Packet network telecommunication system having access nodes with word guessing capability

• US 4,866,759 A
• Filed: 11/30/1987
• Issued: 09/12/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fon-Ex Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bernard N. Riskin
• Inventors: Riskin, Bernard N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brigance, Gerald
• Assistant Examiner(s): HJERPE, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US07/126,630
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 379/89, 379/93, 379/96-98, 379/113, 382/40
• US Class Current: 379/93.27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/906 Touchtone message transmission

Abstract

A telecommunication system has the ability to identify words typed out on a DTMF multi-button pad, convert the words into digital format at a telephone access node and transmit that information on a packet transport network to a remote access node where the words are converted into speech and forwarded to the receiver. The sender begins by typing out the letters of the word on the DTMF buttons. As the word is typed out it is compared at an entrance telephone access node to words stored in a word data bank referred to as a word guessing dictionary. The words in the data bank are stored according to length, numeric equivalent and relative frequency. A prompter asks the sender if the identified word is correct. If it is correct, it is converted into ASCII digital format and transmitted by packet transport network to an egress telephone access node near the receiver. A voice synthesizer then converts the ASCII digital information back into speech so that the receiver can listen to the message typed on the DTMF buttons by the sender.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information from a sender having a telephone with DTMF buttons to a remote receiver comprising the steps of:

spelling a word letter-by-letter by utilizing the DTMF buttons on the sender'"'"'s telephone;

entering a signal on one of said DTMF buttons to indicate the end of the word;

comparing each word against an electronic memory which includes a dictionary of words by determining the number of letters in said word and comparing said word against words stored in said dictionary having the same number of letters, said words also being organized according to their relative frequency for any given combination of DTMF outputs;

feeding back to the sender a guess which corresponds to the word having the highest relative frequency for a predetermined word length and for a predetermined DTMF tone combination;

repeating said comparing step if a guess is rejected and feeding back to the sender another guess at the word corresponding to the same predetermined letter length and having the next most likely relative frequency;

automatically shifting from the word guessing mode to a letter-by-letter guessing mode if the dictionary runs out of the guesses for a word of a given predetermined letter length and a predetermined DTMF tone combination;

storing each word after it is correctly identified so that said words are assembled into a complete message prior to transmission;

transmitting said message as digital data over a packet transport network;

converting said data into speech; and

,

forwarding said speech to said remote receiver,

wherein words in a message are entered by the sender and received as spoken words by the receiver at a remote location.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

converting each word after it is correctly identified into a unique digital number prior to transmission over said packet transport network.

3. An access node apparatus for sending messages from a sender having a telephone with DTMF buttons connected to a conventional telephone network over a packet transport network to a receiver connected to another conventional telephone network, said access node comprising:

a telephone line interface connecting said access node to the telephone network of the sender;

a word guessing dictionary means for storing words first according to their letter length, second according to their DTMF tone number equivalents and third according to their relative frequencies;

a prompter means connected to said telephone line interface and to said word guessing dictionary means for accessing said word guessing dictionary means;

speaker means connected to said prompter means and to said telephone line interface for speaking the word guessed from said word guessing dictionary means to the sender;

mode shift means for automatically shifting the mode of said access node from a word guessing mode to a letter-by-letter guessing mode after the sender has exhausted all possible entries in the word guessing dictionary means for a word of a given letter length and for a given DTMF tone combination sequence; and

,

message storing means connected to said prompter means for storing words and assembling said words into a message prior to transmission as digital data over said packet transport network.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising:

header means connected to said prompter means for generating a routing header for each message,

wherein said message header directs said message to the receiver.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said speaker means further includes:

text-to-speech synthesizing means for converting the digital data transmitted over the packet transport network into audible speech.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:

packet transport network access means for connecting said access node to said packet transport network.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

tone storage means connected to said prompter for storing DTMF tones means.