Translating telephone

• US 6,175,819 B1
• Filed: 09/11/1998
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William Van Alstine
• Original Assignee: William Van Alstine
• Inventors: Van Alstine, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): Opsasnick, Michael N.
• Application Number:
  US09/151,652
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 704/231, 704/235, 704/258, 704/270, 704/276, 704/277
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

Speech into a telephone is converted from an analog to a digital signal using voice recognition and the output shown as text on a visual display. An error may be identified and a supplementary phrase substituted by speech in correction. Closing of a transmit switch sends the digital signal to a computer having linguistic translation software which translates the message into a second language. The resultant linguistically translated digital signal is converted to analog using speech synthesis and sent via a public exchange telephone line to a receiving user who requires only a conventional telephone to receive the translated message and may respond in the second language. The response is converted to a digital signal using voice recognition and translated into the original language by the linguistic translation software. The linguistically translated response is converted into an analog signal with speech synthesis and heard in the original language by the original transmitting user. Each user may have a graphic display device and the ability to correct errors in voice recognition, translation, or speech synthesis by identifying the same upon the graphic display device which may have a pressure sensitive screen for error identification and for closing the transmit switch. A practical system for addressing the difficulties arising from voice recognition, translation and speech synthesis is provided.

Claims

1. A system for providing practical multilingual linguistic translation via a public telephone exchange, said system comprising:

voice recognition means for converting an electrical signal resulting from speech into a telephone into a first digital signal;

visual display means for displaying as visual text a received signal including dynamic memory capable of holding i.e. storing said digital signal;

error identification means for identifying a portion of the visual text displayed on said visual display device;

correction means for substituting a supplementary digital signal resulting from conversion of speech into said telephone by said voice recognition means following identification of an error on said visual display device;

transmission switching means for sending a second digital signal held in memory by said visual display means over a public telephone exchange line;

translation means for linguistic translation by software resident in a computer capable of translating a digital signal resulting from said voice recognition means inclusive of said second digital signal held in said dynamic memory included in said visual display means from a first digital language into a second language and transmitting a resultant third digital signal over a public telephone exchange;

operable connections between;

said telephone and said voice recognition means, said voice recognition means and said visual display means, said visual display means and said transmission switching means, said transmission switching means and said translation means, said translation means and a public telephone exchange;

whereby speech into a telephone operably connected to said voice recognition means operably connected to said visual display means is converted into a first digital signal and displayed as visual text, a portion of said text maybe identified as erroneous and correction effected with said supplementary digital signal, the second digital signal held in dynamic memory included in said visual display means maybe approved with said transmission switching means and translated by said translation means into a third digital signal in a second language transmitted over and receivable from a public telephone exchange.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said speech synthesis means and said voice recognition means are combined in one signal converter.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said voice recognition means includes analog to digital signal conversion.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said voice recognition means does not include analog to digital signal conversion.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said voice synthesis means includes digital to analog signal conversion.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said voice synthesis means does not include digital to analog signal conversion.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said translation software is held in memory upon a PCMCIA card.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said voice recognition software is held in memory upon a PCMCIA card.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said visual display means possesses the capability of visually displaying said third digital signal.

10. The system of claim 1 further including a second visual display means upon which said third digital signal may be visually displayed.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said second visual display means further possesses the capability of displaying said second digital signal as text.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said visual display means includes a pressure sensitive screen which is capable of recognizing a portion of said visual text displayed thereon by position.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said transmission switching means is comprised of a reserved portion of said pressure sensitive screen.

14. The system of claim 1 further including speech synthesis means operably connected to said public telephone exchange for converting said third digital signal into an electrical signal which a telephone connected to said public telephone exchange can reproduce as spoken speech in said second language.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said speech synthesis means possesses an operable connection with said translation means through a public telephone exchange.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein said speech synthesis means possesses a direct operable connection with said translation means.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said speech synthesis means and said translation means are combined in a single device.

18. The system of claim 1 further including a clear screen switch which erases said text upon said display screen.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein said translation means is combined with said visual display means in a single device.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein said operable connection between said transmission switching means and said translation means is through a public telephone exchange.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein said transmission switching means possesses a direct operable connection to said translation means.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said transmission switching means and said translation means are combined in a single device.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein said transmission switching means is comprised of a manually operated switch upon said single device.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein said telephone is combined with said visual display means in a single device.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein said telephone is combined with said translation means in a single device.

26. The system of claim 25 further possessing an on/off switch upon said single device providing for selective functioning of said translation means.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein said voice recognition means possesses a direct operable connection to both said telephone and said graphic display means.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said voice recognition means is combined with said translation means in a single device.

29. The system of claim 1 wherein said voice recognition means possesses a direct operable connection to both said telephone and to said visual display means.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein said voice recognition means is combined with said telephone in a single device.

31. The system of claim 30 further including said translation means combined with said voice recognition means and said telephone in a single device.

32. The system of claim 30 further including said visual display means combined with said voice recognition means and said telephone in a single device.

33. The system of claim 1 wherein said translation means is capable of linguistically translating said second language into said first language.

34. The system of claim 33 further including speech synthesis means operably connected to said public telephone exchange for converting said third digital signal into an electrical signal which a telephone connected to said public telephone exchange can reproduce as spoken speech in said second language.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein said speech synthesis means possesses an operable connection with said translation means through a public telephone exchange.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein said speech synthesis means possesses a direct operable connection with said translation means.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein said speech synthesis means and said translation means are combined in a single device.

38. The system of claim 33 possessing two voice recognition means each directly connected to both a graphic display means and a telephone.

39. The system of claim 38 possessing two graphic display means each directly connected to one said transmission switching means operably connected to said translation means.

40. The system of claim 38 possessing two error identification means each operably connected to one said graphic display means.

41. The system of claim 40 possessing two correction means each operably connected to one of said two error identification means.

42. The system of claim 38 wherein each of both said graphic display means possesses the ability to display said third digital signal as text in addition to said second digital signal.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein at least one said graphic display means is operably connected to an error identification means pertaining to said display of said third digital signal as text.

44. The system of claim 43 wherein said error identification means pertaining to said display of said third digital signal as text is operably connected to correction means pertaining to said display of said third digital signal as text.

45. The system of claim 44 wherein said correction means pertaining to said display of said third digital signal as text is operably connected to transmission switching means for transmission of a corrected third digital signal.