Relay for personal interpreter

• US 7,555,104 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• 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: Engelke, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah; Melur
• Application Number:
  US11/361,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20060140354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/88.14, 379/93.05, 379/93.09, 379/93.14, 379/93.15, 345/825.19, 704/235, 704/246, 704/270, 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 1/271 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 11/10 with dictation recording and playback systems
• 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 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between hearing users and users who need or desire assistance in understanding voice communications. To overcome the speed limitations inherent in typing, the call assistant at the relay does not type most words but, instead, re-voices the words spoken by the hearing user into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The text stream created by the computer and the voice of the hearing user are both sent to the assisted user so that the assisted user can be supplied with a visual text stream to supplement the voice communications. A time delay in the transmission of the voice of the hearing user through the relay is of assistance to the assisted user in comprehending the communications session.

Claims

1. A relay system using a call assistant for facilitating communication between a hearing user and an assisted user, the system comprising

a relay at the location of the call assistant, the relay including a personal computer with voice recognition software trained to the voice of the call assistant to translate the words spoken by the call assistant into a digital text stream containing the words spoken by the call assistant;

a captioned telephone device within sight of the assisted user and including a display visible to the assisted user; and

communication connections between the hearing user and the relay and between the assisted user and the relay, the communication connections independently selected from the group consisting of wired telephone connection, wireless telephone connection, PCS connection and internet connection;

the system connected such that if the call assistant repeats the words spoken by the hearing user, the digital text stream created by the relay causes the words spoken by the hearing user to appear on the display of the captioned telephone device.

2. A relay system using a call assistant for facilitating communication between a hearing user and an assisted user, the system comprising

a relay at the location of the call assistant, the relay including a personal computer with voice recognition software trained to the voice of the call assistant to translate the words spoken by the call assistant into a digital text stream containing the words spoken by the call assistant;

a captioned telephone device at the location of the assisted user and including a display visible to the assisted user; and

internet protocol connections between the hearing user and the relay and between the assisted user and the relay;

the system connected such that if the call assistant repeats the words spoken by the hearing user, the digital text stream created by the relay results in the words spoken by the hearing user appearing as text on the display of the captioned telephone device in the presence of the assisted user.