Voice-controlled wireless communications system and method

• US 20070032269A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vocera Communications, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vocera Communications, Inc. (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Shostak, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/725 Cordless telephones user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/387 using subscriber identification cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 : Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 : User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 : Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 : User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 : Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 : from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 : Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 : between terminal devices

Abstract

A wireless communication system has a central computer, one or more wireless access points and one or more personal badges that communicate wirelessly with the one or more wireless access points. The badges provide the user with a communications device that permits the user to initiate telephone calls and conferences, receive telephone calls, receive pages and be located within a particular environment.

Claims

1. A method for locating a user of a wireless communications system wherein the wireless communications system has a central computer connected to one or more access points which communicate wirelessly with a badge associated with a user, the method comprising:

receiving a voice command at a badge to locate a user of the wireless communications system;

determining the access point currently being used for communications by the badge of the user based on the voice command;

generating a location indicator for the user wherein the location indicator is the name and location of the access point being used by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the name of the access point further comprises one of a building name, a floor name and a functional area name.

2. A system for locating a member of a group of a wireless communications system wherein the wireless communications system has a central computer connected to one or more access points which communicate wirelessly with one or more badges associated with one or more members of the group, the system comprising:

means for receiving at a badge a voice command to locate a member of a group;

means for determining, based on the voice command, the current access point(s) being used for communications by the badge(s) of the one or more members of the group specified by a group location request; and

means for generating a location indicator for the member in the group wherein the location indicator is the name and location of the access point currently being used by the member of the particular group.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the voice command to locate a member of a group further comprises a voice command to locate a member of a group having a particular organizational structure role.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the name of the access point further comprises one of a building name, a floor name and a functional area name.

3. A method for locating a member of a group of a wireless communications system wherein the wireless communications system has a central computer connected to one or more access points which communicate wirelessly with one or more badges associated with one or more members of the group, the method comprising:

receiving at a badge a voice command to locate a member of a group of the wireless communications system;

determining, based on the voice command, the current access point(s) being used for communications by the badge(s) of the one or more members of the group specified by a group location request;

generating a location indicator for the members in the group wherein the location indicator is the name and location of the access point currently being used by the members of the group.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the voice command to locate a member of a group further comprises a voice command to locate a member of a group having a particular organizational structure role.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the name of the access point further comprises one of a building name, a floor name and a functional area name.

9. A system for locating a member of a group of a wireless communications system wherein the wireless communications system has a central computer connected to one or more access points which communicate wirelessly with one or more badges associated with one or more members of the group, the system comprising:

means for receiving at the badge a voice command to locate a member of a group wherein the one or more members of the group have a particular organizational structure role;

means for determining, based on the voice command, a current access point being used for communications by a badge of a member of the group that has the particular organizational structure role that is closest to a user that issued the voice command; and

means for generating a location indicator for the closest member in the group wherein the location indicator is the name and location of the access point currently being used by the member of the particular group.

10. A method for locating a member of a group of a wireless communications system wherein the wireless communications system has a central computer connected to one or more access points which communicate wirelessly with one or more badges associated with one or more members of the group, the method comprising:

receiving at a badge a voice command to locate a member of a group of the wireless communications system wherein the one or more members of the group have a particular organizational structure role;

determining, based on the voice command, a current access point being used for communications by a badge of a member of the group that has the particular organizational structure role that is closest to a user that issued the voice command; and

generating a location indicator for the members in the group wherein the location indicator is the name and location of the access point currently being used by the member of the group.