Method and system for transcribing voice content of an on-going teleconference into human-readable notation

• US 7,133,513 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2004
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Zhang, Baoquan
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Creighton
• Application Number:
  US10/895,801
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A method and system for providing transcribed voice content in a human-readable format during an on-going teleconference is provided. In the method, a first terminal engages in an on-going teleconference with a second terminal. During the on-going teleconference, the second terminal is operable to communicate voice content. Sometime during the on-going teleconference, the first terminal may invoke a transcription service for transcribing the voice content into a human-readable notation. After being invoked, the transcription service transcribes the voice content into the human-readable notation and forwards it to the first terminal. After receiving the human-readable notation, the first terminal is operable to display the human-readable notation.

Claims

1. A method for providing transcribed voice content in a human-readable format during an on-going teleconference, the method comprising:

a first terminal engaging in an on-going teleconference with at least one other terminal, wherein during the on-going teleconference the at least one other terminal is operable to communicate voice content;

the first terminal invoking a transcription service for transcribing the voice content into a human-readable notation;

the transcription service transcribing the voice content into the human-readable notation; and

during the on-going teleconference, the first terminal receiving from the transcription service the human-readable notation and displaying the received human-readable notation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the first terminal invoking a transcription service occurs during the on-going teleconference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the transcription service transcribing the voice content into a human-readable notation comprises the transcription service converting the voice content into text.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of displaying the received human-readable voice content comprises displaying the text.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transcription service is carried out by a speech-recognition engine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first terminal comprises a processor and an application for carrying out the transcription service, and wherein the steps of (i) the first terminal invoking a transcription service, and (ii) the transcription service transcribing the voice content into a human-readable notation comprise the processor of the first terminal executing the application for carrying out the transcription service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the teleconference is carried out via a network comprising a network node, wherein network node comprises a processor and an application for carrying out the transcription service, and wherein the step of the first terminal invoking a transcription service comprises the first terminal sending an indication to the network node to execute the application for carrying out the transcription service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of the transcription service transcribing the voice content into a human-readable notation comprises the processor of the network node executing the application for carrying out the transcription service so as to provide to the network node with the human-readable notation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of the first terminal receiving from the transcription service the human-readable notation comprises the first terminal receiving the human-readable notation from the network node.

10. In a network comprising a first server for carrying out a teleconferencing service among a plurality of terminals, and a second server for carrying out a transcription service for transcribing voice content into a human-readable format, a method for providing transcribed voice content in a human-readable format during an on-going teleconference, the method comprising:

the first server serving a teleconferencing service between first and second terminals so as to allow the first and second terminals to engage in an on-going teleconference,

the first server receiving from the second terminal voice content;

the second server receiving from the first terminal an indication to invoke a transcription service;

the second server invoking the transcription service;

responsive to invoking the transcription service, the second server obtaining the voice content from the first server;

the transcription service receiving the voice content from the first server;

the transcription service transcribing the voice content into the human-readable notation; and

the second server sending the human-readable notation to the first terminal during the on-going teleconference to allow the first terminal to display the human-readable notation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the network comprises public domain and private domain networks, wherein the first server resides in the public domain network and the second server resides in the private-domain network.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of displaying the human-readable notation on the first terminal during the on-going teleconference.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the transcription service is carried out by a speech-recognition engine;

and wherein the step of the transcription service transcribing the voice content into a human-readable notation comprises the second server executing the speech-recognition engine so as to convert the voice content into text.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of the second server receiving from the first terminal an indication to invoke a transcription service comprises the second server receiving from the first terminal a signal indicative of placing the on-going teleconference on hold.

15. A system for providing transcribed voice content in a human-readable format during an on-going teleconference, the system comprising:

a first server for carrying out a teleconferencing service between first and second terminals so as to allow the first and second terminals to engage in an on-going teleconference, wherein the first server is operable to receive from the second terminal voice content for termination to the first terminal; and

a second server for carrying out, during the on-going teleconference, a transcription-service application for transcribing the voice content into a human-readable notation, and for providing the human-readable notation to the first terminal during the on-going teleconference in response to the first terminal requesting the second server carry out the transcription-service application.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, to carry out the transcription-service application, the second server is operable to:

receive from the first terminal an indication to invoke the transcription-service application;

obtain the voice content from the first server; and

transcribe the voice content into the human-readable notation so as to provide the first terminal with the human-readable notation.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the transcription-service application comprises a speech-recognition engine.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first terminal comprises a display for displaying the human-readable notation received from the second server.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the second server comprises a private branch exchange.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the second server comprises a media gateway.

19. A transcription-service application for providing transcribed voice content in a human-readable format during an on-going teleconference between first and second terminals via a first server, wherein the first server is operable to receive from the second terminal voice content, and wherein the transcription-service application is disposed on a tangible media, the transcription-service application comprising a plurality of instructions executable by a processor to:

receive from a first terminal an indication to invoke the transcription-service application;

obtain the voice content from the first server;

transcribe the voice content into human-readable notation; and

provide the human-readable notation to the first terminal during the on-going teleconference, for display of the human-readable notation on the first terminal.