SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VOICE ACTIVATED DIALING FROM A HOME PHONE

• US 20100150321A1
• Filed: 12/15/2008
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Michael, Harris, Robert, Briscoe, Don L., Ott, Jasen D., Zeigler, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,208,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.20
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• 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 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27

Abstract

A system and method for remotely enabled voice activated dialing. Generation of a special dial tone indicating that a user may give the voice identifier is initiated. A voice identifier is received over a network from a wired telephone utilized by a user. Dialing information associated with the voice identifier is determined. One or more receiving parties associated with the voice identifier are dialed. The wired telephone is connected to the one or more receiving parties.

Claims

1. A method for remotely enabled voice activated dialing, the method comprising:

initiating generation of a special dial tone indicating that a user may give the voice identifier;

receiving a voice identifier over a network from a wired telephone utilized by a user;

determining dialing information associated with the voice identifier;

dialing one or more receiving parties associated with the voice identifier; and

connecting the wired telephone to the one or more receiving parties.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wired telephone is a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephone or a plain old telephone service (POTS) telephone.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input associating the voice identifier with the dialing information for one or more receiving parties.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the user input is received through an interactive voice response system.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

displaying call information to the user, wherein the user input is received through a web portal by associating the voice identifier with the one or more receiving parties listed in the call information.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

associating a voice command of one or more users with the voice identifier.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

retrieving contacts for one or more directories, wherein the one or more directors are a portion of the call information.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

confirming the one or more receiving parties to the user before dialing the one or more receiving parties.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing the dialing based on user preferences.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

authenticating the user is authorized to provide user input and access the dialing information.

11. A system for voice activated dialing, the system comprising:

a communications network in communication with a wired telephone through a connection, the communications network being operable to communicate the voice identifier received from a user of the wired telephone;

a gateway in communication with the communications network, the gateway being operable to communicate the voice identifier to a server for implementing voice dialing; and

the server in communication with the communications network, the server being operable to receive the voice identifier through the gateway, the server being further operable to determine dialing information associated with the voice identifier, dial one or more receiving parties associated with the voice identifier; and

connect the wired telephone to the one or more receiving parties.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the server includes a voice activated dialing server operable to determine the voice identifier based on speech received from the user, and wherein the server includes a network address book server operable to determine the dialing information associated with the voice identifier and the one or more receiving parties.

13. The, system according to claim 11, wherein the server further includes one or more databases for storing a plurality of voice identifiers and dialing information associated with each of the voice identifiers.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the one or more databases include a plurality of contacts associated with the one or more receiving parties, and wherein the plurality of contacts are retrieved from one or more databases utilized by the user.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the server further includes:

an interactive voice response system being operable to associate a voice command from one or more users with the voice identifier, the interactive voice response system further associates the voice identifier with the dialing information for calling the one or more receiving parties; and

a web server operable to provide a web portal to a client utilized by the user, wherein the web portal being operable to associate a voice command from one or more users with the voice identifier, the interactive voice response system further associates the voice identifier with the dialing information for calling the one or more receiving parties.

16. A server for remotely enabling voice activated dialing comprising:

a processor for executing a set of instructions; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory being operable to store the set of instructions, the set of instructions may be executed to;

initiate generation of a special dial tone indicating that a user may give a voice identifier;

receive a voice identifier over a network from a wired telephone utilized by a user;

determine dialing information associated with the voice identifier;

dial one or more receiving parties associated with the voice identifier; and

connect the wired telephone to the one or more receiving parties.

17. The server according to claim 16, the set of instructions being further operable to:

receive user input associating the voice identifier with the dialing information for communicating with one or more receiving parties.

18. The server according to claim 16, the set of instructions further operable to:

display call information to the user, wherein user input is received through a web portal to associate the voice identifier with the one or more receiving parties listed in the call information.

19. The server according to claim 16, wherein the special dial tone is no dial tone at all, and wherein the user speaks the voice identifier immediately in response to taking the wired telephone off-hook.

20. The server according to claim 16, wherein the wired telephone is a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephone or a plain old telephone service (POTS) telephone, and the set of instructions being further operable to provide an IVR system and a web portal being operable to associate a voice command from one or more users with the voice identifier and receive user input associating the voice identifier with the dialing information for calling the one or more receiving parties