Voice operated, matrix-connected, artificially intelligent address book system

• US 7,958,151 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Constad Transfer LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Basner, Charles M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US11/599,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/4, 707/102, 707/790, 709/217, 379/355.02
• US Class Current: 707/790
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An online address book system having sufficient hardware and software to operate an address book user interface and to perform intelligent interpretations of voice and text inputs from users. The system includes at least one server software module that includes software to perform a plurality of functions. These include the ability to receive voice input data and separate user voice queries, wherein the software can arrange the data so as to create a data base that includes at least three access dimensions, including contact access, contact-relationship access and contact-time frame access, and so as to create a connectivity matrix based on a plurality of contact pair relationships applying connective recognition logic. The system provides a voice operated user interface that permits access to address book stored data based on user input selected from the group consisting of contact, a contact-relationship pair, a contact-time frame pair, and combinations thereof.

Claims

1. An online address book system comprising:

at least one software module operable to;

receive and store address book input data for a plurality of contacts into a database, the address book input data including at least one name, and at least one of an address, a phone number or an email address for each contact;

receive and store relationship input data for each contact;

deduce additional relationship data between a first contact and a second contact by using at least one relationship definition and the relationship input data related to the first and second contacts, wherein the additional relationship data is deduced based on relationship input data between the first contact and a third contact and between the second contact and the third contact;

receive and store time frame input data based on contact-time frame inputs and display contact location information based on said contact-time frame inputs, address book input data, and a time of use;

store said address book input data in phoneme format;

arrange said address book input data in the database, the database having at least three access dimensions, including contact access, contact-relationship access and contact-time access; and

provide a user interface that permits access to address book input data based on user voice inputs selected from a contact, a contact-relationship pair, a contact-time frame pair, or any combination thereof, wherein said user voice inputs are converted to phoneme format and are then matched to said stored address book input data in phoneme format.

2. The online address book system of claim 1 wherein said software module is operable to create a connectivity matrix by operation of a subsystem that includes a plurality of relationship definitions and includes deductive logic to generate contact-relationship pairs between the first contact and the second contact, and between each contact and a current user by matching contact-relationship inputs to the relationship definitions, in phoneme format.

3. The online address book system of claim 1 wherein said software module is further operable to store, match, and prioritize query information by at least one criterion including frequency of usage, to set response priorities for subsequent queries.

4. The online address book system of claim 1 wherein said software module is further operable to match user voice inputs to at least one of existing stored address book input data or transliteration equivalent words, and, when a match fails, find the closest phoneme and query back if more than one potential match is found.

5. The online address book system of claim 1 wherein the contact-time frame pair correlates a first phone number for the first contact at a first time of day and a second phone number for the first contact at a second time of day.

6. The online address book system of claim 5 wherein said software module is operable to receive, at a time of day, a voice input request to access at least one contact, compare the voice input request to the stored address book input data in phoneme format to identify a matched contact, and provide a phone number for the matched contact that correlates to the time of day of the voice input request.

7. The online address book system of claim 5 wherein the relationship input data comprises at least one of coworker, family member, or co-organizational member.

8. The online address book system of claim 1 wherein the contact-relationship pair for the third contact defines a relationship between a user and the third contact.

9. The online address book system of claim 1 wherein the contact-relationship pair for the third contact defines a relationship between the first contact and the second contact.

10. The online address book system of claim 1, wherein the relationship definition comprises a familial relationship.

11. A method for accessing an address book system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processing device, at least one voice input entry for each of a plurality of contact records, each of the plurality of contact records including a name, relationship data, and contact data, the contact data including at least one of an address, telephone number or email address;

storing the name, relationship data, and contact data for each contact record in a corresponding contact record in a database;

converting the voice input entries to phoneme format;

deducing additional relationship data between a first contact record and a second contact record using at least one relationship definition and relationship input data related to the first and second contact records, wherein the additional relationship data is based on relationship input data between the first contact and a third contact and between the second contact and the third contact;

matching a voice input request to corresponding phoneme format to identify the first contact record; and

in response to the voice input request, returning the contact data in the first contact record.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a request for contact data of a contact record at a particular time of day; and

identifying the contact data of the contact record corresponding to the particular time of day.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising updating a contact record with alternative names based on a new name used to identify the contact record.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the relationship data comprises at least one of coworker, family member, or co-organizational member.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the voice input request comprises a request from the first contact for a contact having a relationship specified by the additional relationship data, the method further comprising:

returning the second contact responsive to the voice input request.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the relationship definition comprises a familial relationship.

17. A computer readable medium storing program instructions that, upon execution by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

storing contact records in a database, each contact record including at least one contact name, relationship data, and contact data, and at least one contact record including a first contact data correlating to a first time of day and a second contact data correlating to a second time of day;

converting voice input entries for each contact record to phoneme format;

storing the phoneme format for each contact record;

deducing a relationship between a first contact record and a second contact record using at least one relationship definition and the relationship data related to the first and second contact records, wherein the relationship is based on relationship data between the first contact and a third contact and between the second contact and the third contact; and

updating contact data in the first contact record based on the relationship between the first contact record and the second contact record.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further storing program instructions that upon execution by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a voice input request to access the at least one contact record at a particular time of day;

comparing the voice input request to the stored phoneme format to identify a matched contact record; and

providing contact data for the matched contact record correlating to the particular time of day of the voice input request.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 further storing program instructions that upon execution by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for a contact record, wherein the request for the contact record corresponds to more than one contact record;

providing each contact record that includes a contact name corresponding to the received request;

receiving a selection of one contact record; and

updating the selected contact record to include the received request for the contact record.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18 further storing program instructions that upon execution by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

identifying a relationship between the first and second contact records; and

updating the first and second contact records to reflect the identified relationship.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 18 wherein the program instructions that upon execution by an apparatus cause the apparatus to perform the operation of providing contact data for the matched contact record correlating to the particular time of day of the voice input request comprises program instructions that upon execution by the apparatus cause the apparatus to perform the operation of providing a phone number that corresponds to the time of day of the voice input request.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 18 further storing program instructions that upon execution by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for a particular relationship; and

providing a tree-structure to identify each contact record associated with the particular relationship.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the relationship definition comprises a familial relationship.

24. A system for updating an address book, the system comprising:

a digital signal processor configured to receive voice input entries for a plurality of contact records, each contact record including at least one contact name, relationship data, and contact data, the digital signal processor further configured to convert the voice input entries for each contact record to phoneme format; and

a processor configured to deduce a relationship between a first contact record and a second contact record using at least one relationship definition and the relationship data related to the first and second contact records, wherein the relationship is based on relationship data between the first contact and a third contact and between the second contact and the third contact, and, wherein the processor is further configured, based on the deduced relationship, to update the contact data in the first contact record based on the relationship between the first contact record and the second contact record.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the digital signal processor is further configured to receive a voice input request to access a contact record at a particular time of day, and the processor is further configured to compare the voice input request to stored phoneme formats for the contact records to identify a matched contact record and to provide contact data of the matched contact record, the contact data correlating to the particular time of day of the voice input request.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the processor is further configured to create a connectivity matrix by operation of a subsystem that includes a plurality of relationship definitions and further includes deductive logic to generate contact-relationship pairs between the first contact record and the second contact record, and between each contact record and a current user by matching contact-relationship inputs to the relationship definitions.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the processor is further configured to create at least one list of search records by category based on the received voice input request.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the processor configured to provide contact data of the matched contact record comprises a processor configured to provide a first telephone number for the matched contact record when the voice input request is received within a first time range and provide a second telephone number of the matched contact record when the voice input request is received within a second time range, the first time range being different from the second time range.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the relationship definition comprises a familial relationship.

30. A system for updating an address book, the system comprising:

means for receiving voice input entries for a plurality of contact records, each contact record including at least one contact name, relationship data, and contact data, and at least one contact record including a first contact data correlating to a first time of day and a second contact data correlating to a second time of day;

means for storing the contact records in a database;

means for converting the voice input entries for each contact record to phoneme format;

means for storing the phoneme format for each contact record;

means for deducing a relationship between a first contact record and a second contact record using at least one relationship definition and the relationship data related to the first and second contact records, wherein the relationship is based on relationship data between the first contact and a third contact and between the second contact and the third contact; and

means for updating contact data in the first contact record based on a change made to contact data in the second contact record and the deduced relationship.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the relationship definition comprises a familial relationship.