Network and communication access systems

• US 6,353,661 B1
• Filed: 12/18/1997
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John Edson Iii Bailey
• Original Assignee: John Edson Iii Bailey
• Inventors: Bailey, John Edson III
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/993,452
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93-5-, 379/93-2-, 379/93.37, 379/110.01, 379/387, 379/900, 379/88.22, 379/88.17, 455/422-426
• US Class Current: 379/93.25
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/45 using multi-frequency signalling H04Q1/46 takes precedence

Abstract

System for using a telephone or other such audio device to interact with various remote systems. The present invention provides systems which combine the power, flexibility, and access to information and communications of the Internet with the simplicity, reliability and wide avail ability of the existing telephone system. Using conventional phone technology, users of the systems of the invention can browse, search, store, and create information stored on, for example, the Internet in Hypertext Transport Protocol (http) format, communicate using Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) and Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) email formats, and to manage attempts by others to contact them through the telephone system. Additional devices for interacting with these systems are also described.

Claims

1. A system for navigating content residing on a server using a telephone, the system comprising:

(a) a communication network;

(b) a telephone in communication with the communication network, wherein the telephone comprises means for transmitting at least one audible navigation signal and means for receiving at least one audible content signal;

(c) a server including a database for storing content; and

(d) processing means in communication with the database on the server and the communication network for performing the steps of;

(i) receiving from the communication network the at least one audible navigation signal;

(ii) in accordance with the navigation signal, accessing the database for storing content on the server;

(iii) generating at least one audible content signal corresponding to the accessed content by converting textual content to speech, the at least one audible content signal including audible indications of hyperlinks included in the accessed content; and

(iv) transmitting over the communication network the at least one audible content signal to the receiving means of the telephone.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication network supports the HTTP protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the content is textual content.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the content is a hypertext document.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing means further comprises means for determining whether the at least one audible navigation signal exceeds a predetermined volume level and, if so, forwarding the at least one audible navigation signal to the accessing means.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content further comprises at least one user notification portion and wherein the processing means further comprises means for generating at least one audible signal corresponding to the at least one user notification portion.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one audible navigation signal corresponds to a request to replay the content, and wherein the system comprises means for retransmitting the at least one audible content signal over the communication network to the receiving means of the telephone.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one audible navigation signal corresponds to a request to skip the content, and wherein the system comprises means for halting the transmission over the communication network of the at least one audible content signal to the receiving means of the telephone.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the system further comprises means for resuming the transmission over the communication network of a subsequent portion of the at least one audible content signal to the receiving means of the telephone.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the content corresponds to a plurality of user-selectable actions.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one audible navigation signal is a DTMF tone.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the telephone further comprises at least one key which corresponds to a selected navigation command.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the telephone further comprises means for generating an audible navigation signal corresponding to the presence of the at least one key.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the content on the server further comprises user designated information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the system further comprises:

(e) a database for storing records corresponding to the user designated information; and

(f) means for retrieving a record from the database and, based upon the retrieved record, generating at least one signal corresponding to the retrieved user designated information.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the user designated information corresponds to the location of additional content.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the user designated information corresponds to the navigation commands.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the telephone further comprises at least one key which corresponds to a selected navigation command and the system further comprises:

(e) a visually perceptible display having at least one display portion associated with each of the at least one keys; and

(f) means for displaying, on the visually perceptible display, selected text and/or images corresponding to the user designated information.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one audible navigation signal is generated by a device comprising a switch in communication with a means for generating an audible navigation signal, whereby actuation of the switch causes the generation of the selected audible navigation signal.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the selected audible navigation signal is a DTMF tone.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the audible navigation signal corresponds to a command to navigate through the content in a continuous fashion, a stepped fashion, or a combination thereof.

22. A system for navigating content residing on a server using a telephone, the system comprising:

(a) a communication network;

(b) a telephone in communication with the communication network, wherein the telephone comprises means for transmitting an audible signal to the communication network and means for receiving an audible signal from the communication network;

(c) a server including a database for storing content;

(d) a navigation device for generating a plurality of DTMF tones in communication with the telephone, the navigation device comprising;

(i) one or more keys corresponding to navigation commands;

(ii) a database for storing a unique plurality of DTMF tones corresponding to each of the one or more keys;

(iii) processing means for, upon operation of a selected one of the one or more keys by a user, performing the steps of;

1) accessing the database; and

2) generating audible navigation signals corresponding to the unique plurality of DTMF tones corresponding to the selected key; and

(iv) means for transmitting the audible navigation signals over the communication network by transmitting the audible navigation signals to the telephone; and

(e) processing means in communication with the database on the server and the communication network for performing the steps of;

(i) receiving from the communication network the audible navigation signals;

(ii) in accordance with the navigation signals, accessing the database for storing content on the server;

(iii) generating at least one audible content signal corresponding to the content by converting textual content to speech, the at least one audible content signal including audible indications of hyperlinks included in the accessed content; and

(iv) transmitting over the communication network the at least one audible content signal to the telephone.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the navigation commands correspond to instructions for accessing the content on the server.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein the communication network supports the HTTP protocol.

25. The device of claim 22, further comprising means for generating a unique plurality of DTMF tones corresponding to the presence of the device and wherein the processing means further comprises means for receiving the DTMF tones corresponding to the presence of the device and means for modifying the database of the navigation device.

26. A system for storing the location of content, a copy of content, or a combination thereof residing on a server using a telephone, the system comprising:

(a) a communication network supporting the HTTP protocol;

(b) a telephone in communication with the communication network, wherein the telephone comprises means for transmitting at least one audible storage signal over the communication network;

(c) a database for storing the location of the content, a copy of the content, or a combination thereof, and

(d) processing means in communication with the database and the communication network for performing the steps of;

(i) generating at least one audible content signal corresponding to the content by converting textual content to speech, the at least one audible content signal including audible indications of hyperlinks included in the accessed content;

(ii) receiving the at least one audible storage signal from the communication network; and

(iii) in accordance with the storage signal, storing the location of the content, a copy of the content, or a combination thereof in the database.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the audible storage signal is a DTMF tone.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the telephone further comprises means for transmitting at least one audible access signal over the communication network and the processing means further comprises means for receiving from the communication network the at least one audible access signal and means for, in accordance with the at least one audible access signal, retrieving the content information from the database, generating signals corresponding to the retrieved content, and transmitting the signals to the telephone over the communication network.

29. A system for creating content using a telephone, the system comprising:

(a) a communication network supporting the HTTP protocol;

(b) a telephone in communication with the communication network, wherein the telephone comprises means for transmitting at least one audible content creation signal over the communication network;

(c) a database for storing content; and

(d) processing means in communication with the communication network and the database for performing the steps of;

(i) receiving the at least one audible content creation signal from the communication network, the content creation signal including indications of hyperlinks in the content; and

(ii) in accordance with the content creation signal, creating content accessible to users on the communication network and storing the created content in the database.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the audible content creation signal is a DTMF tone.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the created content comprises digitized vocal information.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the telephone further comprises means for transmitting at least one audible content editing signal over the communication network and wherein the processing means further comprises means for receiving the at least one audible content editing signal from the communication network and for modifying the database.