Universal dictation input apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A wireless dictation device (WDD) for conducting dictation sessions with a centralized dictation system (CDS) through a base station including a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and a RF receiver, over a single, exclusive RF radio channel pair associated with a base station, the WDD comprising in combinationa programmed processor, a RF transmitter and a RF receiver, coupled to the processor, for transmitting information to and receiving information from a CDS through a base station, a dialing address keypad coupled to the processor for generating CDS address dialing code for transmission to a base station to couple a CDS at the transmitted dialing address to the WDD through a base station and for generating CDS commands for controlling a dictation session conducted with a CDS, a microphone coupled to the transmitter for capturing dictated speech as electrical signals for transmission to a CDS through a base station, a speaker coupled to the receiver for creating speech from electrical signals representative of speech transmitted to the WDD from a CDS through a base station, a RF scanner coupled to the programmed processor, the transmitter and the receiver for establishing communication with an available base station over the exclusive channel of a base station and non-volatile memory coupled to the processor for storing codes representing authorized channel pairs of authorized base stations with which the WDD is authorized to communicate and a character code for each key among the keys of the dialing keypad, said processor transmitting the character codes associated with keypad keys to a base station in keypad data packets including a character code representing each key among the keypad.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The universal dictation input apparatus and method disclosed employs multiple wireless dictation devices (“WDD”) and base stations each of which include a 900 MHz radio for communicating with one another over selected radio frequency (“RF”) channel pairs to conduct dictation sessions on centralized dictation systems (“CDSs”). Each base station is uniquely assigned a single channel pair. The WDDs are programmed with code representing the exclusive channels of a select number of base stations. When a user takes a WDD off-hook, a WDD sequentially and cyclically scans for carrier transmitted by authorized base stations until an idle base station is identified and linked to over the authorized channel. The user of a WDD must be authorized to conduct dictation sessions on one or more CDSs. To this end the WDDs includes a dialing address keypad to address authorized CDSs. The CDSs are third party systems addressed from a WDD by DTMF dialing digits. Dictation sessions are conducted by sending dictation commands, for example “record” and “play” in the form of DTMF digits to the CDSs. The WDDs send data as ASCII codes in packets to a base station. The transmitted data includes dialing digits and system commands for the base station. The WDDs generate data from the dialing keypad, programmable keys customized to send frequently used dictation commands to a CDS and to provide other specialized features and a barcode reader. Specific setup data is downloaded to a base station to enable it to execute commands and dialing, digits unique to CDS of different vendors and to prepare for receipt of verbal dictation commands. A base station includes a voice recognition algorithm to translate verbal commands spoken at a WDD, such as “record” and “play,” into codes forwarded to a CDS as DTMF digits.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A wireless dictation device (WDD) for conducting dictation sessions with a centralized dictation system (CDS) through a base station including a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and a RF receiver, over a single, exclusive RF radio channel pair associated with a base station, the WDD comprising in combination
a programmed processor, a RF transmitter and a RF receiver, coupled to the processor, for transmitting information to and receiving information from a CDS through a base station, a dialing address keypad coupled to the processor for generating CDS address dialing code for transmission to a base station to couple a CDS at the transmitted dialing address to the WDD through a base station and for generating CDS commands for controlling a dictation session conducted with a CDS, a microphone coupled to the transmitter for capturing dictated speech as electrical signals for transmission to a CDS through a base station, a speaker coupled to the receiver for creating speech from electrical signals representative of speech transmitted to the WDD from a CDS through a base station, a RF scanner coupled to the programmed processor, the transmitter and the receiver for establishing communication with an available base station over the exclusive channel of a base station and non-volatile memory coupled to the processor for storing codes representing authorized channel pairs of authorized base stations with which the WDD is authorized to communicate and a character code for each key among the keys of the dialing keypad, said processor transmitting the character codes associated with keypad keys to a base station in keypad data packets including a character code representing each key among the keypad.
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2. A wireless dictation device (WDD) for conducting dictation sessions with a centralized dictation system (CDS) through one of a plurality of base stations each including a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and a RF receiver, each of the base stations having a single, exclusive RF radio channel pair assigned to it, the WDD comprising in combination
a programmed processor, a RF transmitter and a RF receiver, coupled to the processor, for transmitting information to and receiving information from the CDS through one of the base stations, a dialing address keypad coupled to the processor for generating CDS address dialing code for transmission to one of the base stations to couple the CDS at the transmitted dialing address to the WDD through one of the base stations and for generating CDS commands for controlling a dictation session conducted with the CDS, a microphone coupled to the transmitter for capturing dictation speech as electrical signals for transmission to the CDS through one of the base stations, a speaker coupled to the receiver for creating speech for electrical signals representative of speech transmitted to the WDD from the CDS through one of the base stations, a RF scanner coupled to the programmed processor, the transmitter and the receiver for establishing communication with one of the base stations over the exclusive channel of the base station and non-volatile memory coupled to the processor for storing codes representing authorized channel pairs of the base stations with which the WDD is authorized to communicate and a character code for each key among the keys of the dialing keypad, said processor transmitting the character codes associated with keypad keys to one of the base stations in keypad data packets including a character code representing each key among the keypad.
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3. A wireless dictation device (WDD) for conducting dictation sessions with a centralized dictation system (CDS) through a base station, including a voice recognition (VR) program running on a digital signal processor (DSP), a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and a RF receiver, over a single, exclusive RF radio channel associated with a base station, the device comprising in combination
a programmed processor, a RF transmitter and a RF receiver, coupled to the processor, for transmitting information to and receiving information from a CDS through a base station, a dialing address keypad coupled to the processor for generating CDS dialing signal information for transmission to a base station for coupling the WDD to a CDS at the transmitted dialing address, a microphone coupled to the transmitter for capturing dictated speech as electrical signals representative of dictated speech information for transmission to a CDS through a base station and an audio speaker coupled to the receiver for creating audio speech from electrical signals representative of speech information transmitted from a CDS through a base station, memory coupled to the processor for storing at least one exclusive RF channel of one base station, a RF scanner coupled to the programmed processor, the transmitter and the receiver for establishing communication with an available base station over the exclusive channel of a base station and a programmable voice recognition (VR) key coupled to the processor for generating a VR signal transmitted to a base station to alert a base station that speech signals generated at the microphone subsequent to actuation of the VR key are to be translated into DTMF digits corresponding to dictation commands recognizable by a CDS.
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4. Universal dictation input apparatus adapted for communicating with a centralized dictation system (CDS) of the type having at least one input port addressable by DTMF digits and responsive to DTMF digits for controlling a dictation session at a CDS, said universal dictation input apparatus comprising in combination
a base station including a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, a RF receiver and an output port adapted for coupling directly or through a switch to a input port of a centralized dictation system (CDS) and a processor programmed to transmit and receive data including DTMF digit code data over a full duplex channel exclusively assigned to the base station, a plurality of wireless dictation devices (WDD) including a RF transmitter and RF receiver and a programmed processor for cyclically tuning said RF receiver of each WDD to the exclusive channel of said base station to determine if said base station is communicating with another WDD over the exclusive channel and, when said base station is not communicating with another WDD, tuning the WDD RF transmitter to the exclusive channel of the base station to transmit dialing digit codes to said base station to couple the base station to a CDS and to transmit dialing digit codes to the base station recognized by a dialed CDS as dictation commands for conducting a dictation session with a CDS while coupled to the base station.
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5. Universal dictation input apparatus adapted for communicating with a centralized dictation system (CDS) of the type having at least one input port addressable by DTMF digits and responsive to DTMF digits for controlling a dictation session at the CDS, said universal dictation input apparatus comprising in combination
a base station including a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, a RF receiver and an output port adapted for coupling directly or through a switch to an input port of the CDS and a processor programmed to transmit and receive data including DTMF digit code data over a single full duplex channel exclusively assigned to the base station, a plurality of wireless dictation devices (WDD) each including a RF transmitter and RF receiver and a programmed processor for cyclically tuning said RF receiver of each WDD to the exclusive channel of said base station to determine if said base station is communicating with another WDD over the exclusive channel and, when said base station is not communicating with another WDD, tuning the WDD RF transmitter to the exclusive channel of the base station to transmit dialing digit codes to said base station to couple the base station to a CDS and to transmit dialing digit codes to the base station recognized by a dialed CDS as dictation commands for conducting a dictation session with a CDS while coupled to the base station.
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7. A base station including a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and a RF receiver for communicating over an assigned, exclusive full duplex RF channel, one at a time, with multiple wireless dictation devices (WDDs), each including a RF transmitter and a RF receiver for coupling a WDD to a centralized dictation system (CDS) through the base station to enable a WDD to initiate and conduct a dictation session with a CDS while coupled to the base station by transmitting DTMF codes to the base station which a CDS recognizes as dictation commands, said base station comprising in combination
a base station programmed processor coupled to the RF transmitter and receiver, memory for storing the codes for tuning said RF transmitter and RF receiver to the assigned channel for transmission and reception and base station data representing information about the base station, said RF transmitter and RF receiver each including transmitter and receiver scanners for tuning, respectively, the transmitter and receiver to the assigned channel transmission and reception frequencies under the control of the programmed processor, said programmed processor tuning said receiver to the assigned channel for enabling a WDD to determine that the base station is available for communication with a WDD, tuning said transmitter to the assigned channel following receipt of a message from a WDD, transmitting to a WDD in response to a received message a return message verifying the establishment of communication therewith and for uploading to said WDD said stored base station data.
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8. A base station including a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and a RF receiver for communicating over a single assigned, exclusive full duplex RF channel, one at a time, with multiple wireless dictation devices (WDDs), each WDD including a RF transmitter and a RF receiver for coupling to a centralized dictation system (CDS) through the base station to enable one of the WDDs to initiate and conduct a dictation session with the CDS while coupled to the base station by transmitting DTMF codes to the base station which the CDS recognizes as dictation commands, said base station comprising in combination
a base station programmed processor coupled to the RF transmitter and receiver, memory for storing the codes for tuning said RF transmitter and RF receiver to the assigned channel for transmission and reception and base station data representing information about the base station, said RF transmitter and RF receiver each including transmitter and receiver scanners for tuning, respectively, the transmitter and receiver to the assigned channel transmission and reception frequencies under the control of the programmed processor, said programmed processor tuning said receiver to the assigned channel for enabling a WDD to determine that the base station is available for communication with a WDD, tuning said transmitter to the assigned channel following receipt of a message from a WDD, transmitting to a WDD in response to a received message a return message verifying the establishment of communication therewith and for uploading to said WDD said stored base station data.
Specification
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- Resources
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Current AssigneeDynamic Voice LLC
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Original AssigneeDynamic Voice LLC
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InventorsNelson, John R., Ross, Robert W., Ford, Richard, Howell, Dennis S., Latson, Donald E., Gaines, Jason D., Parks, Franklin B.
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Primary Examiner(s)Hunter, Daniel S.
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Assistant Examiner(s)Tran, Pablo N.
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Application NumberUS08/902,589Time in Patent Office1,351 DaysField of Search455/411, 455/412, 455/414, 455/413, 455/550, 455/525, 455/563, 455/463, 455/464, 455/465, 455/403, 455/461, 360/60, 360/93, 360/137, 360/72.2, 379/67US Class Current455/412.1CPC Class CodesG10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e....G10L 2015/225 Feedback of the input speechH04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. d...H04M 1/733 with a plurality of base st...H04M 11/10 with dictation recording an...
