Voice activated mobile telephone call answerer

• US 6,349,222 B1
• Filed: 02/01/1999
• Issued: 02/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Hafiz, Sheikh A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US09/241,809
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569, 455/568, 455/563, 455/550, 455/418, 455/419, 455/567, 455/412, 455/345, 455/347, 455/351, 455/344, 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 379/88.04
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form

Abstract

A mobile telephone system and a method for answering a mobile telephone incoming call by a user'"'"'s verbal command, to allow hands-free voice. The mobile telephone system includes a carkit and a mobile telephone. The mobile telephone has a programming key for pre-programming the user'"'"'s voice greeting, a keypad for answering the call in telephone mode, a microphone for entering a user'"'"'s verbal command for answering the call in carkit mode, a digital processor connected to the microphone for performing spectrum analysis and feature extractions of the user'"'"'s verbal command in carkit mode, and a memory connected to the digital processor, having a database for storing the user'"'"'s pre-programmed voice greeting digitized speech pattern. The pre-programmed voice greeting may be a factory-programmed voice greeting or the user'"'"'s pre-programmed voice greeting, if previously initialized after pressing the programming key. The digital processor performs spectrum analysis and feature extractions of the user'"'"'s verbal command for determining if a match exists between the user'"'"'s verbal command and the stored user pre-programmed voice greetings. The digital processor also checks whether the user'"'"'s verbal command reaches a pre-programmed pass/fail voice threshold level, if a match is confirmed.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a mobile telephone user to answer an incoming call by a verbal command to perform hands-free voice activation, comprising the steps of:

if not previously initialized, performing initialization to pre-program a user'"'"'s voice greeting; and

if an incoming call is received, answering the incoming call by a verbal command to accept or reject the incoming call,

wherein the answering the incoming call step further comprises the steps of;

alerting the user to enter a verbal command;

waiting for the user'"'"'s verbal command; and

if the user answered by the verbal command and if not previously initialized, outputting a factory-programmed voice greeting;

or

if the user answered by the verbal command and if previously initialized, determining if a match found of the user'"'"'s verbal command and the stored user pre-programmed voice greetings, and if a match is found, outputting the matched user pre-programmed voice greeting.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the initialization step further comprises the steps of:

prompting the user for, and inputting, the user'"'"'s voice greeting;

prompting the user for, and entering, a mobile telephone memory database location for storing the voice greeting; and

storing the voice greeting represented as a digitized speech pattern in the specified mobile telephone memory database location.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the digitized speech pattern may be in compressed or uncompressed form.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the initialization step further comprises the steps of:

entering a password; and

verifying the password before allowing the user to store the voice greeting.

5. The method of claim 1 including the further step of, sending a page response message to the mobile telephone'"'"'s base station to continue with the incoming call.

6. A method for answering a mobile telephone incoming call by a verbal command, to allow hands-free voice activation of the mobile telephone placed on a carkit, comprising the steps of:

waiting until an incoming call is received;

alerting the user to enter a voice greeting or press the mobile telephone keypad key, after receipt of the incoming call;

waiting for the user'"'"'s voice greeting or an input through the mobile telephone keypad;

if any keypad key is pressed, answering the call in telephone mode;

if the user answered by a voice greeting, answering the call in carkit mode; and

sending a page response message to the mobile telephone'"'"'s base station to continue with the incoming call,

wherein the step of answering the call in carkit mode comprised outputting the preprogrammed voice greeting on the mobile telephone carkit speaker.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of answering the call in carkit mode further comprises a step of choosing a factory-programmed voice greeting or the user'"'"'s pre-programmed voice greeting, if previously initialized.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of choosing the user'"'"'s pre-programmed voice greeting further comprises a step of determining if a match is found between the user'"'"'s voice greeting and the stored user pre-programmed voice greetings, and if a match is found, outputting the matched user pre-programmed voice greeting.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the voice greeting is represented as a digitized speech pattern, in compressed or uncompressed form.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of waiting for an incoming call further comprises the step of:

if an incoming call is not received and not previously initialized, performing initialization to pre-program the user'"'"'s voice greeting.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the initialization step comprises the steps of:

prompting the user and inputting the user'"'"'s voice greeting;

prompting the user and entering a mobile telephone memory database location for storing the voice greeting; and

storing the voice greeting represented as a digitized speech pattern in the specified mobile telephone memory database location.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the initialization step further comprises the steps of:

entering a password; and

verifying the password before allowing the user to store the voice greeting.

13. A mobile telephone system for answering a mobile telephone incoming call by a user'"'"'s verbal command, to allow hands-free voice activation, comprising:

a mobile telephone having;

a programming key for pre-programming the user'"'"'s voice greeting,

a keypad means for answering the call in telephone mode,

a microphone means for receiving and entering a user'"'"'s verbal command when answering the call in carkit mode,

a digital processing means connected to the microphone means for performing spectrum analysis and feature extractions of the user'"'"'s verbal command in carkit mode, and

a memory means connected to the digital processing means and having a database for storing the user'"'"'s pre-programmed voice greeting digitized speech pattern; and

a carkit having a cradle for holding the mobile telephone and a speaker for outputting the pre-programmed voice greeting.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the pre-programmed voice greeting comprises

a factory-programmed voice greeting and the user'"'"'s pre-programmed voice greeting, if previously initialized after pressing the programming key.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the voice greeting digitized speech pattern is stored in compressed or uncompressed form.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the digital processing means comprises a spectrum analyzer means for performing spectrum analysis and a feature extraction means for feature extractions of the user'"'"'s verbal command for determining if a match exists between the user'"'"'s verbal command and the stored user pre-programmed voice greetings.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the digital processing means comprises means for checking whether the user'"'"'s verbal command reaches a pre-programmed pass/fail voice threshold level, If the match is confirmed.