Voice directed system and method configured for assured messaging to multiple recipients

• US 7,609,669 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2005
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vocollect, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vocollect, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Astorri, Claudine, Sweeney, Lawrence R., Boyle, Linda, Maloy, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Nhan T
• Application Number:
  US11/057,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20060182085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• Field of Search: 455/310, 455/312, 455/328, 370/418, 704/277
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services

Abstract

A communications system transmits messages via a wireless network to multiple users nearly simultaneously in real-time. Each user has a terminal that receives a message and plays the message for the user. The terminal may also wait for the user to verbally acknowledge the arrival of the message before continuing with its normally executing application. The sender of the message may track, for each intended recipient, the delivery of the message, the accessing of the message by the user, and the acknowledgement by the user that the message was understood.

Claims

1. A method for sending a message to a set of selected operators performing logistical operations at a warehouse, the method comprising the steps of:

executing a logistical application on at least one wireless terminal that is communicating with a server over a wireless network within the warehouse;

receiving at the at least one wireless terminal a textual message transmitted from the server;

outputting the received textual message as audio output with a speaker that is in communication with the at least one wireless terminal;

receiving a verbal indication from an operator of the wireless terminal that the textual message audio output was at least one of accessed or understood by the operator; and

transmitting an acknowledgement message to the server from the terminal that the verbal indication was received from the operator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

announcing to the operator that the textual message was received from the server; and

delaying outputting of the received textual message as audio input until receiving a verbal instruction from the operator.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

interrupting the logistical application after receiving the verbal instruction; and

resuming the logistical application after receiving the verbal indication.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

performing speech recognition on the verbal indication to determine whether the operator at least one of accessed or understood the audio output.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgement message includes a timestamp.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

automatically transmitting an acknowledgement message when the textual message is successfully received at the at least one wireless terminal.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is associated with one of an event reminder, or an emergency message for the terminal operator.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at a server, a textual message to be forwarded to the at least one wireless terminal;

transmitting the textual message to the at least one wireless terminal;

transmitting from the at least one wireless terminal, to the server, an acknowledgement message that the textual message was received at the at least one wireless terminal.

9. The method of claim 8 further wherein the transmitted textual message includes a time window defining a time for the message received at the at least one wireless terminal.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising maintaining a record at the server regarding the acknowledgement messages that the textual message was received at particular wireless terminals.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising tracking from the record which terminals received the textual message.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a record at the server regarding the acknowledgement messages from a particular operator.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising tracking from the record which operators at least one of accessed or understood the textual message.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of selected operators includes one operator.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of selected operators includes more than one operator.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

upon receiving the textual message, generating an alarm to alert the operator of its receipt.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

receiving, at the terminal, a verbal command from the operator regarding how to handle the received textual message; and

handling the textual message according to the verbal command.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

wherein the handling of the textual message includes at least one of;

playing the message, discarding the message, ignoring the message, delay playing of the message, and re-directing the message.

19. A method for delivering a message in a speech-enabled work environment that includes a plurality of users with terminal devices that perform applications using speech, the method comprising the steps of:

executing at least one application, using user speech and speech recognition, through a terminal device that is communicating with a communications network;

receiving the message, at the terminal device of a user, over the communications network;

outputting the message as audio output to the user of the terminal device;

receiving verbal confirmation spoken by the user that the audio output was at least one of accessed or understood; and

transmitting an acknowledgement message from the terminal device over the communications network, the acknowledgement message being reflective of the receipt of the spoken verbal confirmation for indicating that the audio output was at least one of accessed or understood by the user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the message is delivered to a plurality of different users.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the communications network is a wireless network.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of outputting the message further includes the steps of:

indicating that the message has been received;

delaying outputting of the message as audio output until receiving a verbal command; and

receiving the verbal command to play the message.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

in response to receiving the message, sending an acknowledgement message over the network indicating that the message was successfully received at the terminal device.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

converting the message from text format to audio output.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a verbal instruction from the user to replay the message; and

in response, replaying the message as audio output.

26. A method for delivering a message in a speech-enabled work environment that includes a plurality of users with terminal devices that perform applications using speech, the method comprising the steps of:

executing at least one application, using user speech, through a terminal device that is communicating with a communications network;

receiving the message, at the terminal device of a user, over the communications network;

outputting the message as audio output to the user, by indicating that the message has been received, delaying outputting of the message as audio output until receiving a verbal command and receiving the verbal command to play the message;

interrupting an executing application when the verbal command is received; and

receiving verbal confirmation from the user that the audio output was at least one of accessed or understood;

resuming the executing application when the verbal confirmation is received;

transmitting an acknowledgement message from the terminal device over the communications network, the acknowledgement message indicating that the audio output was at least one of accessed or understood by the user.

27. A multi-recipient communications system for facilitating speech-enabled work among a plurality of users comprising:

a server configured to transmit a message to multiple users;

a plurality of terminal devices associated with the users and configured for use with speech recognition applications, each terminal device configured to receive the message;

a wireless network configured to provide bi-directional communication between the server and the plurality of user terminal devices for the user to execute at least one application; and

each of the terminal devices further configured to output the message as audio output to the respective user, receive a respective verbal confirmation spoken by the user that the audio output was at least one of accessed or understood, and transmit, to the server, a respective indication that reflects that the spoken verbal confirmation was received from the user.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive the message as input;

receive an identification of each of the multiple users;

identify a respective terminal device associated with each of the multiple users, and

address a respective copy of the message for delivery to each of the respective terminal devices.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein each of the terminal devices is further configured to:

convert the message to audio output from text format; and

play the message as audio output.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein each of the terminal devices is further configured to transmit a respective acknowledgement message indicating that the message was successfully received by the terminal device.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the server is further configured to:

determine for each of the terminal devices whether a respective indication of verbal confirmation has been received;

determine for each of the terminal devices whether a respective acknowledgement message has been received; and

display a respective message status for each of the terminal devices indicating whether the message was at least one of received or understood.

32. A multi-recipient communications system for facilitating speech-enabled work among a plurality of users comprising:

a server configured to transmit a message to multiple users;

a plurality of terminal devices associated with the users, each terminal device configured to receive the message;

a wireless network configured to provide bi-directional communication between the server and the plurality of user terminal devices for the user to execute at least one application; and

each of the terminal devices further configured to;

output the message as audio output to the respective user;

receive a respective verbal confirmation from the user regarding whether the audio output was at least one of accessed or understood;

perform speech recognition on the verbal confirmation from the user to determine if the verbal confirmation indicates the audio output was at least one of accessed or understood;

re-output the message as audio output to the respective user if the verbal confirmation does not indicate that the message was understood;

transmit, to the server, a respective indication that the verbal confirmation was received from the user.

33. A multi-recipient communications system for facilitating speech-enabled work among a plurality of users comprising:

a server configured to transmit a message to multiple users;

a plurality of terminal devices associated with the users, each terminal device configured to receive the message and to transmit a respective acknowledgement message indicating that the message was successfully received by the terminal device;

a wireless network configured to provide bi-directional communication between the server and the plurality of user terminal devices for the user to execute at least one application, including executing a logistical application within a warehouse environment;

each of the terminal devices further configured to output the message as audio output to the respective user, receive a respective verbal confirmation from the user that the audio output was at least one of accessed or understood, and transmit, to the server, a respective indication that the verbal confirmation was received from the user;

the terminal devices further configured to interrupt the logistical application after outputting the audio output; and

resume the logistical application after receiving the verbal confirmation.