Relay for personal interpreter

• US 6,594,346 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2001
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• 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): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/783,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20010004396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 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, 379/100.09, 379/100.13, 704/235, 704/260, 704/270, 704/231, 704/258, 340/825.19
• 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 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/10 with dictation recording and playback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between hearing users and users who need or desire assistance in understanding voice communications. 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 user into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The text stream created by the computer and the voice of the hearing user are both sent to the assisted user so that the assisted user can be supplied with a visual text stream to supplement the voice communications. A time delay in the transmission of the voice of the hearing user through the relay is of assistance to the assisted user in comprehending the communications session.

Claims

1. A method of operating a relay system using a call assistant to facilitate communication between a hearing user and an assisted user by telephone, the hearing user speaking words in voice, the method comprising the steps of

transmitting the voice of the hearing user when speaking to the ear of the call assistant;

the call assistant speaking in voice the same words that the call assistant hears spoken by the hearing user into a microphone connected to a digital computer;

the digital computer using voice recognition computer software trained to the voice of the call assistant to translate the words of the voice spoken by the call assistant into a digital text message stream containing the words spoken by the call assistant;

transmitting both the digital text message stream and the voice of the hearing user by telephone connection to the assisted user;

displaying the digital text message stream to a captioned telephone display device within sight of the assisted person; and

transmitting the voice of the hearing user to the assisted user.

2. A relay to facilitate communications between an hearing user, speaking words in voice, and an assisted user, the relay operated by a call assistant, the relay comprising

a speaker connected to receive the voice from the hearing user and to transmit that voice to the ear of the call assistant so that the call assistant may voice those words;

a microphone connected to pick up the voice of the call assistant;

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

a telephonic connection to transmit both the digital text stream and the voice of the hearing user over a telephonic connection to the assisted user.