Interactive text communication system

• US 20070038943A1
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: FitzGerald, Cary, Shaffer, Shmuel
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A communication system quarantines text and then automatically transmits the text across a network at the end of a quarantine time period. This text quarantine period gives a user the chance to edit or delete text for a brief amount of time after the text has been entered. This allows editing or deletion of spelling errors, and inadvertent or indiscriminate text responses before the text is sent to a remote user. Since the text characters are automatically transmitted after the quarantine period, normal human communications and interactions are maintained allowing a receiver to interject or interrupt with text comments in the middle of a received text message. Thus, the communication system maintains the interactive advantages of TTY/TDD systems while also providing the editing flexibility of instant messaging systems. In another aspect of the text system, characters are buffered until they form a complete expression. Upon detection of the completed expression, the buffered characters are sent to the destination endpoint.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a processor configured to quarantine received characters for a quarantine time period to enable possible editing of the quarantined characters before automatically transmitting the characters.

2. The communication system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to quarantine or un-quarantine characters according to cursor or mouse movements or position.

3. The communication system according to claim 2 wherein the processor resets or stays a countdown of the quarantine time period according to a position of the quarantined characters in relationship to the cursor or mouse movements or position.

4. The communication system according to claim 3 wherein the processor resets or stays the countdown of the quarantine time period for characters either at some location or following the cursor.

5. The communication system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to display quarantined characters in a different manner than characters that have been un-quarantined and transmitted.

6. The communication system according to claim 5 wherein the processor prevents modification of displayed un-quarantined characters, but allows the un-quarantined characters to be cut and pasted along with the quarantined characters.

7. The communication system according to claim 1 wherein the processor displays local text generated by a local user interface and remote text received from a remote endpoint according to when the local text and the remote text is received.

8. The communication system according to claim 7 wherein the processor interrupts the display of the local text in response to subsequently received remote text or interrupts the display of the remote text in response to subsequently received local text.

9. The communication system according to claim 8 wherein the processor interrupts the display of the local text or the remote text by displaying the remainder of the local text or remote text on another display line.

10. The communication system according to claim 1 wherein the processor un-quarantines and transmits the quarantined characters that form a complete expression.

11. The communication system according to claim 10 wherein the complete expression is a complete word or sentence.

12. The communication system according to claim 10 wherein the complete expression is a complete unambiguous linguistic expression.

13. A method for text communication, comprising:

receiving text;

buffering the received text for an associated provisional time period;

displaying the buffered text and allowing the buffered text to be deleted or edited during the provisional time period; and

sending any remaining buffered text after expiration of the provisional time period.

14. The method according to claim 13 including identifying characters in the buffered text that are in an edit state and stopping or resetting countdown of the provisional time period for the identified characters.

15. The method according to claim 14 including identifying the characters in the edit state according to a position of the characters relative to a cursor or mouse position.

16. The method according to claim 13 including immediately transmitting the buffered text independently of the associated provisional time period when a subsequently received send character is detected.

17. The method according to claim 13 including displaying the sent text differently than the buffered text still within the associated provisional time period.

18. The method according to claim 13 including displaying text received from a remote text communication device and text received from a local text communication device serially in time to visually represent when the text is received.

19. The method according to claim 18 including displaying the text received from the remote and local text communication device on separate lines according to when the text was received or sent.

20. The method according to claim 13 including displaying text interruptions by displaying remaining characters for text currently being received and displayed from a first device on another display line and displaying interrupting text from a second device between the already displayed text and the remaining characters received from the first device.

21. The method according to claim 13 including immediately sending the buffered text before expiration of the provisional time period when the buffered text forms a complete expression.

22. The method according to claim 21 including identifying the complete expression according to a space or punctuation character.

23. The method according to claim 21 including identifying the complete expression when the buffered text contains an unambiguous linguistic expression.

24. A system for text communication, comprising:

means for receiving text;

means for buffering the received text for an associated provisional time period;

means for displaying the buffered text and allowing the buffered text to be deleted or edited during the provisional time period; and

of means for sending any remaining buffered text after expiration of the provisional time period.

25. A system according to claim 24 including means for identifying characters in the buffered text that are in an edit state and stopping or resetting countdown of the provisional time period for the identified characters.

26. A system according to claim 24 including means for displaying the sent text differently than the buffered text still within the associated provisional time period.

27. A system according to claim 24 including means for displaying text interruptions by displaying remaining characters for text currently being received and displayed from a first device on another display line and displaying interrupting text from a second device between the already displayed text and the remaining characters received from the first device.

28. A communication device, comprising:

a processor configured to buffer characters and then automatically send the buffered characters to a remote communication device when the buffered characters form a completed expression.

29. The communication device according to claim 28 wherein the processor determines the characters form a completed expression by identifying punctuation or a space character.

30. The communication device according to claim 28 wherein the processor determines the characters form a completed expression when the characters form an unambiguous linguistic expression.

31. The communication device according to claim 30 wherein the processor identifies the unambiguous linguistic expression by determining the buffered characters include primary elements of a sentence structure.

32. A computer storage medium containing instructions for text communication, the instructions when executed comprising:

receiving text;

buffering the received text;

transmitting the buffered text when the buffered text forms a completed expression.

33. The computer storage medium according to claim 32 wherein the instructions when executed quarantine the text for a predetermined time period to allow the text to be deleted or edited and then automatically transmits the text after expiration of the predetermined time period.