SYSTEM FOR TEXT ASSISTED TELEPHONY

• US 20170187875A1
• Filed: 01/29/2016
• Published: 06/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Colwell, Kevin R, Engelke, Robert M
• Granted Patent: US 9,961,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2155 Acoustic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2475 for a hearing impaired user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/08 specially adapted for optional reception of entertainment or informative matter
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A method of and system for facilitating a captioned conversation between a hard of hearing user using a hard of hearing user'"'"'s captioned device and a hearing user, the method including the steps of establishing communication between the captioned device and a hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device that is independent of the captioned device, and establishing communication between the captioned device and a relay for communicating a text communication from the relay to the captioned device, the text communication including a text transcript corresponding to a hearing user'"'"'s voice signal transmitted to the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device from a hearing user'"'"'s phone device.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating a captioned conversation between a hard of hearing user using a hard of hearing user'"'"'s captioned device and a hearing user, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing communication between the captioned device and a hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device that is independent of the captioned device; and

establishing communication between the captioned device and a relay for communicating a text communication from the relay to the captioned device, the text communication comprising a text transcript corresponding to a hearing user'"'"'s voice signal transmitted to the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device from a hearing user'"'"'s phone device; and

routing the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal from the hearing user'"'"'s phone device to the relay through the captioned device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing communication between the captioned device and the relay includes receiving, at the captioned device, the text communication from the relay.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the text communication from the relay includes receiving the text communication at the captioned device directly from the relay without passing through the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device is a cellular phone device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the text transcript as a text caption on a display of the captioned device.

5. (canceled)

7. A communication system, comprising:

a relay configured to;

receive a hearing user'"'"'s voice signal from a captioned device while the captioned device is in communication with a hard of hearing user'"'"'s cellular phone device that is independent of the captioned device, the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal originating at a hearing user'"'"'s phone device in a call with the hard of hearing user'"'"'s cellular phone device; and

transmit a text communication comprising a text transcription corresponding to the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal to the captioned device for display to a hard of hearing user.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the relay is further configured to transmit the text communication directly to the captioned device without passing through the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device.

9. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the relay is further configured to transmit the text communication to the captioned device via a wireless communication link.

10. A communication system, comprising:

a hard of hearing user'"'"'s wireless phone device configured to;

establish communication with a captioned device that is independent of the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device;

receive a hearing user'"'"'s voice signal originating at a hearing user'"'"'s phone device;

provide the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal to a relay configured to generate a text communication comprising a text transcription corresponding to the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal;

receive a hard of hearing user'"'"'s voice signal;

transmit the hard of hearing user'"'"'s voice signal to the hearing user'"'"'s phone device; and

transmit the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal to the captioned device;

wherein the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device is usable independent of the captioned device to facilitate a voice conversation with a hearing user using the hearing user'"'"'s device.

11. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device is further configured to provide the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal to the relay by providing the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal to the captioned device which transmits the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal to the relay.

12. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device is a cellular phone device.

14. The communication system of claim 10 wherein communication is established by coupling the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device to the captioned device.

15. The communication system of claim 14 wherein the coupling includes physically coupling the hard of hearing user'"'"'s cellular device to the captioned device.

16. The communication system of claim 15 wherein the coupling includes forming an electrical connection between the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device and the captioned device.

17. The communication system of claim 14 wherein the coupling includes establishing an acoustic coupling between the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device and the captioned device.

18. The communication system of claim 10 wherein an action is required from the hard of hearing user to establish communication between the phone device and the captioned device.

19. The communication system of claim 10 wherein the captioned device is configured to receive the text communication from the relay directly and without passing through the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device.

20. The communication system of claim 10 wherein the captioned device is further configured to establish a first communication link directly with the relay for routing the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal to the relay.

21. The communication system of claim 10 wherein the step of receiving a hearing user'"'"'s voice signal originating at a hearing user'"'"'s phone device includes receiving the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal via a first communication link, the captioned device receiving the text communication from the relay on a second communication link that is independent of the first communication link.

22. The communication system of claim 21 wherein the second communication link is a wireless communication link.

13. (canceled)

23. A communication system comprising:

a hard of hearing user'"'"'s captioned device, the captioned device including a display screen and a processor, the captioned device configured to;

establish communication with a hard of hearing user'"'"'s wireless phone device that is independent of the hard of hearing user'"'"'s captioned device;

receive a hearing user'"'"'s voice signal originating at a hearing user'"'"'s phone device used by a hearing user from the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device;

establish a first communication link with a relay;

route the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal via the first communication link to the relay for transcription;

receive a text communication originating at the relay and directly from the relay without passing through the hard of hearing user'"'"'s wireless phone device, the text communication corresponding to a transcription of the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal; and

display a text caption corresponding the text communication on the display of the hard of hearing user'"'"'s captioned device.

24. The communication system of claim 23 wherein the text communication is received via the first communication link from the relay.

25. The communication system of claim 23 wherein the captioned device establishes communication with the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device via an acoustic coupling.

26. The communication system of claim 23 wherein the captioned device establishes communication with the hard of hearing user'"'"'s phone device via an electrical connection.

27. The communication system of claim 23 wherein the hard of hearing user'"'"'s wireless phone device can be used independently of the captioned device to facilitate voice communications with any of a plurality of hearing user'"'"'s devices.

28. The communication system of claim 23 wherein the captioned device is configured to receive the text communication originating at the relay while the wireless phone device is being used to facilitate a voice communication with a hearing user using the hearing user'"'"'s phone device.

29. The communication system of claim 23 wherein the first communication link does not pass through the hard of hearing user'"'"'s wireless phone device.

30. The communication system of claim 27 wherein the hard or hearing user'"'"'s wireless phone device is a cellular phone device and wherein the cellular phone device receives the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal directly from the hearing user'"'"'s device and communicates data directly to the captioned device.