Relay for personal interpreter

• US 6,233,314 B1
• Filed: 04/08/1999
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Engelke, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/288,420
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/93.09, 379/93.05, 379/93.15, 379/93.17, 379/93.18, 379/93.19, 340/825.19, 704/235, 704/246, 704/260, 704/270, 704/271, 345/1, 345/115, 345/123
• US Class Current: 379/52
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision

Abstract

A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between deaf people and hearing people. To overcome the speed limitations inherent in typing, the call assistant at the relay does not type most words but, instead, re-voices the words spoken by the hearing person into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The conversation-type flow of communications achieved by this type of relay enables the design of a new class of interpreters for the deaf.

Claims

1. A relay to facilitate communication between a deaf person using a telecommunication device for the deaf and a hearing person through a telephone system and using a call assistant, the relay comprising

a speaker connected to receive voice communications from the telephone system and transmit those voice communications to the ear of the call assistant;

a microphone connected to pickup voice spoken by the call assistant;

a digital computer connected to the microphone, the computer programmed to use a voice recognition computer software package trained to the voice of the call assistant to translate the words spoken in voice by the call assistant into a digital text stream; and

a modem connected to the digital computer to transit the digital text stream created by the computer over the telephone system to the telecommunication device for the deaf of the deaf person.

2. A relay to facilitate communication between a digital telecommunication device and a hearing person through a telephone system and using a call assistant, the relay comprising

a speaker connected to receive voice communications from the telephone system and transmit those voice communications to the ear of the call assistant;

a microphone connected to pickup voice spoken by the call assistant;

a digital computer connected to the microphone, the computer programmed to use a voice recognition computer software package trained to the voice of the call assistant to translate the words spoken in voice by the call assistant into a digital text stream; and

a modem connected to the digital computer to transit the digital text stream created by the computer over the telephone system to the telecommunication device.