Method for outputting user feedback audio messages and telecommunications equipment employing said method

• US 6,137,878 A
• Filed: 03/28/1998
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Howmedica Inc. (Pfizer Inc.), RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Hodgson, Philip, Vonder Haar, Kim Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US09/049,708
• Time in Patent Office: 941 Days
• Field of Search: 379/361, 379/374, 379/93.26-93.28, 379/102.01-12.07, 379/106.01, 379/75, 379/77, 434/335, 434/169, 434/201, 704/275, 704/251, 704/270
• US Class Current: 379/361
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

Speech messages as user feedback audio signals in electrical/electronic apparatus are more informative to users and better at holding their attention. However, in telecommunications equipment involving transmission of data or signals over a link that has finite capacity, speech messages as user feedback audio signals are considered undesirable due to their deleterious effect on transmission link capacity. In such equipment, user feedback audio signals normally comprise generic beeps consisting of single tones or a short series of discreet tones. The invention provides a method of providing plural signals as user feedback audio signals in telecommunications equipment where the total structure of the feedback signals encapsulates the underlying speech rhythms ie prosodic patterns of corresponding speech messages. In a digital system, the bit size of user feedback signals in accordance with the invention are no greater than those for the generic beeps presently employed.

Claims

1. An electrical/electronic apparatus, comprising:

user interaction means to enable a user to interact with the apparatus;

an audio signal outputting means controlled to output an audio signal in association with a user interaction with the apparatus, wherein said outputted audio signal encapsulates a prosodic pattern recognizable to humans, said signal comprising a small number of tones sufficient to convey to the user only said prosodic pattern.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said prosodic pattern of said outputted audio signal is selected as being one which is innately recognisable to humans.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said prosodic pattern of the outputted audio signal signifies a primary message consisting of one of "approval", "prohibition", "comfort" and "attention".

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein an audio signal to be outputted by the audio signal outputting means is selected from a plurality of such signals, each such signal having a prosodic pattern chosen to signify a respective one of the primary messages.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the prosodic pattern of the outputted audio signal comprises mean frequency components extracted at intervals from a corresponding speech signal.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the prosodic pattern of the outputted audio signal comprises tones of at least three frequencies.

7. An apparatus as claimed claim 1, wherein the frequency bandwidth of the outputted audio signal is controlled to be substantially equal to the optimum audio operating range of the audio signal outputting means.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lowest frequency of the outputted audio signal is set to be greater than the lower frequency limit of the optimum audio operating range of the audio signal outputting means.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein, of tones delimiting start, intermediate and end points of the outputted audio signal with respect to time, the tone not having the highest or lowest frequency has a frequency selected as lying in a central third of the frequency bandwidth of the audio signal.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interaction means comprises at least one of a keyboard, a dial pad, a touch sensitive screen, memory keys, voice recognition means and a magnetic strip/chip card reader to enable the user to input data to the apparatus.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein it includes processor means for processing user input data in conformance with application software executable by the processor means, whereby said processor means initiates outputting of the audio signal dependent upon the result of the processing of user input data.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said apparatus includes a medium for storing the audio message.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the audio signal is stored in a memory means in digitised form and an audio synthesiser means is provided for converting said digitised audio signal into an audio form for outputting by the audio outputting means.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein it comprises a first device embodying the user interaction means, the audio signal outputting means and the (first) processor means and a second device embodying an audio signal memory means and having a second processor means, said first and second devices being linked by a communication means, the arrangement being such that, in response to a predetermined user interaction with the first device, the first processor means communicates a command to the second device over the communications link and on receipt of said command the second processor means controls the memory means to retrieve a selected audio signal, said second processor means communicating said selected audio signal back to the first device for outputting on the audio signal outputting means.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second device includes an audio synthesiser means, said selected audio signal being retrieved from the memory means in a digitised format and being converted by the synthesiser means to an audio format for communication to the first device.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first device communicates the command to the second device over the communications link by DTMF tones.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein said first and second devices comprise a selection from a desktop telephone, a mobile telephone handset, a computer and a telephone subscriber service system.

18. An electrical/electronic apparatus, comprising:

user interaction means to enable a user to interact with the apparatus;

audio signal outputting means controlled to output an audio signal in association with a user interaction with the apparatus, wherein said outputted audio signal encapsulates a prosodic pattern innately recognizable to humans, said prosodic pattern comprising mean frequency components extracted at intervals from a corresponding speech signal said signal comprising a small number of tones sufficient to convey to the user only said prosodic patterns.

19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the prosodic pattern of the outputted audio signal signifies a primary message consisting of one of "approval", "prohibition", "comfort" and "attention".

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein an audio signal to be outputted by the apparatus is selected from a plurality of such signals, each such signal having a prosodic pattern chosen to signify a respective one of the primary messages.

21. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the prosodic pattern of the outputted audio signal comprises tones of at least three frequencies.

22. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the frequency bandwidth of the outputted audio signal is chosen to be substantially equal to the optimum audio operating range of the audio signal outputting means.

23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the lowest frequency of the outputted audio signal is set to be greater than the lower frequency limit of the optimum audio operating range of the audio signal outputting means.

24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein, of tones delimiting start, intermediate and end points of the outputted audio signal with respect to time, the tone not having the highest or lowest frequency has a frequency chosen to lie in a central third of the frequency bandwidth of the audio signal.

25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the user interaction means comprises at least one of a keyboard, a dial pad, a touch sensitive screen, memory keys, voice recognition means and a magnetic strip/chip card reader to enable a user to input data to the apparatus.

26. An apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein it includes processor means for processing user input data in conformance with application software executable by the processor means, whereby said processor means initiates outputting of a selected audio signal dependent upon the result of the processing of said user input data.

27. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein said apparatus includes a medium for storing the audio message.

28. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the audio signal is stored in a memory means in digitised form and an audio synthesiser means is provided for converting said digitised audio signal into an audio form for outputting by the audio outputting means.

29. An apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein it comprises a first device embodying the user interaction means, the audio signal outputting means and the (first) processor means and a second device embodying an audio signal memory means and having a second processor means, said first and second devices being linked by a communication means, the arrangement being such that, in response to a predetermined user interaction with the first device, the first processor means communicates a command to the second device over the communications link and on receipt of said command the second processor means controls the memory means to retrieve the selected audio signal, said second processor means communicating said selected audio signal to the first device for outputting on the audio signal outputting means.

30. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the second device includes an audio synthesiser means, said selected audio signal being retrieved from the memory means in a digitised format and being converted by the synthesiser means to an audio format for communication to the first device.

31. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the first device communicates the command to the second device over the communications link by DTMF tones.

32. An apparatus a claimed in claim 29, wherein the first and second devices comprise a selection from a desktop telephone, a mobile telephone handset, a computer and a telephone subscriber server system.

33. An audio signal output device, comprising:

a storage medium for storing an audio signal;

a speaker for outputting said stored audio signal;

control means for enabling said storage medium to transmit said stored audio signal to said speaker on receipt by the control means of a control signal, wherein said stored audio signal encapsulates a prosodic pattern innately recognizable to humans, and said signal comprises a small number of tones sufficient to convey to a user of the device only said prosodic pattern.

34. An audio signal output device as claimed in claim 33, wherein the storage medium comprises a processor accessible memory, said audio signal being stored in said memory in digitised format and said control means comprises a processor for executing application software in conformity with the received control signal data, said processor controlling said memory to retrieve the stored digitised audio signal in response to predetermined control signal data.

35. An audio signal output device as claimed in claim 34, wherein the control signal data input to the processor results from human interaction with devices connected to said audio signal output device.

36. A method for outputting an audio signal in an electrical/electronic apparatus having means by which a user can interact with the apparatus, comprises the steps of:

outputting said audio signal on speaker means; and

controlling said speaker means to output the audio signal in association with a user interaction with the apparatus, wherein said audio signal encapsulates a prosodic pattern recognizable to humans and said signal comprises a small number of tones sufficient to convey to the user only said prosodic pattern.

37. A method as claimed in claim 36, wherein it includes the step of storing said audio signal on an audio signal storage medium;

and said controlling step includes controlling said audio signal storage medium to output the audio signal in association with a user interaction with the apparatus.

38. A method as claimed in claim 36, wherein it includes processing data input to the apparatus by a user in conformance with application software being executed by a processor means of the apparatus, whereby said processor means initiates outputting of the audio signal dependent upon the result of the user input data processing step.

39. A method as claimed in claim 38, wherein said processor means initiates outputting of a selected one of a plurality of audio signals, each of said signals encapsulating a prosodic pattern recognisable to humans.

40. A method as claimed in claim 36, wherein said audio signal is selected as being one which is innately recognisable to humans.

41. A method as claimed in claim 36, wherein it further comprises the steps of:

communicating a command from a first device embodying user interaction means, audio signal output means and first processor means to a device embodying an audio signal memory means and second processor means via a communications means linking the first and second devices, said command being communicated in response to a user interaction with the first device;

receiving said command at the second device and controlling said audio message memory means by said second processor means to retrieve a stored audio signal from the memory means;

communicating said retrieved audio signal to the first device; and

controlling said audio signal outputting means of the first device by the first processor means to output said audio signal.

42. A method as claimed in claim 41, wherein it includes retrieving one of a plurality of audio signals stored in a digitised format in the memory means of the second device.

43. A method as claimed in claim 41, wherein it includes synthesising said retrieved audio signal at the second device to convert it to an audio format prior to communicating said synthesised signal to the first device.

44. A method for outputting an audio signal in an electrical/electronic apparatus having means by which a user can interact with the apparatus, comprising the steps of:

outputting said audio signal on speaker means; and

controlling said speaker means to output the audio signal in association with a user interaction with the apparatus, wherein said audio signal encapsulates a prosodic pattern innately recognizable to humans, said signal comprising a small number of tones sufficient to convey to the user only said prosodic pattern, said method comprising the further steps of;

communicating a command from a first device embodying user interaction means, audio signal output means and first processor means to a second device embodying an audio signal memory means and second processor means via a communication means linking the first and second devices, said command being communicated in response to a user interaction with the first device;

on receipt of said command at the second device, controlling said audio message memory means by said second processor means to retrieve a stored audio signal from the memory means;

communicating said retrieved audio signal to the first device; and

controlling said audio signal outputting means of the first device by the first processor means to output said audio signal.

45. A method as claimed in claim 44, wherein it includes synthesising said retrieved audio signal at the second device to convert it to an audio format prior to communicating said signal to the first device.

46. A method as claimed in claim 44, wherein it includes retrieving one of a plurality of audio signals stored in digitised format in the memory means of the second device.