Voice activated dialing for wireless headsets

• US 7,650,168 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2007
• Issued: 01/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailey, William
• Primary Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US11/868,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20080194301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/403, 455/404.1, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/569.1, 455/563, 455/575.2, 704/246, 704/270.1, 704/275, 704/201, 381/74, 381/384
• US Class Current: 455/563
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

A wearable wireless telecommunications headset may include at least a microphone, a speaker, a transceiver, a processor and a memory. The headset processes audio commands from a user, recognizing the commands and executing them appropriately. The headset communicates with multiple communication devices, answering incoming communications from any devices in range and announcing identity information about an initiator of the communication, as well as initiating outgoing communications by recognizing a spoken communications address, or recognizing and looking up a spoken name in a locally or remotely stored address book.

Claims

1. A wireless telecommunications headset, comprising:

a microphone for receiving an audio message;

a memory for storing the audio message;

a transceiver for communicating wirelessly with a first telephonic device and a second telephonic device without requiring user intervention to switch between the first and second telephonic devices;

a processor for executing a plurality of instructions, wherein executing the plurality of instructions causes the processor to;

recognize a command associated with the audio message, and

execute the associated command, wherein executing the command includes communicating wirelessly with one of the first and second telephonic devices;

a housing for enclosing the processor, the transceiver, and the microphone, and for wearing as a headset; and

wherein the transceiver is for receiving at least one notification of an incoming communication call from one of the first and second telephonic devices, wherein the notification includes information identifying an initiator of the incoming communication call;

wherein the wireless telecommunications headset is for providing an audio announcement that includes information identifying the initiator of the incoming communication call; and

wherein the processor is configured to receive a response indicating whether the incoming communication call is to be answered, and is configured to answer the incoming communication call when the response is received.

2. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 1, wherein recognizing a command associated with the audio message includes identifying a communications address based on the audio message.

3. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 2, wherein the communications address is a telephone number, and identifying the communications address comprises:

recognizing a set of digits comprising the telephone number; and

composing the command using the set of digits.

4. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 3, wherein executing the command further includes transmitting the set of digits to one of the first and second telephonic devices.

5. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 1, wherein the audio message includes a search name, and recognizing a command associated with the audio message includes:

searching for a found name approximating the search name in an address book stored in the memory.

6. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 5, wherein the communications address is a telephone number, and executing the command further includes transmitting the found name to one of the first and second telephonic devices, wherein the found name is associated with a telephone number stored on the one of the first and second telephonic devices.

7. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 5, wherein recognizing a command associated with the audio message further includes:

determining a communications address associated with the found name; and

composing the command using the communications address.

8. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 1, further comprising:

a prompting component for prompting the headset to receive the audio message when manually activated by a user.

9. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker for providing audio feedback pertaining to the command.

10. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 1, wherein the communication is a telephone call, and the processor further:

determines a name associated with information identifying the caller; and

announces the name of the caller as part of the audio announcement.

11. The wireless telecommunications headset of claim 1, wherein the transceiver communicates using a Bluetooth®

radio standard.

12. A method for handling a plurality of telephonic calls, the method comprising:

associating a wireless headset with a first telephonic device;

receiving a first signal to initiate a first outgoing communication at the wireless headset;

receiving a first audio message from a user of the wireless headset;

recognizing a first command in the first audio message at the wireless headset;

forwarding the first recognized command wirelessly to the first telephonic device in order to initiate the first outgoing communication;

enabling the user to participate in the first outgoing call via the wireless headset;

associating the wireless headset with a second telephonic device without disassociating the wireless headset from the first communication device;

receiving a second audio message;

recognizing a second command in the second audio message at the wireless headset; and

forwarding the second recognized command wirelessly to the second telephonic device in order to initiate a second outgoing communication.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving notification of an incoming communication at the wireless headset from the first telephonic device;

receiving identifying information associated with the incoming communication from the first telephonic device, wherein the identifying information identifies an initiator of the incoming communication;

converting the identifying information to an audio message announcing the incoming communication at the wireless headset;

playing the audio message for the user;

receiving input from the user to answer the incoming communication; and

enabling the user to participate in the incoming communication via the wireless headset.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving input from the user includes receiving a signal from a mechanical button attached to the wireless headset.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

converting recognized speech in the first audio message into an identifier of a communications address in an address book at the wireless headset; and

forming the first recognized command using the communications address.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein converting recognized speech in the first audio message into an identifier of a communications address comprises:

isolating a search name from the audio message; and

searching for a found name approximating the search name in the address book stored in the memory.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein forwarding a first recognized command wirelessly comprises transmitting the first recognized command using a Bluetooth®

radio standard.