Mobile communications terminal, voice recognition method for same, and record medium storing program for voice recognition

• US 20020082832A1
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nagashima, Yoshihisa
• Granted Patent: US 7,228,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means

Abstract

A voice input section receives voice of the user designating a name etc. and outputs a voice signal to a voice recognition section. The voice recognition section analyzes and recognizes the voice signal and thereby obtains voice data. The voice data is compared with voice patterns that have been registered in the mobile communications terminal corresponding to individuals etc. and thereby a voice pattern that most matches the voice data is searched for and retrieved. If the retrieval of a matching voice pattern succeeded, a memory search processing section refers to a voice-data correspondence table and thereby calls up a telephone directory that has been registered corresponding to the retrieved voice pattern. In each telephone directory, various types of data (telephone number, mail address, URL, etc.) of an individual etc. to be used for starting communication have been registered previously. The type of data to be called up is designated by button operation etc. When a telephone directory is called up, data of the designated type is called up from the telephone directory and used for starting communication. By the employment of the telephone directories, the voice recognition rate can be maintained high even if the number of registered data increased, thereby operability of the mobile communications terminal can be improved.

Claims

1. A mobile communications terminal comprising:

a voice pattern/telephone directory registration means in which telephone directories, each of which includes various types of data to be used for starting communication with a target of communication, are registered and voice patterns corresponding to the telephone directories are registered;

a voice input means for receiving voice of a user designating a target of communication and thereby outputting a voice signal;

a voice recognition means for analyzing and recognizing the voice signal outputted by the voice input means and thereby obtaining voice data, comparing the obtained voice data with the voice patterns that have been registered in the voice pattern/telephone directory registration means, and thereby searching for and retrieving a voice pattern that matches or nearly matches the obtained voice data; and

a memory search processing means for calling up a telephone directory that has been registered in the voice pattern/telephone directory registration means corresponding to the voice pattern retrieved by the voice recognition means.

2. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the telephone directory at least includes a telephone number, a mail address and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

3. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a data type designation means for letting the user designate the type of data to be called up from the various types of data of the telephone directory.

4. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory search processing means automatically designates the type of data to be called up from the various types of data of the telephone directory based on application activation status of the mobile communications terminal.

5. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display means for displaying data of the telephone directory called up by the memory search processing means.

6. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a communication starting means for automatically starting communication with the target designated by the user by use of data of the telephone directory called up by the memory search processing means.

7. A mobile communications terminal comprising:

a voice pattern/data registration means in which various types of data to be used for starting communication with targets of communication are registered and voice patterns corresponding to each data are registered with regard to each data type independently;

a data type designation means for designating the type of data to be called up;

a voice input means for receiving voice of a user designating a target of communication and thereby outputting a voice signal;

a voice recognition means for analyzing and recognizing the voice signal outputted by the voice input means and thereby obtaining voice data, comparing the obtained voice data with voice patterns that have been registered in the voice pattern/data registration means with regard to the data type designated by the data type designation means, and thereby searching for and retrieving a voice pattern that matches or nearly matches the obtained voice data; and

a memory search processing means for calling up data of the type designated by the data type designation means that has been registered in the voice pattern/data registration means corresponding to the voice pattern retrieved by the voice recognition means.

8. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein the various types of data at least includes a telephone number, a mail address and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

9. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data type designation means lets the user designate the type of data to be called up.

10. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data type designation means automatically designates the type of data to be called up based on application activation status of the mobile communications terminal.

11. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a display means for displaying the data called up by the memory search processing means.

12. A mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a communication starting means for automatically starting communication with the target designated by the user by use of the data called up by the memory search processing means.

14. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 13, wherein the telephone directory at least includes a telephone number, a mail address and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

15. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a data type designation step in which the type of data to be called up from the various types of data of the telephone directory is designated by the user.

16. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 13, wherein in the memory search step, the type of data to be called up from the various types of data of the telephone directory is automatically designated based on application activation status of the mobile communications terminal.

17. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a display step in which data of the telephone directory called up in the memory search step is displayed.

18. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a communication starting step in which communication with the target designated by the user is automatically started by use of data of the telephone directory called up in the memory search step.

20. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 19, wherein the various types of data at least includes a telephone number, a mail address and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

21. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 19, wherein the type of data to be called up is designated by the user in the data type designation step.

22. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 19, wherein the type of data to be called up is automatically designated based on application activation status of the mobile communications terminal in the data type designation step.

23. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a display step in which the data called up in the memory search step is displayed.

24. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a communication starting step in which communication with the target designated by the user is automatically started by use of the data called up in the memory search step.

26. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 25, wherein the telephone directory at least includes a telephone number, a mail address and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

27. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 25, wherein the voice recognition process further comprises a data type designation step in which the type of data to be called up from the various types of data of the telephone directory is designated by the user.

28. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 25, wherein in the memory search step, the type of data to be called up from the various types of data of the telephone directory is automatically designated based on application activation status of the mobile communications terminal.

29. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 25, wherein the voice recognition process further comprises a display step in which data of the telephone directory called up in the memory search step is displayed.

30. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 25, wherein the voice recognition process further comprises a communication starting step in which communication with the target designated by the user is automatically started by use of data of the telephone directory called up in the memory search step.

13. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal, comprising the steps of:

a voice pattern/telephone directory registration step in which telephone directories, each of which includes various types of data to be used for starting communication with a target of communication, are registered and voice patterns corresponding to the telephone directories are registered;

a voice input step in which voice of a user designating a target of communication is received and thereby a voice signal is generated;

a voice recognition step in which the voice signal generated in the voice input step is analyzed and recognized and thereby voice data is obtained, the obtained voice data is compared with the voice patterns that have been registered in the voice pattern/telephone directory registration step, and thereby a voice pattern that matches or nearly matches the obtained voice data is searched for and retrieved; and

a memory search step in which a telephone directory that has been registered in the voice pattern/telephone directory registration step corresponding to the voice pattern retrieved in the voice recognition step is called up.

19. A voice recognition method for a mobile communications terminal, comprising the steps of:

a voice pattern/data registration step in which various types of data to be used for starting communication with targets of communication are registered and voice patterns corresponding to each data are registered with regard to each data type independently;

a data type designation step in which the type of data to be called up is designated;

a voice input step in which voice of a user designating a target of communication is received and thereby a voice signal is generated;

a voice recognition step in which the voice signal generated in the voice input step is analyzed and recognized and thereby voice data is obtained, the obtained voice data is compared with voice patterns that have been registered in the voice pattern/data registration step with regard to the data type designated in the data type designation step, and thereby a voice pattern that matches or nearly matches the obtained voice data is searched for and retrieved; and

a memory search step in which data of the type designated in the data type designation step that has been registered in the voice pattern/ data registration step corresponding to the voice pattern retrieved in the voice recognition step is called up.

25. A machine-readable record medium storing a program for instructing a computer, an MPU (MicroProcessor Unit), etc. of a mobile communications terminal to execute a voice recognition process, wherein the voice recognition process comprises the steps of:

a voice pattern/telephone directory registration step in which telephone directories, each of which includes various types of data to be used for starting communication with a target of communication, are registered and voice patterns corresponding to the telephone directories are registered;

a voice input step in which voice of a user designating a target of communication is received and thereby a voice signal is generated;

a voice recognition step in which the voice signal generated in the voice input step is analyzed and recognized and thereby voice data is obtained, the obtained voice data is compared with the voice patterns that have been registered in the voice pattern/telephone directory registration step, and thereby a voice pattern that matches or nearly matches the obtained voice data is searched for and retrieved; and

a memory search step in which a telephone directory that has been registered in the voice pattern/telephone directory registration step corresponding to the voice pattern retrieved in the voice recognition step is called up.

31. A machine-readable record medium storing a program for instructing a computer, an MPU (MicroProcessor Unit), etc. of a mobile communications terminal to execute a voice recognition process, wherein the voice recognition process comprises the steps of:

a voice pattern/data registration step in which various types of data to be used for starting communication with targets of communication are registered and voice patterns corresponding to each data are registered with regard to each data type independently;

a data type designation step in which the type of data to be called up is designated;

a voice input step in which voice of a user designating a target of communication is received and thereby a voice signal is generated;

a voice recognition step in which the voice signal generated in the voice input step is analyzed and recognized and thereby voice data is obtained, the obtained voice data is compared with voice patterns that have been registered in the voice pattern/data registration step with regard to the data type designated in the data type designation step, and thereby a voice pattern that matches or nearly matches the obtained voice data is searched for and retrieved; and

a memory search step in which data of the type designated in the data type designation step that has been registered in the voice pattern/data registration step corresponding to the voice pattern retrieved in the voice recognition step is called up.

32. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 31, wherein the various types of data at least includes a telephone number, a mail address and a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

33. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 31, wherein the type of data to be called up is designated by the user in the data type designation step.

34. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 31, wherein the type of data to be called up is automatically designated based on application activation status of the mobile communications terminal in the data type designation step.

35. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 31, wherein the voice recognition process further comprises a display step in which the data called up in the memory search step is displayed.

36. A machine-readable record medium as claimed in claim 31, wherein the voice recognition process further comprises a communication starting step in which communication with the target designated by the user is automatically started by use of the data called up in the memory search step.