Methods and apparatus for autonomously managing communications using an intelligent intermediary

• US 8,121,653 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Schmandt, Christopher, Marti, Stefan Johannes Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): KING, SIMON
• Assistant Examiner(s): King, Simon
• Application Number:
  US11/601,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20070127704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,921 Days
• Field of Search: 455/567, 455/416, 379/202.01
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2474 Telephone terminals specially adapted for disabled people user interfaces for cordless or mobile telephones specially adapted for disabled users H04M1/72475; network based special services or facilities for hearing-impaired persons H04M3/42391; devices for conversing with the deaf-blind G09B21/04
• 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 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call including a call processor coupled to a wired or wireless telephone network for receiving an incoming telephone call directed to a called person, a conversation detector for determining whether a conversation is currently taking place between said called person and one or more other persons who are near to said called person, and a call inhibitor for inhibiting the delivery of, delaying or rerouting said incoming call if said conversation detector determines that a conversation is taking place. Each participant in the conversation is provided with a speech detector, and vibrator for producing a tactile alert when incoming calls directed to a participant arrive, and a manually operated control for issuing a veto command that inhibits the delivery of, delays, or reroutes the incoming call so that the conversation is not interrupted.

Claims

1. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset comprising:

a communications subsystem for receiving incoming telephone calls from a wired or wireless telephone network,

an alert generator for producing an audible, visible or tactile alert notification signal when an incoming call is received by said communications subsystem,

a conversation detector for analyzing ambient sound signals in the vicinity of said telephone stationset to detect speech signals that indicate that a conversation between different human speakers is taking place in the vicinity of said telephone stationset, and

means for controlling the operation of said alert generator to inhibit, delay, or change the character of said audible, visible or tactile alert signal in response to the detection of said speech signals that indicate that a conversation is taking place.

2. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 1 further including a voice mail system coupled to communications subsystem and means responsive to a veto command received from one of said human speakers for transferring said incoming call to said voice mail system so that said conversation is not interrupted.

3. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 1 wherein said conversation detector comprises a network of body worn speech sensors, each of which is worn on the body of a given one of said human speakers and generates an output signal indicating whether or not said given one of said human speakers is currently speaking.

4. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 3 wherein said conversation detector further comprises at least processor for comparing the output signals from a plurality of said body worn speech sensors to produce an indication of whether at least a particular one of said human speakers is currently talking or listening.

5. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 3 wherein said conversation detector further comprises at least one processor for comparing the output signals from a plurality of said body worn speech sensors to produce an indication of how many people are participating in a conversation with a given one of said human speakers.

6. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 3 wherein said conversation detector further comprises at least processor for comparing the output signals from a plurality of said body worn speech sensors to produce an indication that a conversation is taking place when speech signals from two or more people are detected that do not overlap for a predetermined threshold duration.

7. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 3 further comprising a plurality of different microphones each of which is carried by one of said different human speakers and wherein at least some of said microphones provide information to said processor via a short range wireless communication link.

8. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of different microphones each of which is carried by one of said different human speakers and wherein at least some of said microphones provide information to said processor via a short range wireless communication link.

9. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 8 wherein said wireless communication link employs the Bluetooth communications protocol.

10. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 8 further including a voice mail system coupled to communications subsystem and means responsive to a veto command received from one of said human speakers for transferring said incoming call to said voice mail system so that said conversation is not interrupted.

11. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 1 wherein said conversation detector for analyzing said sound signals to detect speech signals that indicate that a conversation between different human speakers is taking place detects when two or more of said human speakers speak at time which do not significantly overlap.

12. Apparatus for controlling a telephone stationset as set forth in claim 1 wherein said conversation detector comprises a network of speech detectors, each of which is positioned near one of said human speakers, each of said speech detectors including means for repeatedly transmitting an outbound TALK message when the nearby human speaker is talking and each of which receives and analyzes TALK messages from other speech detectors in said network to determine when said nearby human speaker is listening to speech detected by said other speech detectors.

13. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call comprising:

a call processor coupled to a wired or wireless telephone network for receiving an incoming telephone call directed to a called person,

a conversation detector for determining whether a conversation is currently taking place between said called person and one or more other persons who are near to said called person, and

a call inhibitor for delaying, rerouting or inhibiting the delivery of said incoming call if said conversation detector determines that a conversation is taking place.

14. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 13 wherein said call inhibitor apparatus delivers an audible, visible or tactile notification signal to each participant in said conversation that is taking place and thereafter inhibits the delivery of, delays or reroutes said incoming call in response to a veto command received from any of said participants.

15. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 14 further including a voice mail or voice messaging system coupled to said input means and a call router responsive to a veto command for transferring said incoming call to said voice mail system.

16. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 14 wherein said notification signal is produced by a vibratory transducer for applying a tactile notification signal to the body of at least one of said one or more other persons.

17. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 16 wherein said at least one of said veto commands is produced by a manually manipulatable switching device operated by one of said one or more other persons.

18. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 17 wherein said manually operated switching device is worn on the hand or wrist.

19. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 13 further including a voice mail system or a voice messaging system and wherein said call inhibitor selectively reroutes said incoming call to said voice mail system or said voice messaging system when a conversation is taking place.

20. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 19 wherein said call inhibitor selectively reroutes said incoming call to said voice mail system or said voice messaging system in response to a veto command issued by one of the participants in said conversation.

21. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 13 wherein said call inhibitor includes a manually activated switching device operated by a participant in said conversation for issuing a veto command which terminates or reroutes said incoming call.

22. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 21 wherein said manually operated switching device is worn on the hand or wrist of said participant.

23. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 13 wherein said call inhibitor further comprises:

a message receiver for storing a spoken message from the person placing said incoming call,

a speech-to-text converter for translating said spoken message into a data file containing recognized words,

a content analyzer for comparing said recognized words with a database of words known to be of interest to said called person for determining if said spoken message is of probable interest to said called person, and

a router for delivering said incoming call or said spoken message to said called person if said spoken message is determined to be of probable interest.

24. Apparatus for handling an incoming telephone call as set forth in claim 23 wherein said database of words known to be of interest to said called party is created by collecting words from computer files created by said called person.

25. A telephone control system for managing communications between a first person, a second person, and a third person, said third person being located near to said second person and engaged in a conversation with said second person, said control system comprising, in combination,

a long range communications port for receiving an incoming call or message from said first person directed to said second person,

an alert generator coupled to said communications port for notifying said third person that said incoming call or message has been received via said long range communications port,

and a call handler responsive to the receipt of a veto command from a device worn by said third person for inhibiting or delaying the delivery of said incoming call or message to said second person.

26. A telephone control system as set forth in claim 25 wherein said control system further includes a voice mail system or a voice messaging system coupled to communications port and a router responsive to said veto command for transferring said incoming call to said voice mail system or said voice messaging system so that said conversation is not interrupted.

27. A telephone control system as set forth in claim 25 further including a conversation detector for analyzing ambient sound signals in the vicinity of said second person to detect speech signals that indicate that a conversation between said second person and said third person is taking place, and means for inhibiting the operation of said alert generator when a conversation is not taking place between said second person and said third person.

28. A telephone control system as set forth in claim 27 wherein said conversation detector comprises a network of body worn speech sensors, each of which is worn on the body of a given one of said human speakers and generates an output signal indicating whether or not said given one of said human speakers is currently speaking.

29. A telephone control system as set forth in claim 27 wherein said conversation detector comprises a speech detector near said second person and a further speech detector positioned near said third person, each of said speech detectors including means for repeatedly transmitting an outbound TALK message when a nearby human speaker is talking and each of which receives and analyzes TALK messages from other speech detectors in said network to determine when said nearby human speaker is listening to speech detected by said other speech detectors.