Communications system providing text-to-speech message conversion features using audio filter parameters and related methods

• US 20050191994A1
• Filed: 03/01/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: May, Darrell Reginald, Gagne, Alain R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,386 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A communications system may include at least one mobile wireless communications device, and a wireless communications network for sending text messages thereto. More particularly, the at least one mobile wireless communications device may include a wireless transceiver and a controller cooperating therewith for receiving text messages. The controller may be switchable between a normal message mode and an audio message mode. Also, the at least one mobile wireless communications device may further include a user interface device connected to the controller for receiving at least one audio mode filter parameter from a user, and an audio output connected to the controller. The controller, when in the audio message mode, may select received text messages based upon the at least one audio mode filter parameter, and output audio messages including speech generated from the selected text messages via the audio output.

Claims

1. A mobile wireless communications device comprising:

a wireless transceiver and a controller cooperating therewith for receiving text messages from a wireless communications network, said controller being switchable between a normal message mode and an audio message mode;

a user interface device connected to said controller for receiving at least one audio mode filter parameter from a user; and

an audio output connected to said controller;

said controller, when in the audio message mode, selecting received text messages based upon the at least one audio mode filter parameter, and outputting audio messages comprising speech generated from the selected text messages via said audio output.

2. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said audio output comprises a headset output.

3. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 2 wherein said controller switches between the normal message mode and the audio message mode based upon a connection between said headset output and a headset.

4. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 2 wherein said headset output comprises a wireless headset output for establishing a wireless connection with a headset.

5. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 2 wherein said headset output comprises a headset jack for a wired headset.

6. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said controller switches between the normal message mode and the audio message mode based upon an audio message mode command provided by a user via said user interface device.

7. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising a text-to-speech module for cooperating with said controller to convert the selected text messages to the audio messages.

8. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein the at least one audio message filter parameter comprises a sender identifier.

9. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein the at least one audio message filter parameter comprises at least one keyword.

10. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said user interface device comprises a keypad connected to said controller.

11. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 further comprising a display connected to said controller for displaying the text messages.

12. The mobile wireless communications device of claim 1 wherein said wireless transceiver comprises a cellular transceiver.

13. A communications system comprising

at least one mobile wireless communications device comprising

a wireless transceiver and a controller cooperating therewith for receiving text messages, said controller being switchable between a normal message mode and an audio message mode,

a user interface device connected to said controller for receiving at least one audio mode filter parameter from a user, and

an audio output connected to said controller,

said controller, when in the audio message mode, selecting received text messages based upon the at least one audio mode filter parameter, and outputting audio messages comprising speech generated from the selected text messages via said audio output;

and

a wireless communications network for sending the text messages to said at least one mobile wireless communications device.

14. The communications system of claim 13 wherein said audio output comprises a headset output.

15. The communications system of claim 14 wherein said controller switches between the normal message mode and the audio message mode based upon a connection between said headset output and a headset.

16. The communications system of claim 14 wherein said headset output comprises a wireless headset output for establishing a wireless connection with the headset.

17. The communications system of claim 13 wherein said controller switches between the normal message mode and the audio message mode based upon an audio message mode command provided by a user via said user interface device.

18. The communications system of claim 13 wherein said at least one wireless communications device further comprises a text-to-speech module for cooperating with said controller to convert the selected text messages to the audio messages.

19. The communications system of claim 13 wherein said controller is also for generating conversion requests for the selected text messages and cooperating with the wireless transceiver to forward the conversion requests to said wireless communications network;

wherein said wireless communications network receives the conversion requests and further comprises a text-to-speech module for converting the selected text messages to audio messages based upon the conversion requests, and wherein said wireless communications network sends the audio messages to said at least one wireless communications device.

20. The communications system of claim 13 wherein the at least one audio message filter parameter comprises at least one of a sender identifier and a keyword.

21. A method for using a mobile wireless communications device comprising a user interface device and an audio output, the mobile wireless communications device being switchable between a normal message mode and an audio message mode, the method comprising:

receiving text messages from a wireless communications network, and receiving at least one audio mode filter parameter from a user via the user interface device; and

when in the audio message mode, selecting received text messages based upon the at least one audio mode filter parameter, and outputting audio messages comprising speech generated from the selected text messages via the audio output.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the audio output comprises a headset output.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising switching the mobile wireless communications device between the normal message mode and the audio message mode based upon a connection between the headset output and a headset.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the headset output comprises a wireless headset output for establishing a wireless connection with the headset.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising switching between the normal message mode and the audio message mode based upon an audio message mode command provided by a user via the user interface device.

26. The method of claim 21 further comprising converting the selected text messages to the audio messages at the mobile wireless communications device prior to outputting.

27. A computer-readable medium for use with a mobile wireless communications device comprising a user interface device and an audio output, the mobile wireless communications device being switchable between a normal message mode and an audio message mode, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing the mobile wireless communications device to perform steps comprising:

receiving text messages from a wireless communications network, and receiving at least one audio mode filter parameter from a user via the user interface device; and

when in the audio message mode, selecting received text messages based upon the at least one audio mode filter parameter, and outputting audio messages comprising speech generated from the selected text messages via said audio output.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein the audio output comprises a headset output.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 further comprising computer-executable instructions for causing the mobile wireless communications device to perform a step of switching between the normal message mode and the audio message mode based upon a connection between the headset output and a headset.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the headset output comprises a wireless headset output for establishing a wireless connection with the headset.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 further comprising computer-executable instructions for causing the mobile wireless communications device to perform a step of switching between the normal message mode and the audio message mode based upon an audio message mode command provided by a user via the user interface device.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 further comprising computer-executable instructions for causing the mobile wireless communications device to perform a step of converting the selected text messages to the audio messages prior to outputting.