Method and apparatus for telephonically accessing and navigating the internet

• US 7,907,703 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Patent Holding I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kwan, Richard J., Rhie, Kyung H., Hahn, John S., Olsen, Lee E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sing; Simon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed; Assad
• Application Number:
  US11/512,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20070121823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801- 8828, 704270-278
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/50 by generating or selecting currents of predetermined frequencies or combinations of frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/52 Telephonic communication in combination with fax communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53325 Interconnection arrangements between voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00206 : Transmitting or receiving computer data via an image communication device, e.g. a facsimile transceiver H04N1/00236 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00302 : with a telephonic apparatus, e.g. telephone answering machine or videotex terminal H04N1/00307 takes precedence; telephonic communication H04M
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 : with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 : in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 : using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/45 : using multi-frequency signalling H04Q1/46 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for accessing and browsing the internet through the use of a telephone and the associated DTMF signals is disclosed. The preferred embodiment provides a system that converts the information content of a web page from text to speech (voice signals), signals the hyperlink selections of a web page in an audio manner, and allows selection of the hyperlinks through the use of DTMF signals generated from a telephone keypad. Upon receiving a DTMF signal corresponding to a hyperlink, the corresponding web page is fetched and again delivered to the user via one of the available delivery methods such as voice, fax-on-demand, electronic mail, or regular mail.

Claims

1. A method for voice playback of a data file in a computer network, comprising:

organizing data in the data file into one or more sentences, a first sentence of the one or more sentences comprising one or more segments; and

generating a voice signal that corresponds to the first sentence for delivery to a user, wherein generating the voice signal comprises;

determining whether a voice pattern corresponding to at least one segment of the one or more segments is in a database; and

if the voice pattern is in the database, retrieving the voice pattern from the database;

if the voice pattern is not in the database, performing text-to-speech processing on at least on segment of the one or more segments to generate the voice pattern and saving the generated voice pattern in the database,

wherein the voice signal includes at least one of the retrieved or saved voice patterns.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of organizing the data comprises organizing the data in a data structure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data structure comprises an HTree.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data file comprises an HTML document.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and second segments are identified within the HTML document using HTML tags.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice pattern is recorded in the database using a teleprompter.

7. A system for voice playback of a data file in a computer network, comprising:

a data structure generator for organizing the data file into one or more sentences, a first sentence of the one or more sentences comprising one or more segments;

a database for storing a voice pattern;

a text-to-speech subsystem for generating the voice pattern; and

an interpreter for delivering a voice signal to a user, wherein the interpreter

consults the database to determine if the voice pattern corresponding to at least one segment of the one or more segments is in the database,

if the voice pattern is in the database, retrieves the voice pattern from the database,

if the voice pattern is not in the database, sends at least one segment of the one or more segments to the text-to-speech subsystem to generate the voice pattern, receives the generated voice pattern from the text-to-speech subsystem and saves the generated voice pattern in the database, and

generates the voice signal for delivery to the user from the at least one of the retrieved or saved voice patterns.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data structure generator organizes the data file into an HTree.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the data file comprises an HTML document.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first and second segments are identified within the HTML document using HTML tags.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a teleprompter, the teleprompter for recording the voice pattern in the database.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor to perform voice playback of a data file in a computer network, the computer program logic comprising:

generating means for enabling the processor to organize the data file into one or more sentences, a first sentence of the one or more sentences comprising one or more segments;

storage means for enabling the processor to store voice patterns in a database;

determining means for enabling the processor to determine if a voice pattern corresponding to at least on segment of the one or more segments is in the database;

database retrieval means for enabling the processor to retrieve the voice pattern from the database if the voice pattern is in the database;

text-to-speech processing means for enabling the processor to process at least one segment to generate the voice pattern and saving means for enabling the processor to save the generated voice pattern in the database if the voice pattern is not in the database; and

interpreting means for enabling the processor to deliver a voice signal to a user, the voice signal comprising the at least one of the retrieved or saved voice patterns.