System for wireless delivery of content and applications

• US 20030078775A1
• Filed: 04/08/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mobilearia (Wireless Matrix Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mobilearia (Wireless Matrix Corporation)
• Inventors: Tian, Yong, Subramanian, Mahesh, Plude, Scott, Jain, Monali, Khachikyan, Hayk, Straw, Phil, Kolkowitz, Dan, Zucker, Daniel, Lunsford, Eric, Lynn, Owen, Yamamoto, Rena
• Application Number:
  US10/117,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078775A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• 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 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

Wireless, hands-free Internet access is facilitated using a mobile unit including a text-to-speech converter and a speech recognition unit. A processing unit operating in conjunction with a cellular telephone and a personal information management unit runs voice-clipping applications whose resources include markup language based information exchanged wirelessly, such that the processing unit interacts with a content server connected to the Internet. Hands-free access to the Internet is thereby gained.

Claims

1. A mobile unit comprising:

an automatic speech recognition unit;

a text-to-speech unit; and

a voice browser, the voice browser interacting with the automatic speech recognition unit and the text-to-speech unit to allow voice-based interactions with a user, the voice-based interactions being at least partially controlled by markup language based pages received from an external network across a cellular connection, at least some of the markup language based pages including text data for the text-to-speech unit to convert to speech, information affecting which utterances are recognized by the automatic speech recognition unit, and flow control information.

2. The unit of claim 1, wherein the information affecting which utterances are recognized by the automatic speech recognition unit are grammars.

3. The unit of claim 1, wherein the information affecting which utterances are recognized by the automatic speech recognition unit are pointers to grammars.

4. The unit of claim 1, further including a computing device implementing at least portions of the automatic voice recognition unit, the text to speech unit and the voice browser in software.

5. The unit of claim 4, wherein the computing device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

6. The unit of claim 1, wherein the mobile unit includes a cellular telephone.

7. The unit of claim 6, wherein the cellular telephone interacts with the computing device through wireless communications.

8. The unit of claim 6, wherein the voice browser is capable of initiating telephone calls.

9. The unit of claim 1, wherein the mobile unit is a cellular telephone adapted to implement at least a portion of one or more of the automatic voice recognition device, the text-to-speech device, and the voice browser.

10. The unit of claim 1, wherein the voice based interactions are associated with different applications, each application using a root page and associated application pages.

11. The unit of claim 10, wherein the markup language based information affects flow control between the different applications and/or within at least some said different applications.

12. The unit of claim 1, wherein the mobile unit includes a cellular transceiver.

13. The unit of claim 1, wherein the markup language based information is compressed.

14. The unit of claim 1, wherein the markup language based information contains tags which are converted to codes.

15. The unit of claim 1, wherein the markup language based information is stored at web servers connected to the external network.

16. The unit of claim 13, further comprising a proxy server adapted to compress the markup language information.

17. The unit of claim 1, wherein the proxy server converts tags in the markup language information to codes.

18. The unit of claim 1, further comprising a personal information manager, the voice browser interacting with the personal information manager to update personal information in the personal information manager as a result of voice browsing operations, or to use personal information in the personal information manager to effect voice browsing operations.

19. The unit of claim 1, further comprising a GPS device.

20. The unit of claim 1, wherein the voice browser operates in accordance with programming code to establish a connection for accessing a telephone-based voice mail system.

21. The unit of claim 1, wherein the voice browser operates in accordance with programming code to establish a connection for accessing an e-mail system.

22. The unit of claim 1, wherein the voice browser is configured to operate in a native mode in which no cellular connection is required.

23. The unit of claim 1, wherein at least some of the markup language based information includes tags and some of the markup language based information includes tag codes which are shorter than the at least some of the markup language tags, the voice browser interpreting the tag codes as if they were the corresponding markup language tags.

24. A mobile unit comprising:

a personal information management unit;

an automatic speech recognition unit;

a text-to-speech unit; and

a voice browser, the voice browser interacting with the automatic speech recognition unit and the text-to-speech unit to allow voice-based interactions with a user, the voice-based interactions being at least partially controlled by markup language based information received from an external network across a wireless connection, the voice browser further interacting with the personal information management unit to update personal information in the personal information management unit as a result of voice browsing operations and/or to use personal information in the personal information management unit to effect the voice browsing operations.

25. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein the personal information management unit includes calender information.

26. The mobile unit of claim 25, wherein the calendar information is accessed by the voice browser.

27. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein the personal information management unit includes address book information.

28. The mobile unit of claim 27, wherein the address book information is accessed by the voice browser.

29. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein the personal information management unit includes telephone number directory information.

30. The mobile unit of claim 29, wherein the telephone number directory information is accessed by the voice browser.

31. The mobile unit of claim 30, the voice browser making telephone calls based on accessed telephone number directory information.

32. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein interactions between the browser and the personal information management unit are subject to verbal authorization by a user.

33. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein at least some of the markup language based information includes text data for the text-to-speech unit to convert to speech, information affecting which utterances are recognized by the automatic speech recognition unit, and flow control information.

34. The mobile unit of claim 24, further including a computing device implementing at least portions of the automatic voice recognition unit, the text to speech unit and the voice browser in software.

35. The mobile unit of claim 34, wherein the computing device implements at least portions of the personal information management unit in software.

36. The mobile unit of claim 34, wherein the computing device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

37. The mobile unit of claim 24, further including a cellular telephone.

38. The mobile unit of claim 34, further including a cellular telephone adapted to interact with the computing device through wireless communications.

39. The mobile unit of claim 37, wherein the wireless communications is based on a Bluetooth standard.

40. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein the voice browser is able to initiate telephone calls.

41. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein the voice-based interactions are associated with different applications, each application using a root page and associated application pages.

42. The mobile unit of claim 40, wherein the markup language based information affects flow control between the different applications and/or within at least some said different applications.

43. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein the markup language based information is compressed.

44. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein the markup language based information contains tags which are converted to codes.

45. The mobile unit of claim 24, wherein the markup language based information is stored at web servers connected to the external network.

46. The mobile unit of claim 44, further comprising a proxy server adapted to compress the markup language information.

47. The mobile unit of claim 45, wherein the proxy server converts tags in the markup language information to codes.

48. The mobile unit of claim 44, further comprising a GPS (global positioning system) device interacting with the web servers connected to the external network.

50. The mobile unit of claim 48, wherein the voice-based interactions include different interactions based on global positioning system unit data.

49. a mobile unit comprising:

a global positioning system unit;

an automatic speech recognition unit;

a text-to-speech unit; and

a voice browser, the voice browser interacting with the automatic speech recognition unit and the text-to-speech unit to allow voice-based interactions with a user, the voice-based interactions being at least partially controlled by markup language based information received from an external network across a cellular connection, the voice browser interacting with the a global positioning system to effect voice browsing operations.

51. The mobile unit of claim 49, wherein the global positioning system unit data is used to control the presentation of driving instructions downloaded over a wireless network.

52. The mobile unit of claim 49, wherein the global positioning system unit data effects control flow through at least some markup language based pages.

53. The mobile unit of claim 49, wherein the global positioning system unit data effects presentation of advertisements

55. The mobile unit of claim 53, the voice browser further having a telephone call mode in which a cellular connection is made to a telephone-based voice mail or E-mail system.

56. The mobile unit of claim 53, wherein the native mode uses markup language based information stored at the mobile unit.

57. The mobile unit of claim 53, wherein the native mode interacts with a personal information management unit associated with the mobile unit.

59. The mobile unit of claim 57, wherein the voice browser can initiate and control telephone calls across a cellular network.

60. The mobile unit of claim 57, wherein the voice browser is adapted to instruct a cellular phone to send DTMS signals.

61. The mobile unit of claim 57, wherein the voice browser in the telephone call mode uses at least one stored markup language based page to operate.

62. The mobile unit of claim 57, wherein the voice browser is adapted to operate in a native mode in which no cellular connection is required.

63. The mobile unit of claim 61, wherein the native mode uses markup language based information stored at the mobile unit.

65. The mobile unit of claim 63, further including a proxy server adapted to convert markup language pages with markup language tags to pages with tag codes.

54. A mobile unit comprising:

an automatic speech recognition unit;

a text-to-speech unit; and

a voice browser, the voice browser interacting with the automatic speech recognition unit and the text-to-speech unit to allow voice-based interactions with a user, the voice-based interactions being at least partially controlled by markup language based pages received from an external network across a wireless connection, the voice browser having a native mode in which no cellular connection is required and a web connection mode in which markup language based information is downloaded using a wireless connection.

58. A mobile unit comprising:

an automatic speech recognition unit;

a text-to-speech unit; and

a voice browser, the voice browser interacting with the automatic speech recognition unit and the text-to-speech unit to allow voice-based interactions with a user, the voice-based interactions being at least partially controlled by markup language based information received from an external network across a wireless connection, the voice browser having a telephone phone call mode in which a cellular connection to telephone-based voice mail or E-mail system is facilitated by the voice browser and a web connection mode in which markup language based information is downloaded using a cellular connection.

64. A mobile unit comprising:

an automatic speech recognition unit;

a text-to-speech unit; and

a voice browser, the voice browser interacting with the automatic speech recognition unit and the text-to-speech unit to allow voice-based interactions with a user, the voice-based interactions being at least partially controlled by markup language based pages received from an external network across a wireless connection, the markup language based pages including tags, wherein at least some of the markup language based pages are such that tag codes are used instead of at least some of markup language tags, the tag codes being shorter than the at least some of the markup language tags, the voice browser interpreting the tag codes as if they were the corresponding markup language tag.