CONFIDENTIALITY-SMART VOICE DELIVERY OF TEXT-BASED INCOMING MESSAGES

• US 20170346937A1
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Adderly, Darryl M., Jackson, Jonathan W., Jariwala, Ajit, Libow, Eric B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,912,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The methods include, for instance: a voice delivery application, running on a mobile device of a user, receives a text message from a user; by use of sensor inputs of the mobile device, the mobile device stores data regarding environment of the mobile device including external audio equipment, speed of the user, and bystanders within a hearing range of the environment; various data describing a sender of the text message and the bystanders are analyzed for respective relationships with the user and with each other to determine a confidentiality group dictating whether or not the text message may be heard by the bystander; the text message may be scanned for content screening, then according to configuration of the voice delivery application, the text message is securely delivered to the user by voice.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for confidentially delivering a text-based message by voice, comprising:

receiving, by one or more processor of a user mobile device running a voice delivery application, the text-based message to a user using the user mobile device sent from a sender using the sender device via mobile services network;

storing device environment data comprising inputs from at least one sensor of the user mobile device;

determining, based on the device environment data, that the user mobile device is enabled to read the text-based message out for the user, and that at least one bystander is present within a hearing distance from the user;

recording that the sender and the bystander are in a same confidentiality group based on data comprising communication service subscription data of the user, contacts stored in the user mobile device, and social media data for each of the user, the sender, and the bystander, respectively;

scanning content of the text-based message for any confidentiality restriction based on predefined keywords appearing in envelope data of the text based message;

ascertaining that the user wants the text-based message to be read to the user, according to configuration of the voice delivery application or a response to read the text-based message from the user upon being prompted; and

delivering the text-based message by voice such that the user hears the text-based message.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, said determining comprising:

discovering that the user mobile device is coupled to an external speaker; and

discovering that the bystander is present within a range of the external speaker.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, said determining comprising:

discovering that the user mobile device is not coupled to an external speaker;

discovering that the user mobile device is moving slower than a threshold speed set for delivering the text-based message by voice; and

discovering that the bystander is present within a range of embedded speaker of the user mobile device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, said recording comprising:

discovering that the user shares a subscription plan with the sender and the bystander; and

recording that the sender and the bystander are in the same confidentiality group.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, said recording comprising:

discovering that the user does not share a subscription plan with the sender and the bystander;

discovering that the sender and the bystander have respective entries in the contacts of the user mobile device and that the sender and the bystander are in a same group of the contacts; and

recording that the sender and the bystander are in the same confidentiality group.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, said recording comprising:

discovering that the user does not shares a subscription plan with the sender and the bystander;

discovering that the sender and the bystander are not in a same group of the contacts of the user mobile device;

discovering that the sender, the user, and the bystander are related in at least one social media and have interactions more than a minimum set of the same confidentiality group; and

recording that the sender and the bystander are in the same confidentiality group.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, said delivering comprising:

playing an audio stream corresponding to the text-based message on a speaker, wherein the speaker is either embedded in the user mobile device or external and coupled to the user mobile device;

storing a responding speech from the user via a recording device coupled to the user mobile device, wherein the responding speech is enabled by the configuration of the voice delivery application;

converting the responding speech to a response text message; and

sending the response text message to the sender by use of the envelope data of the received text message.

8. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium readable by one or more processor and storing instructions for execution by the one or more processor for performing a method for confidentially delivering a text-based message by voice, comprising;

receiving, by the one or more processor of a user mobile device running a voice delivery application, the text-based message to a user using the user mobile device sent from a sender using the sender device via mobile services network;

storing device environment data comprising inputs from at least one sensor of the user mobile device;

determining, based on the device environment data, that the user mobile device is enabled to read the text-based message out for the user, and that at least one bystander is present within a hearing distance from the user;

recording that the sender and the bystander are in a same confidentiality group based on data comprising communication service subscription data of the user, contacts stored in the user mobile device, and social media data for each of the user, the sender, and the bystander, respectively;

scanning content of the text-based message for any confidentiality restriction based on predefined keywords appearing in envelope data of the text based message;

ascertaining that the user wants the text-based message to be read to the user, according to configuration of the voice delivery application or a response to read the text-based message from the user upon being prompted; and

delivering the text-based message by voice such that the user hears the text-based message.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, said determining comprising:

discovering that the user mobile device is coupled to an external speaker; and

discovering that the bystander is present within a range of the external speaker.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, said determining comprising:

discovering that the user mobile device is not coupled to an external speaker;

discovering that the user mobile device is moving slower than a threshold speed set for delivering the text-based message by voice; and

discovering that the bystander is present within a range of embedded speaker of the user mobile device.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, said recording comprising:

discovering that the user shares a subscription plan with the sender and the bystander; and

recording that the sender and the bystander are in the same confidentiality group.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, said recording comprising:

discovering that the user does not share a subscription plan with the sender and the bystander;

discovering that the sender and the bystander have respective entries in the contacts of the user mobile device and that the sender and the bystander are in a same group of the contacts; and

recording that the sender and the bystander are in the same confidentiality group.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, said recording comprising:

discovering that the user does not shares a subscription plan with the sender and the bystander;

discovering that the sender and the bystander are not in a same group of the contacts of the user mobile device;

discovering that the sender, the user, and the bystander are related in at least one social media and have interactions more than a minimum set of the same confidentiality group; and

recording that the sender and the bystander are in the same confidentiality group.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, said delivering comprising:

playing an audio stream corresponding to the text-based message on a speaker, wherein the speaker is either embedded in the user mobile device or external and coupled to the user mobile device;

storing a responding speech from the user via a recording device coupled to the user mobile device, wherein the responding speech is enabled by the configuration of the voice delivery application;

converting the responding speech to a response text message; and

sending the response text message to the sender by use of the envelope data of the received text message.

15. A system comprising:

a memory;

one or more processor in communication with memory; and

program instructions executable by the one or more processor via the memory to perform a method for confidentially delivering a text-based message by voice, comprising;

receiving, by the one or more processor of a user mobile device running a voice delivery application, the text-based message to a user using the user mobile device sent from a sender using the sender device via mobile services network;

storing device environment data comprising inputs from at least one sensor of the user mobile device;

determining, based on the device environment data, that the user mobile device is enabled to read the text-based message out for the user, and that at least one bystander is present within a hearing distance from the user;

recording that the sender and the bystander are in a same confidentiality group based on data comprising communication service subscription data of the user, contacts stored in the user mobile device, and social media data for each of the user, the sender, and the bystander, respectively;

scanning content of the text-based message for any confidentiality restriction based on predefined keywords appearing in envelope data of the text based message;

ascertaining that the user wants the text-based message to be read to the user, according to configuration of the voice delivery application or a response to read the text-based message from the user upon being prompted; and

delivering the text-based message by voice such that the user hears the text-based message.

16. The system of claim 15, said determining comprising:

discovering that the user mobile device is coupled to an external speaker; and

discovering that the bystander is present within a range of the external speaker.

17. The system of claim 15, said determining comprising:

discovering that the user mobile device is not coupled to an external speaker;

discovering that the user mobile device is moving slower than a threshold speed set for delivering the text-based message by voice; and

discovering that the bystander is present within a range of embedded speaker of the user mobile device.

18. The system of claim 15, said recording comprising:

discovering that the user shares a subscription plan with the sender and the bystander; and

recording that the sender and the bystander are in the same confidentiality group.

19. The system of claim 15, said recording comprising:

discovering that the user does not share a subscription plan with the sender and the bystander;

discovering that the sender and the bystander have respective entries in the contacts of the user mobile device and that the sender and the bystander are in a same group of the contacts; and

recording that the sender and the bystander are in the same confidentiality group.

20. The system of claim 15, said recording comprising:

discovering that the user does not shares a subscription plan with the sender and the bystander;

discovering that the sender and the bystander are not in a same group of the contacts of the user mobile device;

discovering that the sender, the user, and the bystander are related in at least one social media and have interactions more than a minimum set of the same confidentiality group; and

recording that the sender and the bystander are in the same confidentiality group.