Terminal device and communication control method

• US 7,489,767 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2002
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Asia Pacific Pte Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Hikishima, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US10/282,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20030081739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,296 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.4, 379/88.14
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/20 Speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech G10L21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A terminal device as a first communication party'"'"'s terminal has: voice recognition means which, during a communication connection to a second communication party'"'"'s terminal, when the mode is set to a voice recognition mode receives, as digital voice signals, the second communication party'"'"'s voice sent from the second communication party'"'"'s terminal and performs voice recognition to convert the digital voice signals to text data; and control means for performing control in such a manner that the text data converted by the voice recognition means are output from output means.

Claims

1. A terminal device as a first communication party'"'"'s terminal, the terminal device comprising:

voice recognition means which, during a communication connection to a second communication party'"'"'s terminal wherein the first and second parties carry on real-time communications through said terminals, when the mode is set to a voice recognition mode, receives, as digital voice signals, the second communication party'"'"'s voice sent from the second communication party'"'"'s terminal during the real-time communications and performs voice recognition to convert the digital voice signals to text data; and

control means for performing control in such a manner that the text data converted by the voice recognition means are output to the first communication party'"'"'s terminal and to the second communication party'"'"'s terminal from output means.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the output means comprises display means and the text data are displayed on the display means.

8. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1, 3 or 5, wherein the voice recognition means receives, as input data, digital voice signals obtained by demodulating the second communication party'"'"'s voice, sent from the second communication party'"'"'s terminal, in demodulation means and expanding the demodulated signals in expansion means and performs the voice recognition.

3. A terminal device as a first communication party'"'"'s terminal comprising:

voice recognition means for performing voice recognition of voice signals from a second communication party'"'"'s terminal to convert the voice signals to text data; and

means for sending the text data as a result of the voice recognition to the second communication party'"'"'s terminal,

wherein the first and second parties are engaged in real-time communications through said terminals.

4. A terminal device as a second communication party'"'"'s terminal device for a communication connection to the terminal device according to claim 3, said second communication party'"'"'s terminal device comprising:

means for receiving the text data sent from the terminal device according to claim 3 and for performing control in such a manner that the received text data are displayed on display means.

5. A terminal device as a first communication party'"'"'s terminal comprising:

voice recognition means for performing voice recognition of voice signals from a second communication party'"'"'s terminal to convert the voice signals to text data;

means for sending the text data as a result of the voice recognition to the second communication party'"'"'s terminal; and

means for taking the text data out of the signals sent from the second communication party'"'"'s terminal and for performing control in such a manner that the text data are displayed on display means,

wherein the first and second parties are engaged in real-time communications through said terminals.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5, which further comprises means for multiplexing the text data as a result of the voice recognition with signals to be sent to the second communication party'"'"'s terminal and sending the multiplexed signals to the second communication party'"'"'s terminal.

7. The terminal device according to claim 5, which further comprises means for multiplexing the text data as a result of the voice recognition with picture information to be sent to the second communication party'"'"'s terminal and for sending the multiplexed signals to the second communication party'"'"'s terminal.

9. A communication control method comprising:

performing, in a first communication party'"'"'s terminal, voice recognition of voice signals sent from a second communication party'"'"'s terminal, which is in communication connection to said first terminal, to convert the voice signals to text data wherein the first and second parties carry on real-time communications through said terminals;

sending the text data, as a result of the voice recognition, from said first terminal to said second communication party'"'"'s terminal; and

performing, in said first terminal, control in such a manner that the text data as a result of the voice recognition of the voice signals sent from said second communication party'"'"'s terminal are displayed on display means.

10. The communication control method according to claim 9, wherein

said terminals each are a terminal having a portable videotelephone function, and

said first terminal multiplexes the text data as a result of the voice recognition with picture information to be sent to said second communication party'"'"'s terminal and sends the multiplexed signals to said second communication party'"'"'s terminal.