Voice communication concerning a local entity
First Claim
1. A system for enabling verbal communication on behalf of a local entity with a nearby user, the system comprising:
- user equipment, intended to be carried by a user, comprising a wireless communication subsystem, and a contact-data input subsystem for receiving contact data;
a contact-data providing arrangement located at the local entity for making available to a user near the local entity or to the user equipment carried by that user, contact data identifying a voice service associated with the entity but separately hosted;
a communications infrastructure comprising at least a wireless network for communicating with the wireless communication subsystem of the user equipment;
an audio output arrangement forming part of the user equipment, or located in the locality of the local entity and connected to the communication infrastructure;
an audio input arrangement forming part of the user'"'"'s equipment, or located in the locality of said entity and connected to said communications infrastructure;
a voice service arrangement for providing said voice service, the voice service arrangement being connected to said communications infrastructure such as to enable the user'"'"'s equipment to contact it over the wireless network using said contact data, the voice service arrangement being operative, in response to being contacted by the user equipment, to act as voice proxy for the local entity by signals exchanged over the communications infrastructure with the audio input and output arrangements thereby enabling a user to interact with the voice service through spoken dialog with voice input by the user through the audio input arrangement and voice output to the user through the audio output arrangement;
controllable functionality associated with the local entity; and
a short-range-communications arrangement comprising complimentary elements at the local entity and in the user equipment for establishing a short range wireless link between the user equipment and said controllable functionality;
the user equipment being arranged to receive control data from the voice service arrangement in the course of the latter acting as a voice proxy for the local entity, and to pass on the control data via said short-range wireless link to said controllable functionality whereby to enable this functionality to be controlled by the voice service arrangement in coordination with said voice output.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A local entity without its own means of voice communication is provided with the semblance of having a voice interaction capability. This is done by providing a beacon device at or near the entity, the beacon device transmitting, over a short-range communication link, contact data identifying a voice service associated with, but hosted separately from, the entity. The transmitted contact data is picked up by equipment carried by a nearby person and used to contact the voice service over a wireless network. The person then interacts with the voice service, the latter acting as a voice proxy for the local entity. The contact data can be presented to the user in other ways, for example, by being inscribed on the local entity for scanning or user input into the equipment.
44 Citations
60 Claims
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1. A system for enabling verbal communication on behalf of a local entity with a nearby user, the system comprising:
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user equipment, intended to be carried by a user, comprising a wireless communication subsystem, and a contact-data input subsystem for receiving contact data;
a contact-data providing arrangement located at the local entity for making available to a user near the local entity or to the user equipment carried by that user, contact data identifying a voice service associated with the entity but separately hosted;
a communications infrastructure comprising at least a wireless network for communicating with the wireless communication subsystem of the user equipment;
an audio output arrangement forming part of the user equipment, or located in the locality of the local entity and connected to the communication infrastructure;
an audio input arrangement forming part of the user'"'"'s equipment, or located in the locality of said entity and connected to said communications infrastructure;
a voice service arrangement for providing said voice service, the voice service arrangement being connected to said communications infrastructure such as to enable the user'"'"'s equipment to contact it over the wireless network using said contact data, the voice service arrangement being operative, in response to being contacted by the user equipment, to act as voice proxy for the local entity by signals exchanged over the communications infrastructure with the audio input and output arrangements thereby enabling a user to interact with the voice service through spoken dialog with voice input by the user through the audio input arrangement and voice output to the user through the audio output arrangement;
controllable functionality associated with the local entity; and
a short-range-communications arrangement comprising complimentary elements at the local entity and in the user equipment for establishing a short range wireless link between the user equipment and said controllable functionality;
the user equipment being arranged to receive control data from the voice service arrangement in the course of the latter acting as a voice proxy for the local entity, and to pass on the control data via said short-range wireless link to said controllable functionality whereby to enable this functionality to be controlled by the voice service arrangement in coordination with said voice output. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of interacting with a local entity wherein:
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(a) upon a user approaching the local entity, contact data, identifying a voice service associated with the entity but separately hosted, is presented to the user or to user-carried equipment (b) the contact data is used by the user'"'"'s equipment to contact the voice service over a wireless network;
(c) the user interacts with the voice service through spoken dialog with both voice input by the user and voice output by the service;
(d) the voice service controls the operation of functionality associated with the local entity by means of control data passed to the functionality over a short-range wireless link from the user-carried equipment whereby to coordinate operation of the functionality with said voice output. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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- 31. A method according to claim wherein the contact data is presented to the user'"'"'s equipment by means of a beacon device located at or near the local entity and communicating with the user'"'"'s equipment over said short-range wireless link.
Specification