Hands-free circuit and method

• US 20060019713A1
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rokusek, Daniel, Kambhampati, Kranti, Sanjeev, Raghunandan
• Granted Patent: US 7,523,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface

Abstract

A hands-free circuit (10) and method produces audio information (90) corresponding to voice tag information (60) stored either in the hands-free circuit (10) or in a wireless device (320). The hands-free circuit includes a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver (20), memory (40) and a speech processor (30). For example, the wireless local area network transceiver (20) may be a Bluetooth transceiver that communicates with the wireless device (320) and receives wireless device information (80). The wireless device information (80) may represent caller identification information, call processing information relating to the status of a call, phone status information or any suitable information. The speech processor (30) produces audio information (90) corresponding to the voice tag information (60). According to one embodiment, the speech processor (30) produces speech synthesized wireless device information (80), in-band ring tone information or any suitable information.

Claims

1. A hands-free circuit comprising:

a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver that receives at least wireless device information;

memory including voice tag information associated with stored wireless device information;

a speech processor, operatively coupled to the wireless local area network transceiver and to the memory, and operative to;

receive the voice tag information associated with the stored wireless device information and in response produce audio information corresponding to the voice tag information when the received wireless device information corresponds with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory; and

speech synthesize the received wireless device information to produce the audio information when the received wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory.

2. The hands-free circuit of claim 1, wherein the memory further includes wireless device profile information of a wireless device to indicate that the wireless device includes remote voice tag information associated with remotely stored wireless device information, wherein the speech processor is operative to:

receive the remote voice tag information as the received wireless device information when the received wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory and when the profile information in the memory indicates that the wireless device includes the remotely stored wireless device information corresponding to the received wireless device information; and

produce audio information in response to the received remotely stored voice tag information.

3. The hands-free circuit of claim 1, wherein the received wireless device information includes in-band ring tone information, and wherein the speech processor is operative to:

produce the in-band ring tone information as the audio information in response to the received in-band ring tone information.

4. The hands-free circuit of claim 1, wherein the received at least wireless device information includes at least one of:

caller identification information, call processing information, ring tone information, link quality information, speech information, three-way calling information, voice mail information, battery level information, navigation information and wireless device status information.

5. A hands-free circuit comprising:

a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver that receives at least wireless device information;

memory including;

voice tag information associated with stored wireless device information; and

wireless device profile information of a wireless device to indicate that the wireless device includes remote voice tag information associated with remotely stored wireless device information;

a speech processor, operatively coupled to the wireless local area network transceiver and to the memory, and operative to;

receive the voice tag information associated with the stored wireless device information, and in response produce audio information corresponding to the voice tag information, when the received wireless device information corresponds with the stored wireless device information;

receive the remote voice tag information as the received wireless device information, and in response produce the audio information corresponding to the remote voice tag information when the received wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information and when the wireless device profile information in the memory indicates that the wireless device includes the remotely stored wireless device information corresponding to the received wireless device information;

speech synthesize the received wireless device information to produce the audio information when the received wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory;

produce in-band ring tone information as the audio information when the received wireless device information corresponds to in-band ring tone information; and

produce local ring tone information when the received wireless device information corresponds to ring tone information.

6. The hands-free circuit of claim 5, wherein the received at least wireless device information includes at least one of:

caller identification information, call processing information, ring tone information, link quality information, speech information, three-way calling information, voice mail information, battery level information, navigation information and wireless device status information.

7. The hands-free circuit of claim 5, including:

a microphone operative to produce a microphone signal;

an analog-to-digital converter, operatively coupled to the microphone and to the speech processor, and operative to receive the microphone signal, and in response to provide microphone data to the speech processor;

a digital-to-analog converter operative to receive the audio information, and in response to produce an audio signal;

an amplifier, operatively coupled to the digital-to-analog converter, and operative to receive the audio signal, and in response to produce an amplified audio signal; and

a speaker, operatively coupled to the amplifier, and operative to acoustically produce the amplified audio signal.

8. A communication apparatus, comprising:

a housing having coupled therewith;

a hands-free circuit within the housing comprising;

a wireless local area network transceiver that receives at least wireless device information;

memory including voice tag information associated with stored wireless device information;

a speech processor, operatively coupled to the wireless local area network transceiver and to the memory, and operative to;

receive the voice tag information associated with the stored wireless device information and in response produce audio information corresponding to the voice tag information when the received wireless device information corresponds with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory; and

speech synthesize the received wireless device information to produce the audio information when the received wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory.

9. The communication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory further includes wireless device profile information of a wireless device to indicate that the wireless device includes remote voice tag information associated with remotely stored wireless device information, wherein the speech processor is operative to:

receive the remote voice tag information as the received wireless device information when the received wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory and when the wireless device profile information in the memory indicates that the wireless device includes the remotely stored wireless device information corresponding to the received wireless device information; and

produce audio information in response to the received remotely stored voice tag information.

10. The communication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the received wireless device information includes in-band ring tone information, and wherein the speech processor is operative to:

produce the in-band ring tone information as the audio information in response to the received in-band ring tone information.

11. The communication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the received at least wireless device information includes at least one of:

caller identification information, call processing information, ring tone information, link quality information, speech information, three-way calling information, voice mail information, battery level information, navigation information and wireless device status information.

12. The communication apparatus of claim 8 including:

a microphone, operatively coupled to the speech processor, and operative to produce a microphone signal;

an analog-to-digital converter, operatively coupled to the microphone and to the speech processor, and operative to receive the microphone signal, and in response to provide microphone data to the speech processor;

a digital-to-analog converter operative to receive the audio information, and in response to produce an audio signal;

an amplifier, operatively coupled to the digital-to-analog converter, and operative to receive the audio signal, and in response to produce an amplified audio signal; and

a speaker, operatively coupled to the amplifier, and operative to acoustically produce the amplified audio signal.

13. The communication apparatus of claim 8, wherein the communication apparatus is included in at least one of a speaker phone and a telephone.

14. An in-vehicle communication system comprising:

a WLAN antenna;

a hands-free circuit comprising;

a wireless local area network transceiver, operatively coupled to the WLAN antenna that receives at least wireless device information;

memory including voice tag information associated with stored wireless device information;

a speech processor, operatively coupled to the wireless local area network transceiver and to the memory, and operative to;

receive the voice tag information associated with the stored wireless device information and in response produce audio information corresponding to the voice tag information when the received wireless device information corresponds with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory; and

speech synthesize the received wireless device information to produce the audio information when the received wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory.

15. The in-vehicle communication system of claim 14, including:

an audio system including;

a tuner stage operative to receive a transmitted audio signal and in response to produce an audio signal;

an amplifier, operatively coupled to the tuner stage, and operative to receive the audio signal, and in response to produce an amplified audio signal; and

at least one speaker, operatively coupled to the amplifier, and operative to receive the amplified audio signal and in response to acoustically produce the amplified audio signal;

wherein the hands-free circuit includes;

a transmitter, operatively coupled to the speech processor, and operative to receive the audio information, and in response to produce the transmitted audio signal.

16. The in-vehicle communication system of claim 15, wherein the hands-free circuit includes:

a microphone, operatively coupled to the speech processor, and operative to produce a microphone signal;

an analog-to-digital converter, operatively coupled to the microphone and to the speech processor, and operative to receive the microphone signal, and in response to provide microphone data to the speech processor;

a digital-to-analog converter operative to receive the audio information, and in response to produce an audio signal;

an amplifier, operatively coupled to the digital-to-analog converter, and operative to receive the audio signal, and in response to produce an amplified audio signal; and

a speaker, operatively coupled to the amplifier, and operative to acoustically produce the amplified audio signal.

17. The in-vehicle communication system of claim 14, wherein the transceiver is at least one of:

a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver, a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver and a personal area network (PAN) transceiver.

18. The in-vehicle communication system of claim 14, wherein the memory further includes wireless device profile information of a wireless device to indicate that the wireless device includes remote voice tag information associated with remotely stored wireless device information, wherein the speech processor is operative to:

receive the remote voice tag information as the received wireless device information when the received wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory and when the profile information in the memory indicates that the wireless device includes the remotely stored wireless device information corresponding to the received wireless device information; and

produce audio information in response to the received remotely stored voice tag information.

19. The in-vehicle communication system of claim 15, wherein the speech processor is operative to receive in-band ring tone information, and in response produce the in-band ring tone information as the audio information.

20. A method for an in-vehicle communication system:

receiving wireless device information;

receiving voice tag information associated with the stored wireless device information when the received wireless device information corresponds with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory, and in response producing speech synthesized information; and

speech synthesizing the received at least wireless device information to produce the speech synthesized information when the received at least wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory.

21. The method of claim 20, further including:

receiving wireless device profile information of a wireless device indicating that the wireless device includes remote voice tag information associated with remotely stored wireless device information;

receiving the remote voice tag information as the received wireless device information when the received at least wireless device information does not correspond with the stored wireless device information contained in the memory and when the profile information in the memory indicates that the wireless device includes stored wireless device information corresponding to the received at least wireless device information; and

producing speech synthesized information in response to the received remote voice tag information.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the received wireless device information includes in-band ring tone information, the method further including:

producing the in-band ring tone information as the audio information in response to the received in-band ring tone information.