Voice controlled pager and programming techniques therefor

• US 5,117,460 A
• Filed: 01/25/1991
• Issued: 05/26/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Paul F., Rohani, Kamyar, Berry, Thomas G., Brown, Winfield J. Jr., Macnak, Philip P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kemeny, Emanuel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doerrler, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US07/646,484
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 381/41-46, 381/110, 364/513.5, 379/56-60, 367/198
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1066 with other provisions not elsewhere provided for, e.g. turn-off protection
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence

Abstract

An individual desiring to operate a pager via voice commands sends a message to a repository of voice recognition codebooks requesting access to a particular codebook. The repository device(s) respond by transmitting the codebook of that individual to at least one pager, which stores the codebook therein. In a second embodiment, each individual operating a pager by voice commands is provided with a codebook module, which contains suitable memory storage having at least that operator'"'"'s codebook stored therein. By inserting the codebook module (or card) into the pager, that pager becomes at least partially controllable by the voice commands of that operator. The codebook module may be easily removed to permit the communication device to be rapidly reprogrammed by inserting the codebook of another operator.

Claims

1. A pager being at least partially controlled and operated via voice commands, comprising:

radio receiving means for receiving voice recognition data for an individual from a repository station having voice recognition information for a plurality of individuals, the voice recognition data representing voice commands required to initiate one or more functions within the pager;

storage means for storing the voice recognition data;

audio receiving means for receiving voice signals to provide received voice signals;

processing means, coupled to said storage means, for processing said received voice signals and at least a portion of the stored voice recognition data to recognize voice commands;

means responsive to said voice commands for initiating functions within the pager as specified by said voice commands.

2. The pager of claim 1, wherein said processing means further comprises:

means for processing manually entered commands in cooperation with said voice commands processed in accordance with said data representing voice recognition information to at least partially control operation of said paging receiver in response to said manually entered commands and said voice commands.

3. The pager of claim 1, wherein said processing means further comprises:

means for detecting the absense of voice commands and means for processing, in the absence of voice commands, manually entered commands so as to at least partially control said paging receiver in response to said manually entered commands.

4. The pager of claim 1, which includes transmitter means for transmitting a request to receive from the repository station the voice recognition data for an individual.

5. The pager of claim 4, wherein the transmitter means comprises an acknowledgement means for transmitting an un-solicited acknowledge signal to initiate the transmission of the voice recognition information from the repository station to the pager.

6. The pager of claim 1, which operates in a system having at least one terminal coupled to the repository station for initiating transfer of voice recognition data from the repository station to at least one pager.

7. The pager of claim 1, which operates in a system including means for receiving requests from a telephone network for particular voice recognition information to be transmitted from the repository station to one or more pagers.

8. In a paging system having at least one paging receiver being at least partially controlled by voice commands, and at least one repository station having a data base comprising at least voice recognition information for several individuals, a method for programming at least one paging receiver to recognize said voice commands of a particular individual, comprising the paging receiver steps if:

(a) receiving a radio frequency communication including data representing voice recognition information for the particular individual from said repository station; and

(b) processing audio frequency voice commands and at least a portion of said received data representing voice recognition information to at least partially control operation of said paging receiver in response to said voice commands.

9. The method of claim 8, which includes the paging receiver steps of:

(i) processing, when manually entered commands are not detected, voice commands and at least a portion of said data representing voice recognition information to at least partially control operation of said paging receiver in response to said voice commands;

(ii) processing, when said manually entered commands are detected, said manually entered commands in cooperation with said voice commands processed processed with said data representing voice recognition information to at least partially control operation of said paging receiver in response to said manually entered commands and said voice commands.

10. The method of claim 8, which includes the paging receiver step of:

storing said received data representing voice recognition information in a storage means being coupled to a processing means for processing said voice commands and at least a portion of said data representing voice recognition information to at least partially control operation of said paging receiver in response to said voice commands.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) further includes the step of printing a paging message in response to a print voice command.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) further includes the step of displaying a data message received by the paging receiver in response to a display voice command.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) further includes the step of recalling a data message stored in a second memory means of the paging receiver in response to a recall voice command.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) further includes the step of deleting a data message stored in a second memory means of the paging receiver in response to a delete voice command.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) further includes the step of activating the paging receiver in response to a turn on voice command.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) further includes the step of deactivating the paging receiver in response to an off voice command.

17. The method of claim 8, further including the step of detecting more than one voice command and processing the voice commands for effecting more than one operation in the paging receiver.

18. In a paging system having at least one paging receiver being at least partially controlled by voice commands, and at least one repository station having a data base comprising at least voice recognition information for at least one paging receiver, a method for programming at least one paging receiver to recognize said voice commands, comprising the steps of:

at the repository station;

(a) receiving a request for voice recognition information for one of several individuals for which voice recognition information is stored at the repository station;

(b) extracting that portion of a data base of voice recognition information designated for a particular individual;

(c) transmitting the voice recognition information for the particular individual to at least one paging receiver;

at the paging receiver;

(a) receiving data representing voice recognition information for the particular individual from said repository station;

(b) storing at least a portion of said data representing voice recognition information to provide stored voice recognition information;

(c) comparing voice signals and at least a portion of the stored voice recognition information to recognize voice commands;

(d) processing the voice commands to at least partially control operation of said paging receiver in response to said voice commands.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said paging receiver processing step comprises:

(i) processing, when manually entered commands are not detected, the voice commands to at least partially control operation of said paging receiver in response to said voice commands;

(ii) processing, when said manually entered commands are detected, said manually entered commands in cooperation with said voice commands processed to at least partially control operation of said paging receiver in response to said manually entered commands and said voice commands.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the repository station receiving step comprises receiving an acknowledge signal representing a request for voice recognition information for one of several individuals for which voice recognition information is stored at the repository station.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the repository station receiving step comprises receiving a signal from a telephone network representing a request for voice recognition information for one of several individuals for which voice recognition information is stored at the repository station.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the repository station receiving step comprises receiving a signal from a terminal representing a request for voice recognition information for one of several individuals for which voice recognition information is stored at the repository station.

23. A paging communication system comprising:

at least one repository station, comprising;

(a) a data base of voice recognition data for several individuals;

(b) radio transmitting means for transmitting the voice recognition data for particular individuals to at least one pager;

(a) audio receiver means for receiving audible voice signals generated externally from said pager;

(b) radio receiver means for receiving the voice recognition data from the repository station;

(c) memory means for storing the voice recognition data received from the repository station;

(d) means for processing received voice signals and at least a portion of the voice recognition data stored in the memory means to recognize voice commands; and

(e) means for processing the voice command to at least partially control operation of the pager.

24. The pager of claim 23, wherein said memory means stores voice recognition data for a single individual.

25. The pager of claim 23, wherein said memory means stores voice recognition data for a group of individuals.

26. The pager of claim 23, wherein said receiving means comprises a microphone.

27. A paging communication system comprising:

at least one repository station, comprising;

(a) a data base of voice recognition data for a plurality of individuals;

(b) telephone interface means for receiving telephone type communications identifying at least one of a plurality of individuals for which voice recognition data resides in the data base;

(c) radio transmitting means for transmitting the voice recognition data for the identified individuals to at least one pager;

at least one pager, comprising;

(a) audio receiver means for receiving audible voice signals generated externally from said pager;

(b) radio receiver means for receiving the voice recognition data from the repository station;

(c) memory means for storing the voice recognition data received from the repository station;

(d) means for processing received voice signals and at least a portion of the voice recognition data stored in the memory means to recognize voice commands; and

(e) means for processing the voice command to at least partially control operation of the pager.

28. A paging communication method comprising the steps of:

at least one repository station;

(a) receiving telephone type communications identifying at least one of a plurality of individuals for which voice recognition data resides in a data base containing at least voice recognition data for a plurality of individuals;

(b) transmitting the voice recognition data for the identified individuals to at least one pager;

at least one pager;

(a) receiving the voice recognition data from the repository station;

(b) storing the voice recognition data received from the repository station;

(c) receiving audible voice signals generated external from said pager;

(d) processing the received voice signals and at least a portion of the voice recognition data stored in the memory means to recognize voice commands; and

(e) processing the voice commands to at least partially control operation of the pager.