wireless communication network and the gateway and for transmitting the commands to the base station as radio frequency (RF) signals.

9. The apparatus of

claim 8

, wherein the hands-free kit means comprises:

command control means for converting the commands received from the subscriber into a format compatible with the internet; and

information processing means for displaying the internet information in a text format.

10. The apparatus of

claim 9

, wherein the command control means comprises:

voice interface means for converting voice communications and the voice commands into a digital format;

voice recognition means for converting the voice commands from the voice interface means into a text format by voice recognition; and

command conversion means for converting the digital voice commands from the voice recognition means into commands compatible with the internet.

11. The apparatus of

claim 9

, wherein the information processing means comprises:

information processing control means for controlling the information processing means using the internet information from the mobile transceiver means;

information display means for receiving the internet information from the mobile transceiver means and control messages from the information processing control means and displaying the internet information in a display interface; and

information storage means for storing the internet information from the mobile transceiver means in memory for later use in accordance with control messages from the information processing control means.

12. The apparatus of

claim 11

, wherein the voice output means comprises:

voice synthesis means for receiving internet information from the mobile transceiver means and control messages from the information processing control means and for converting the internet information into a voice format using voice synthesis.

13. The apparatus of

claim 10

, wherein the mobile transceiver means comprises:

protocol conversion means for converting the commands into a format compatible with the protocol used between the wireless communication network and the gateway;

data signal processing means for converting the commands into a frame format and reconstructing internet information received from the base station;

voice processing means for converting the voice communications from the voice interface means into a frame format and converting voice communications received from the base station into a digital format; and

RF signal processing means for converting the commands from the data signal processing means and the voice communications from the voice processing means into RF signals and transmitting the RF signals to the base station, and for converting RF signals received from by the base station into a frame format.

14. A method providing voice-interactive access to the internet via a wireless communication network, a gateway, and a base station using a hands-free kit, comprising the steps of:

entering voice commands from a subscriber;

converting the commands into a format compatible with the wireless communication network and the gateway;

transmitting the commands to the base station as radio frequency (RF) signals;

processing information received from the internet for display and storage; and

outputting the internet information as a voice signal.

15. The method of

claim 14

, wherein the step of entering commands comprises the step of:

converting voice communications and the voice commands into a digital format;

converting the digital voice commands into a text format using voice recognition; and

converting the text commands into commands that are compatible with the internet.

16. The method of

claim 14

, wherein the step of processing internet information comprises the steps of:

controlling the information processing using the internet information; and

storing the internet information in memory for later use.