Techniques for combining voice with wireless text short message services

• US 20070082686A1
• Filed: 11/25/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Multimodal Media LLC (Quest Patent Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kirusa Inc.
• Inventors: Anderl, Ewald, Uppaladadium, Prasanna, Moorthy, Raja, Mumick, Inderpal
• Granted Patent: US 7,725,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

Combining speech with existing text wireless Short Message Service (SMS) to create a multimodal SMS service. A user of standard SMS text service is provided with a link within each message that allows adding or retrieval of a voice message associated with an SMS text message. A speech server in the wireless network may be used for recognition of voice commands, rendering of text into speech, and recording or playing back voice recordings. The messages may be retrieved or sent using any wireless handset. Additional services that may be used include message lists, prerecorded messages, integration with voicemail systems, image and video messages, cross-functional applications with Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) and Enhanced Message Services (EMS), and extensions of the combination of voice with text SMS to other computing devices such as PDAs and PCs.

Claims

7. A method of communicating in a plurality of communication modes between a first device and a second device, comprising the steps of:

creating an audio message in the first device, and transmitting said audio message to a speech server, wherein said audio message is addressed to the second device;

generating a SMS message with an embedded link that points to said audio message, and transmitting said SMS message to the second device;

receiving said SMS message with the embedded link at the second device, wherein the SMS message indicates that an audio message has been created for the second device; and

responding to the SMS message at the second device by clicking on the embedded link and responding in one or more of the communication modes.

1. A method of communicating in a plurality of communication modes between a first device and a second device, comprising the steps of:

creating a first SMS message in the first device, and addressing and transmitting said first SMS message to the second device;

embedding a link in the first SMS message;

receiving the first SMS message with said embedded link at the second device;

responding to the first SMS message at the second device by clicking on the embedded link, replying with an audio input, and transmitting said audio input to a speech server for access by the first device; and

transmitting a second SMS message with a link embedded from the second device to the first device, wherein by clicking on said link said audio input is retrieved.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of responding to the first SMS message comprises deleting said first SMS message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of forwarding said second SMS message at the first device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including an image in the second SMS message by including in the second SMS message a link, which when activated, causes said image to be retrieved from a device, wherein the device is neither the first device nor the second device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

including video data in the second SMS message by including in the second SMS message a link which when activated, causes said video data to be retrieved from a device, wherein the device is neither the first device nor the second device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

at said speech server, converting underlying text in said second SMS message to speech; and

,

performing at least one of the following;

including said speech in said audio input, whereby said speech is retrieved upon activation of said link as part of said audio input, or, storing said speech at said speech server and including a link to the stored speech in the second SMS message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of responding comprises deleting said SMS messages and its associated audio message.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of responding comprises forwarding said SMS message and its associated audio message.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

including an image in the SMS message by including in the SMS message a link which, when activated by the second user, causes said image to be retrieved from a device, wherein said device is neither the first device nor the second device.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

including video data in the SMS message by including in the SMS message a link which, when activated in the second device, causes said image to be retrieved from a device, wherein said device is neither the first device nor the second device.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

creating said audio message as part of an MMS or EMS message;

storing the part of said MMS or EMS message that includes said audio message on said speech server; and

including in the SMS message a link to the stored part of said MMS or EMS message.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, at said first device, text to be included in the SMS message; and

including said text in SMS message.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing one or more pre-recorded messages which is not changeable by user input;

including in the SMS message a link to at least one of the pre-recorded messages.

13-1. The method of claim 7, wherein said SMS message comprises underlying text, further comprising:

at said speech server, converting said underlying text to speech;

performing at least one of the following;

including said speech in said audio message, whereby said speech is retrieved by the second device upon activation of said link as part of said audio message;

or, storing said speech at said speech server and including a link to the stored speech in the SMS message.

15. A method of multi-modal communication comprising:

generating an SMS message, wherein the underlying content that is to be represented in the form of an SMS message comprises at least one of;

text or audio;

sending the SMS message to a recipient;

opening the SMS message by the recipient on a device that supports the rendering of both said text and said audio to retrieve the content of the SMS message, wherein at least one of the following holds;

the underlying content represented in the form of the SMS message comprises said audio, and wherein the SMS message comprises a link to listen to said audio;

the underlying content represented in the form of the SMS message comprises said text and said audio, and wherein the SMS message comprises said text and a link to listen to said audio; and

the underlying content represented in the form of the SMS message comprises said text and the recipient takes an action to have the text synthesized as audio.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said action comprises requesting that said text be synthesized as audio, and wherein, in response to the request, a speech server obtains said text and sends synthesized speech based on said text to a wireless telephone operated by said recipient via a voice circuit.