Transcoding Voice To/From Text Based on Location of a Communication Device

• US 20110170675A1
• Filed: 03/20/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mikan, Jeffrey, Kefalas, Anastasios, Evans, Kenneth W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,433,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• 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 4/18 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

Abstract

A device, method, and system for routing communications to an output of a communications device, such as a mobile telephone, based on the format of an incoming communication and an output mode of the communications device is disclosed. An incoming speech communication can be delivered to a speaker output or forwarded to a format converter to create a text communication that can be delivered to a display output. An incoming text communication can be delivered to a display output or forwarded to a format converter to create a speech communication for delivery to a speaker output. The output mode of the communication device can be set according to device settings, application settings, or location of the device, or a combination thereof. The invention provides new delivery options for communications which can be inure appropriate for a location or current use of the communication device than those previously available.

Claims

1. A tangible computer-readable storage medium for delivering communications to a communication device having a display output and a speaker output, the storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a communication intended for the communication device; and

routing the communication, in a first format, to a format converter or to a device output based on at least one routing parameter selected from a group of routing parameters consisting of a location of the communication device and an instant messaging presence established for a user of the communication device.

2. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions define the format converter and further cause the processor to convert the communication in the first format into a second format if the routing logic routes the communication to the format converter based on the at least one routing parameter.

3. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the format converter converting the communication in the first format into the second format comprises a speech-to-text converter converting the communication in a speech format into a text format.

4. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the format converter converting the communication in the first format into the second format comprises a text-to-speech converter converting the communication in a text format into a speech format.

5. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein routing the communication, in a first format, to the format converter or to the device output includes routing the communication in a format selected from a group of formats consisting of a text format and a speech format.

6. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein routing the communication, in the first format, to the format converter or to the device output includes routing the communication to the format converter or to the device output, being a speaker output.

7. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein routing the communication, in the first format, to the format converter or to the device output includes routing the communication to the format converter or to the device output, being a display output.

8. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein, the instant messaging presence is based on the location of the communications device.

9. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to receive the location of the communications device from a location-based services server.

10. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine the location of the communications device.

11. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to receive the instant messaging presence of the user from a messaging server.

12. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the format converter includes a text-to-speech conversion function and a speech-to-text conversions function for:

converting the communication to speech format if the communication is routed to the converter and the first format of the communication is text format; and

converting the communication to text format if the communication is routed to the converter and the first format of the communication is speech format.

13. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the storage medium and the processor are components of the communication device.

14. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the storage medium and the processor are components of a telecommunications network element.

15. A computer-implemented method for evaluating communications intended for a communication device having a display output and a speaker output, the method comprising:

a tangible routing logic receiving a communication being in a first format and intended for the communication device; and

the tangible routing logic determining whether to route the communication, in the first format, to a format converter or to a device output based on at least one routing parameter selected from a group of routing parameters consisting of a location of the communication device and an instant messaging presence established for a user of the communication device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the tangible routing logic is a component of the communication device, so that receiving the communication and determining whether to route the communication to the format converter or to the device output are performed at the communication device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the tangible routing logic is a component of a telecommunications network element, so that receiving the communication and determining whether to route the communication to the format converter or to the device output are performed at the network element.

18. A tangible computer-readable storage medium for evaluating communications intended for a communication device having a display output and a speaker output, the storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a communication intended for the communication device; and

determining whether to route the communication, in a first format, to a format converter or to a device output based on at least one routing parameter selected from a group of routing parameters consisting of a location of the communication device and an instant messaging presence established for a user of the communication device.

19. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the storage medium and the processor are components of the communication device.

20. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the storage medium and the processor are component of a telecommunications network element.