System for text assisted telephony

• US 7,319,740 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Issued: 01/15/2008
• 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: Colwell, Kevin, Engelke, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US11/257,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20060039542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/93.15, 704/271
• 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 1/21 Combinations with auxiliary equipment, e.g. with clocks or memoranda pads
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2155 Acoustic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2475 for a hearing impaired user
• 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 11/08 specially adapted for optional reception of entertainment or informative matter
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

An arrangement for providing captioned telephone service is provided which permits persons who are hard of hearing to receive captioning of their telephone communications as they need it. A personal interpreter/captioned telephone device can dial a relay on a second telephone line while the assisted user if conversing with a hearing user over a first telephone line. The second telephone line connects to a relay which provides voice to text translation service and returns a text stream to the captioned telephone device.

Claims

1. A system for providing captioned telephone service to an assisted user, the system comprising

a captioned telephone device at the site of the assisted user, the captioned telephone device capable of connection to an internet protocol connection to receive text and voice signals and capable of displaying the text for the assisted user;

and

a relay for converting voice to text, the relay including a computer with voice recognition software and operated by a call assistant, the voice recognition software of the relay trained to the voice of the call assistant to create a text stream of the words spoken by a remote user, the text stream being sent by internet protocol to the captioned telephone.

2. A method of operating a captioned telephone service, the method comprising the steps of

arranging a telephone call between an assisted user and a remote user so that words spoken by the remote user are also transmitted to a relay;

at the relay, a call assistant listening to the words spoken by the remote user and re-voicing the words into a computer with voice recognition software trained to the voice of the call assistant to create a text stream of the words spoken by the remote user, the relay transmitting the text stream by internet protocol to the assisted user; and

the assisted user using a captioned telephone device that receives the text stream from the relay by internet protocol and displays the text on a visually readable display for the assisted user.