METHOD AND APPARATUS PERTAINING TO BLUETOOTH™-CONVEYED VOICE-BASED USER INPUT

• US 20140038568A1
• Filed: 07/31/2012
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: NATHWANI, Sanjay
• Granted Patent: US 9,191,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/00 Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

An apparatus having both a Bluetooth-compatible transceiver and a cellular-telephony transceiver has a control circuit operably coupled to the foregoing configured to facilitate at least one on-board application using voice-based user input. The control circuit, upon determining that a call-setup message as received via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver specifies a particular predetermined number (such as a predetermined number that comprises an invalid number to serve as a telephone number) to call, automatically uses audio content received via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver as the aforementioned voice-based user input for that on-board application. By one approach, the apparatus can provide that predetermined number to a given secondary platform as part of a conveyed contacts list.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a Bluetooth-compatible transceiver;

a cellular-telephony transceiver;

a control circuit operably coupled to both the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver and the cellular-telephony transceiver and configured, at least in part, to;

facilitate at least one on-board application using voice-based user input;

upon determining that a call-setup message received via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver specifies a particular predetermined number to call, automatically using audio content received via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver as the voice-based user input for the on-board application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one on-board application comprises at least one of:

a calendar application;

a to-do list application;

a navigation application;

an email application;

a local-search application.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the particular predetermined number to call comprises an invalid number to serve as a telephone number.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a memory operably coupled to the control circuit and having stored therein a contacts list.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the contacts list includes the particular predetermined number to call such that the control circuit will automatically provide the particular predetermined number to a Bluetooth-paired device when providing the contacts list to the Bluetooth-paired device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically use audio content received via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver as the voice-based user input for the on-board application by, at least in part, mimicking a telephone call via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver with a Bluetooth-paired device to thereby provide a communication pathway from the Bluetooth-paired device for the audio content.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine whether or not the Bluetooth-paired device supports a Bluetooth call-waiting protocol.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

when the Bluetooth-paired device supports a Bluetooth call-waiting protocol, use the Bluetooth call-waiting protocol upon detecting an incoming call via the cellular-telephony transceiver;

when the Bluetooth-paired device does not support a Bluetooth call-waiting protocol, mimicking conclusion of the mimicked telephone call upon detecting the incoming call via the cellular-telephony transceiver and thereafter signaling via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver the incoming call.

9. A method comprising:

at a control circuit that operably couples to both a Bluetooth-compatible transceiver and a cellular-telephony transceiver;

upon determining that a call-setup message received via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver specifies a particular predetermined number to call, automatically using audio content received via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver as voice-based user input for an on-board application.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the particular predetermined number to call comprises an invalid number to serve as a telephone number.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

providing a contacts list that includes the particular predetermined number to call to a Bluetooth-paired device.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein automatically using audio content received via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver as voice-based user input for the on-board application comprises, at least in part, mimicking a telephone call via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver with a Bluetooth-paired device to thereby provide a communication pathway from the Bluetooth-paired device for the audio content.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining whether or not the Bluetooth-paired device supports a Bluetooth call-waiting protocol.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

when the Bluetooth-paired device supports a Bluetooth call-waiting protocol, using the Bluetooth call-waiting protocol upon detecting an incoming call via the cellular-telephony transceiver;

when the Bluetooth-paired device does not support a Bluetooth call-waiting protocol, mimicking conclusion of the mimicked telephone call upon detecting the incoming call via the cellular-telephony transceiver and thereafter signaling via the Bluetooth-compatible transceiver the incoming call.