Push-to-talk mobile communication terminals

• US 7,366,535 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2004
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 3, LLC
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Glass, Holger, Göggelmann, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US10/829,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20050239487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 455/79, 455/78, 455/519, 455/575.1, 455/517, 455/500, 455/426.1, 455/422.1, 455/416, 455/420, 455/518, 455/520, 455/90.2
• US Class Current: 455/519
• 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: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/45 for Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-to-Talk over cellular [PoC] services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/08 Trunked mobile radio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Mobile communication terminals comprising a processor unit, a microphone, and a sound processing module for processing sounds captured by the microphone. The processor unit is configured to operate the terminal for a push-to-talk communication with at least one other mobile communication terminal via the communication network, and to operate the terminal during said push-to-talk communication in a latency state or in an active state in which sound captured by the microphone is processed by the sound processing module and sent to the at least one other mobile communication terminal. The processor unit is also configured to change from the latency state to the active state in dependence of the sound captured by the microphone.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal for use in a wireless communication network, the mobile communication terminal comprising:

a processor unit controlling the operation of the mobile communication terminal;

a microphone;

a sound processor unit being configured to operate the terminal for push-to-talk communication with at least one other mobile communication terminal via the communication network;

said processor unit operating said terminal during said push-to-talk communication in a latency state or in an active state in which sound captured by the microphone is processed by the sound processing module by

comparing the sound level detected by the microphone with a first given threshold;

switching to the active state, if the sound level detected by the microphone exceeds the first given threshold;

said processor unit being configured to change from the latency state to the active state in dependence of the sound captured by the microphone where the active state comprises;

sending speech request to the communication network;

waiting for a response from the communication network;

receiving a response from the communication network; and

sending the sound captured by the microphone to the other mobile communication terminal if the response from the communication network is positive.

2. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor unit is configured to switch to the latency state when the sound level detected by the microphone drops below a second given threshold.

3. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the terminal comprises a speech command recognition module.

4. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the processor unit is configured to switch to the active state when a given speech command is recognized by the speech command recognition module.

5. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the processor unit is configured to switch to the latency state when a given speech command is recognized by the speech command recognition module.

6. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the terminal comprised a voice recognition module for recognizing a given voice and the processor unit is configured to switch to the active state when a given voice is recognized by the voice recognition module.

7. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the processor unit is configured to switch to the latency state when the time of no capture of the microphone exceeds a third given threshold.

8. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising filtering means for preventing the microphone from capturing other sound sources different from the human voice.

9. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the terminal comprises an incoming speech control module.

10. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 9, wherein the processor unit is configured to switch to an incoming speech state in which the incoming speech control module receives incoming speech from the one other mobile communication terminal.

11. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 10, wherein the processor unit is configured to switch to the incoming speech state after an accepted speech command is recognized by the speech command recognition module.

12. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 9, wherein the processor unit is configured to switch to the latency state when the incoming speech has been received by the incoming speech control module.

13. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the active state comprises a waiting sub-state until the communication network accepts a speech request from the terminal, and a sending sub-state when the communication network accepts the speech request in which the terminal sends the sound captured by the microphone and processed by the sound processing module to the at least one other mobile communication terminal.

14. A mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the active state comprises a queuing sub-state when the terminal is in an incoming speech state and sends a speech request to the communication network.

15. A method for a push-to-talk communication between a mobile communication terminal and at least one other mobile communication terminal via a communication network, comprising the steps of:

enabling a latency state of the terminal;

capturing a sound by means of a microphone of the terminal;

comparing a sound level detected by the microphone with a first given threshold;

switching the terminal to an active state, if the sound level detected by the microphone exceeds the first given threshold;

wherein the active state comprises;

sending speech request to the communication network;

waiting for a response from the communication network;

receiving a response from the communication network; and

sending the sound captured by the microphone to the other mobile communication terminal if the response from the communication network is positive.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the terminal switches to the latency state if the response in the sub-step (AS.3) is negative.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the active state comprises a sub-step (AS.5), between the sub-steps (AS.3) and (AS.4), comprising processing the sound captured by the microphone by means of a sound processing module.

18. A method for a push-to-talk communication between a mobile communication terminal and at least one other mobile communication terminal via a communication network, comprising:

enabling a latency state of the terminal;

capturing a sound by means of a microphone of the terminal;

comparing a detected speech command with at least one speech command stored in the terminal;

switching to an active state, if the given speech command and one speech command stored in the terminal are substantially identical, wherein the active state comprises;

sending a speech request to the communication network;

waiting for a response from the communication network;

receiving a response from the communication network; and

sending the sound captured by the microphone to the other mobile communication terminal if the response from the communication network is positive.

19. A method for a push-to-talk communication between a mobile communication terminal and at least one other mobile communication terminal via a communication network, comprising:

enabling a latency state of the terminal;

capturing a sound by means of a microphone of the terminal;

comparing a detected voice with at least one voice stored in the terminal;

switching to the active state, if the detected voice and one voice stored in the terminal are identical, wherein the active state comprises;

sending a speech request to the communication network;

waiting for a response from the communication network;

receiving a response from the communication network; and

sending the sound captured by the microphone to the other mobile communication terminal if the response from the communication network is positive.

20. A method for a push-to-talk communication between a mobile communication terminal and at least one other mobile communication terminal via a communication network, comprising:

enabling a latency state of the terminal;

capturing a sound by means of a microphone of the terminal;

switching the terminal to an active state, in dependence of the sound captured by the microphone, wherein the active step comprises

sending a speech request to the communication network;

waiting for a response from the communication network;

receiving a response from the communication network;

sending the sound captured by the microphone to the other mobile communication terminal if the response from the communication network is positive;

comparing a detected speech command with at least one speech command stored in the terminal; and

switching to the latency state, if the detected speech command and one speech command stored in the terminal are identical.

21. A method for a push-to-talk communication between a mobile communication terminal and at least one other mobile communication terminal via a communication network, comprising:

enabling a latency state of the terminal;

capturing a sound by means of a microphone of the terminal;

switching the terminal to an active state, in dependence of the sound captured by the microphone, wherein the active step comprises;

sending a speech request to the communication network;

waiting for a response from the communication network;

receiving a response from the communication network;

sending the sound captured by the microphone to the other mobile communication terminal if the response from the communication network is positive;

comparing a time of no capture of the microphone with a third given threshold; and

switching the terminal to the latency state if the time of no capture of the microphone exceeds the third given threshold.

22. A method for a push-to-talk communication between a mobile communication terminal and at least one other mobile communication terminal via a communication network, comprising:

enabling a latency state of the terminal;

alerting of an incoming speech;

capturing a sound by means of a microphone of the terminal by

comparing a detected speech command with an accepting speech command stored in the terminal;

switching to the incoming speech state, if the detected speech command and the accepting speech command stored in the terminal are identical; and

switching the terminal to an incoming speech state, in dependence of the sound captured by the microphone.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein the incoming speech state comprises the sub-steps of:

receiving an incoming speech from the one other mobile communication terminal;

switching to the latency state of the terminal.