Voice activated dialing apparatus

• US 4,945,557 A
• Filed: 04/05/1989
• Issued: 07/31/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kaneuchi, Kunihiro, Nakatani, Tomofumi, Kawamoto, Toshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US07/333,698
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88, 379/89, 379/67, 379/355, 379/354, 379/357, 379/360, 379/58, 379/59, 379/63, 379/216, 381/42, 381/43
• US Class Current: 379/88.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27485 Appending a prefix to or inserting a pause into a dialling sequence

Abstract

An automatic dialing apparatus for use in a telepone or facsimile machine sends out a dial signal to an external network automatically. A detachable telephone number memory, which stores a telephone number together with an area code, is detachably mounted on a telephone unit which includes a memory storing an area code of the district in which the telephone unit is located. The area code of the telepone number data supplied from the telephone number memory is deleted if that area code agrees with the area code stored in the memory of the telephone unit. An automatic dialing apparatus is preferably constructed to carry out dialing automatically responsive to a voice. In the preferred embodiment of such a voice activated dialing apparatus, a telephone number is input through a keyboard and a corresponding identifier, typically the name of a subscriber, is voiced and its voice signal is stored in association with the telephone number.

Claims

1. A voice activated dialing apparatus, comprising:

first storing means for storing a plurality of telephone numbers;

second storing means for storing a plurality of voice data, each of which corresponds to one of said plurality of telephone numbers;

generating means for generating voices in accordance with at least one of said plurality of voice date stored in said second storing means;

first selecting means for selecting at least one of said plurality of voice data stored in said second storing means to be supplied to said generating means for generating a voice of each of said selected voice data;

second selecting means for selecting one voice data among said selected voice data while said selected voice date is used by said generating means to generate voices one after another; and

outputting means for outputting a dial signal of a telephone number which corresponds to said one voice data selected by said second selecting means.

2. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of voice data are classified into a predetermined number of groups and said first selecting means selects one of said groups.

3. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one voice data selected by said second selecting means is supplied to said generating means to generate a voice, and said outputting means outputs said dial signal in response to confirmation made by an operator of the voice thus generated by said generating means after selection.

4. A voice activated dialing apparatus, comprising:

first storing means for storing a plurality of telephone numbers;

first inputting means for manually inputting a telephone number in said first storing means;

second storing means for storing a plurality of voice data, each of which corresponds to one of said plurality of telephone numbers;

second inputting means for inputting a voice data in said second storing means in response to a voice pronounced by an operator;

generating means for generating a voice in accordance with at least one of said plurality of voice data stored in said second storing means; and

controlling means for controlling a mode of operation of said apparatus, said controlling means terminating any other operation which is being performed by said first and/or second inputting means than a telephone communication operation upon receipt of a call from an outside caller.

5. Apparatus of claim 4, further comprising third storing means for storing a status of said apparatus when the operation is terminated by said controlling means, and wherein said controlling means restores the status upon completion of the telephone communication operation.

6. A voice activated dialing apparatus having at least a registration mode and a communication mode as modes of operation, comprising:

first storing means for storing a plurality of telephone numbers;

first inputting means for manually inputting a telephone number in said first storing means while said apparatus is in said registration mode;

second storing means for storing a plurality of voice data, each of which corresponds to one of said plurality of telephone numbers;

third storing means for storing at least one voice data without relation to said plurality of telephone numbers;

second inputting means for inputting a voice data in at least one of said second storing means and said third storing means in response to a voice pronounced by an operator;

generating means for generating a voice in accordance with at least one of said voice data stored in said second storing means and said third storing means; and

controlling means for controlling a mode of operation of said apparatus such that when a call has been received while said apparatus is in said registration mode, any message sent from a caller is stored in said third storing means, and, after completion of said registration mode, said message stored in said third storing means is generated as a voice message by said generating means.

7. Apparatus of claim 6, wherein said message stored in said third storing means is generated as a voice message by said generating means in response to a start signal input by an operator.

8. Apparatus of claim 7, wherein said first inputting means includes a keyboard provided with a plurality of input keys, and said start signal is created by depressing at least one of said input keys.

9. Apparatus of claim 6, wherein said second inputting means includes a telephone transmitter.

10. Apparatus of claim 9, wherein said telephone transmitter includes a microphone.

11. A voice activated dialing apparatus having at least a registration mode and a communication mode as modes of operation, comprising:

first storing means for storing a plurality of telephone numbers;

first inputting means for manually inputting a telephone number in said first storing means while said apparatus is in said registration mode;

second storing means for storing a plurality of voice data, each of which corresponds to one of said plurality of telephone numbers;

third storing means for storing at least one voice data without relation to said plurality of telephone numbers;

second inputting means for inputting a voice data in at least one of said second storing means and said third storing means in response to a voice pronounced by an operator;

generating means for generating a voice in accordance with at least one of said voice data stored in said second storing means and said third storing means; and

controlling means for controlling a mode of operation of said apparatus such that when a call has been received while said apparatus is not in said registration mode, both of messages sent from a caller and generated by an operator of said apparatus through said generating means are stored in said third storing means, and, after completion of communication, said messages stored in said third storing means are generated as voice messages by said generating means.

12. Apparatus of claim 11, wherein said messages stored in said third storing means are generated as voice messages by said generating means in response to a start signal input by said operator.

13. Apparatus of claim 12, wherein said first inputting means includes a keyboard provided with a plurality of input keys, and said start signal is created by depressing at least one of said input keys.

14. Apparatus of claim 11, wherein said second inputting means includes a telephone transmitter.

15. A voice activated dialing apparatus, comprising:

a handset including a transmitter having a broader bandwidth than that of a commercial telephone bandwidth and a receiver;

voice recognition means for recognizing a voice signal supplied from said transmitter, wherein said voice recognition means includes a high pass filter and a first low pass filter connected to said high pass filter, wherein a combined bandwidth defined by a lower frequency limit of said high pass filter and an upper frequency limit of said first low pass filter is broader than the commercial telephone bandwidth, and further comprising a second low pass filter connected between a junction between said high and first low pass filters and said outputting means, whereby an upper frequency limit of said second low pass filter corresponds to an upper frequency limit of the commercial telephone bandwidth; and

outputting means responsive to said voice recognition means for outputting a telephone number which corresponds to a result of voice recognition supplied from said voice recognition means to an external network.

16. A voice actuated dialing apparatus having a normal mode without operational guidance assistance and an assisted mode with operational guidance, comprising:

a handset including a transmitter for converting a voice in the form of pressure waves into a voice electrical signal and a receiver for converting a voice electrical signal into a voice in the form of pressure waves, said handset being connectable to an external network;

a telephone number memory for storing a plurality of telephone numbers;

inputting means for manually inputting a telephone number in said telephone number memory;

a voice memory operatively coupled to said handset for storing a collection of voice data, each of at least some of which corresponds to one of said plurality of telephone numbers stored in said telephone number memory, whereby said voice data may be supplied to said receiver to produce a corresponding voice in the form of pressure waves;

outputting means for outputting a dial signal of one of said plurality of telephone numbers to said external network in response to a voice input into said transmitter by said operator;

a guidance memory for storing a set of predetermined guidance data, which may be supplied to said receiver to produce verbal guidance information to the operator; and

selecting means for selecting a mode of operation of said apparatus between said normal mode and said assisted mode, whereby said guidance memory is operatively coupled to said receiver when said assisted mode has been selected and operatively decoupled when said normal mode has been selected.

17. Apparatus of claim 16, wherein said guidance information is supplied one step at a time in a procedure including a plurality of steps.