Apparatus for synthesizing speech sounds of a short message in a hands free kit for a mobile phone

• US 7,043,436 B1
• Filed: 03/05/1999
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ryu, Byung-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Knepper, David D.
• Application Number:
  US09/263,440
• Time in Patent Office: 2,622 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275, 704/232, 704/231, 704/234, 455/557, 455/563, 455/406, 455/566, 455/569, 379/354, 379/93.06, 340/825.44, 340/557, 340/563, 340/406, 340/506, 709/245
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

Synthesizing speech sounds to express a short message received from a caller in a handset coupled to a hands free kit, includes handset circuitry for transferring an alarm signal to the hands free kit to generate an alarm to inform the user of the receipt of the short message, and for transferring the short message to the hands free kit when receiving a short message calling signal from the hands free kit. The short message calling signal is generated upon the detection of a predetermined voice command by the user indicating a desire to hear the short message. The hands free kit includes circuitry for synthesizing the speech sounds according to the short message received from the handset.

Claims

1. An apparatus for synthesizing speech sounds to express a short message received in a wireless communications system in a handset coupled to a hands free kit, comprising:

handset circuitry for transferring an alarm signal to said hands free kit to generate an alarm to inform a user of the receipt of said short message, and for transferring said short message to said hands free kit when receiving a short message calling signal from said hands free kit; and

hands free kit circuitry for transmitting said short message calling signal to said handset and for synthesizing said short message received from said handset into said speech sounds;

wherein said short message calling signal is generated upon input by the user of a predetermined voice command, and the short message is a character message received from a base station servicing the handset.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said hands free kit circuitry comprises:

a sound element code storage for storing sound element codes representing respective alphabet letters;

a dictionary storage for storing a dictionary;

a sentence analyzer for analyzing said short message into phonetic symbols and sound elements in reference to said dictionary so as to generate the grammatical information data of said phonetic symbols and the phonetic information data of said sound elements;

a control information generator for generating control information according to said grammatical information data;

a speech synthesizer for synthesizing sound data by reading sound element data from said sound element code storage according to said phonetic information data to convert said sound data into audio signals according to said control information;

a full-duplexer module for transferring said audio signals to a speaker to produce sounds; and

a control unit for controlling said sentence analyzer to transmit said short message calling signal to said handset according to an external speech synthesis command upon receiving said alarm signal from said handset.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said speech synthesizer and control information generator consist of a digital signal processor (DSP).

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said full-duplexer module includes an echo canceler for eliminating reflective noises.

5. In a hands free kit coupled to a handset, said hands free kit comprising a sound data storage for storing sound data to control functions by voice, and a sound element code storage for storing sound element codes representing respective alphabet letters, a method for synthesizing speech sounds to express a short message, comprising the steps of:

generating an alarm upon receiving an alarm signal from said handset to inform the user of the receipt of a short message and detecting whether speech is input;

detecting whether said sound data storage contains sound data having substantially the same sound characteristics as said input speech;

detecting whether said input speech is a sound synthesis command if said sound storage contains sounds having the same sound characteristics as said speech, said sound synthesis command being a voice command input by a user instructing said hands free kit to process said short message as an audio output;

transmitting a short message calling signal generated upon input by said user'"'"'s voice command to said handset upon detecting said sound synthesis command, the short message is a character message received from a base station servicing the handset;

detecting said short message received from said handset;

analyzing said short message and synthesizing said short message into sound data by reading sound element data from said sound element code storage according to the analyzed result; and

converting said synthesized sound data into analog audio signals applied to a speaker.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said generating an alarm step includes the sub-steps of:

detecting whether said short message is received by said handset;

storing said short message in a memory and displaying it on a display of said handset; and

causing said handset to generate said alarm signal transferred to said hands free kit.

7. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said transmitting step includes the sub-steps of:

causing said handset to detect whether said short message calling signal is received from said hands free kit; and

transmitting said short message transferred to said hands free kit upon detecting said short message calling signal.

8. An apparatus for synthesizing speech sounds to express a short message received in a wireless communications system in a handset coupled to a hands free kit, comprising:

handset circuitry operative to transfer said short message to said hands free kit upon input by a user of a predetermined voice command; and

hands free kit circuitry adapted to transmit said short message calling signal to said handset and to synthesize said short message received from said handset into said speech sounds;

wherein said handset circuitry is further operative to transfer an alarm signal to said hands free kit upon the receipt of said short message, and said hands free kit circuitry is further adapted to store a voice command indicating a desire for a user to hear a short message, to generate an alarm upon the receipt of said alarm signal, to receive input speech following said alarm generation and determine whether the input speech contains said voice command, and to synthesize said speech sounds and produce said message as an audible output upon the detection of said voice command, and the short message is a character message received from a base station servicing the handset.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said hands free kit circuitry is further adapted to store a plurality of voice dialing mode data, and to determine, after said alarm generation, whether said input speech corresponds to any of said voice dialing mode data and if so to synthesize sounds of the corresponding voice dialing mode data without synthesizing sounds of said short message.