Method and apparatus for telephonically accessing and navigating the internet

• US 20070121823A1
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ben Franklin Patent Holding LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hahn, John, Olsen, Lee, Kwan, Richard, Rhie, Kyung
• Granted Patent: US 7,907,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.140
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/50 by generating or selecting currents of predetermined frequencies or combinations of frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/52 Telephonic communication in combination with fax communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00206 : Transmitting or receiving computer data via an image communication device, e.g. a facsimile transceiver H04N1/00236 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00302 : with a telephonic apparatus, e.g. telephone answering machine or videotex terminal H04N1/00307 takes precedence; telephonic communication H04M
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 : with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 : in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 : using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/45 : using multi-frequency signalling H04Q1/46 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for accessing and browsing the internet through the use of a telephone and the associated DTMF signals is disclosed. The preferred embodiment provides a system that converts the information content of a web page from text to speech (voice signals), signals the hyperlink selections of a web page in an audio manner, and allows selection of the hyperlinks through the use of DTMF signals generated from a telephone keypad. Upon receiving a DTMF signal corresponding to a hyperlink, the corresponding web page is fetched and again delivered to the user via one of the available delivery methods such as voice, fax-on-demand, electronic mail, or regular mail.

Claims

1. A method for voice playback of a data file in a computer network, the method comprising:

organizing data in the data file into one or more sentences, a first sentence of the one or more sentences comprising one or more segments;

identifying a first segment of the one or more segments as comprising stable data;

identifying a second segment of the one or more segments as comprising frequently updated data; and

generating voice signals that correspond to the first sentence for delivery to a user, wherein generating the voice signals comprises the steps of;

searching a database for a first voice pattern corresponding to the first segment and retrieving the first voice pattern, if the first voice pattern is in the database;

performing text-to-speech processing on the second segment to create a second voice pattern; and

generating voice signals from the first and second voice patterns.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating voice signals further comprises:

performing text-to-speech processing on the first segment to create the first voice pattern and storing the result in the database, if the first voice pattern is not in the database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of organizing the data comprises organizing the data in a data structure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data structure comprises an HTree.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data file comprises an HTML document.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first and second segments are identified within the HTML document using HTML tags.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first voice pattern is recorded in the database using a teleprompter.

8. A system for voice playback of a data file in a computer network, the system comprising:

a data structure generator, the data structure generator for organizing the data file into one or more sentences, a first sentence of the one or more sentences comprising a first segment comprising stable data and a second segment comprising frequently updated data;

a database for storing voice patterns; and

an interpreter for delivering voice signals to a user, wherein the interpreter consults the database to retrieve a first voice pattern corresponding to the first segment if the first voice pattern is in the database, performs text-to-speech processing on the second segment to create a second voice pattern, and generates the voice signals for delivery to the user from the first and second voice patterns.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the interpreter performs text-to-speech processing on the second segment to create the first voice pattern if the first voice pattern is not in the database.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the data structure generator organizes the data file into an HTree.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the data file comprises an HTML document.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second segments are identified within the HTML document using HTML tags.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a teleprompter, the teleprompter for recording the first voice pattern in the database.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor to perform voice playback of a data file in a computer network, the computer program logic comprising:

generating means for enabling the processor to organize the data file into one or more sentences, a first sentence of the one or more sentences comprising a first segment comprising stable data and a second segment comprising frequently updated data;

storage means for enabling the processor to store voice patterns in a database;

database retrieval means for enabling the processor to retrieve a first voice pattern corresponding to the first segment from the database if the first voice pattern is in the database;

first text-to-speech processing means for enabling the processor to process the first segment to create the first voice pattern if the first voice pattern is not in the database;

second text-to-speech processing means for enabling the processor to process the second segment to create a second voice pattern; and

interpreting means for enabling the processor to deliver voice signals to a user, the voice signals comprising the first and second voice patterns.