Information search system using radio partable terminal

• US 20010023192A1
• Filed: 01/30/2001
• Published: 09/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hagane, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

An information search system includes a radio portable terminal having a speech communication function and packet communication function and a center for selectively performing speech communication and packet communication with the radio portable terminal. The center includes a speech control section, speech recognition section, information search section, speech conversion section, and packet control section. The speech control section performs speech communication with the radio portable terminal packet communication. The speech recognition section recognizes a speech signal received by the speech control section and sent from the radio portable terminal. The information search section searches for information on the basis of the speech information recognized by the speech recognition section. The speech conversion section converts the speech information of the information searched out by the information search section into a speech signal and outputs it to the speech control section. The speech signal from the speech conversion section is transmitted to the radio portable terminal by the speech control section. The packet control section transmits image/character information of the information searched by the information search section to the radio portable terminal by packet communication.

Claims

1. An information search system comprising:

a radio portable terminal having a speech communication function and packet communication function; and

a center for selectively performing speech communication and packet communication with said radio portable terminal,

said center including

speech control means for performing speech communication with said radio portable terminal during execution of packet communication by said radio portable terminal,

speech recognition means for recognizing a speech signal received by said speech control means and sent from said radio portable terminal,

information search means for searching for information on the basis of the speech information recognized by said speech recognition means,

speech conversion means for converting the speech information of the information searched out by said information search means into a speech signal and outputting the signal to said speech control means, the speech signal from said speech conversion means being transmitted to said radio portable terminal by said speech control means, and

packet control means for transmitting image/character information of the information searched by said information search means to said radio portable terminal by packet communication.

2. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said information search means searches for information through the Internet.

3. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein

said system further comprises a table indicating a relationship between a self-station IP address of said radio portable terminal and a self-station speech communication address, and

said speech control means looks up said table when speech communication is started, and notifies said packet control means of a self-station IP address corresponding to the self-station speech communication address of said radio portable terminal which is notified by the calling number identification notifying function.

4. A system according to

claim 3

, wherein the self-station speech communication address is transmitted from said radio portable terminal to said center by packet communication, and the relationship between the self-station IP address of the packet communication and the self-station speech communication address transmitted from said radio portable terminal is registered in said table.

5. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein

a speech communication address of said center is designated by said center with respect to said radio portable terminal during execution of packet communication by said radio portable terminal, and

an IP address of said radio portable terminal which has performed speech communication with said center is acquired by specifying said radio portable terminal from the terminated speech communication address.

6. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said center further comprises communication control means for switching speech communication by said speech control means and packet communication by said packet communication means.

7. A system according to

claim 6

, wherein

said radio portable terminal comprises switch means for alternately switching speech communication and packet communication, and

said communication control means performs switching operation in accordance with an output from said switch means.

8. A system according to

claim 6

, wherein said communication control means automatically performs switching operation under sequence control.

9. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said radio portable terminal comprises

a microphone to which speech transmitted to said center is input,

a speaker for outputting a speech signal transmitted from said center,

a display screen on which image/character information transmitted from said center is displayed, and

a key operation section for performing dial-input operation.

10. A system according to

claim 1

, wherein said radio portable terminal comprises

radio means for performing radio communication with a base station to which said center is connected,

speech communication means for performing speech communication with said center,

packet communication means for performing packet communication with said center, and

communication control means for switching speech communication by said speech communication means and packet communication by said packet communication means.

11. A radio portable terminal of an information search system for searching for information by selectively performing speech communication and packet communication with a center, comprising:

a microphone to which speech transmitted to the center by speech communication is input;

a speaker for outputting a speech signal transmitted from the center by speech communication;

a display screen on which image/character information transmitted from the center by packet communication is displayed; and

a key operation section for performing dial-input operation.

12. A terminal according to

claim 11

, further comprising:

radio means for performing radio communication with a base station to which the center is connected;

speech communication means for inputting/outputting a speech signal between said speaker and said microphone by performing speech communication with said center;

packet communication means for outputting image/character information to said display screen by performing packet communication with the center; and

communication control means for switching speech communication by said speech communication means and packet communication by said packet communication means.

13. A center of an information search system for searching for information by selectively performing speech communication and packet communication with a radio portable terminal, comprising:

speech control means for performing speech communication with the radio portable terminal during execution of packet communication by the radio portable terminal;

speech recognition means for recognizing a speech signal received by said speech control means and sent from the radio portable terminal;

information search means for searching for information on the basis of the speech information recognized by said speech recognition means;

speech conversion means for converting the speech information of the information searched out by said information search means into a speech signal and outputting the signal to said speech control means, the speech signal from said speech conversion means being transmitted to the radio portable terminal by said speech control means; and

packet control means for transmitting image/character information of the information searched by said information search means to the radio portable terminal by packet communication.

14. A center according to

claim 13

, wherein

said system further comprises a table indicating a relationship between a self-station IP address of the radio portable terminal and a self-station speech communication address, and

said speech control means looks up said table when speech communication is started, and notifies said packet control means of a self-station IP address corresponding to the self-station speech communication address of the radio portable terminal which is notified by the calling number identification notifying function.

15. A center according to

claim 14

, wherein the self-station speech communication address is transmitted from the radio portable terminal to said center by packet communication, and the relationship between the self-station IP address of the packet communication and the self-station speech communication address transmitted from the radio portable terminal is registered in said table.

16. A system according to

claim 13

, wherein

a speech communication address of said center is designated by said center with respect to the radio portable terminal during execution of packet communication by the radio portable terminal, and

an IP address of the radio portable terminal which has performed speech communication with said center is acquired by specifying the radio portable terminal from the terminated speech communication address.

17. A center according to

claim 13

, further comprising communication control means for switching speech communication by said speech control means and packet communication by said packet communication means in accordance with switching operation of the radio portable terminal.