Text enhanced telephony

• US 6,307,921 B1
• Filed: 05/17/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Engelke, Robert M., Colwell, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US09/572,819
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/88.14, 379/93.15, 379/93.17, 379/93.09
• US Class Current: 379/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A system is described for assisting the hard of hearing in the use of the telephone, the system termed here text enhanced telephony or TET. The hard of hearing user uses a TET device or appliance which permits the user to speak and to hear the words spoken by the other party, the TET device also supplying to the user a text character stream of the words spoken by the other party. The TET system uses the system of voice-to-text relays, already in existence to assist the deaf community communicate with hearing persons over the telephone, to translate the spoken voice into a text stream. The TET relay and TET device are capable of separating voice and digital communications frequencies carrying text so that voice and a text communications stream of the words spoken by the voice can be carried over a common telephone line. The devices can also be capable of automated capabilities such that the devices can automatically configure a three-party relay call without the need for the user'"'"'s instructions.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing telephonic communications over a telephonic connection between a user who is hard of hearing or deaf and a relay which includes speech to digital text communications conversion capability comprising the steps of

providing the user with a communication station that can display digital text visually and that can separate digital text communications from spoken voice transmitted over the telephonic connection;

connecting the station through the telephonic connection to the relay; and

at the relay, creating a digital communication text transcription of spoken words and transmitting both the digital communication text transcription and the spoken words simultaneously over the single telephonic connection to the station which displays the text transcription for the user so that the user will receive both the spoken words and the visual display of the text transcription.