Communications using different modalities

• US 8,131,556 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Barton, William F., Galanes, Francisco M., Ockene, Lawrence M., Ramakrishna, Anand, Saraf, Tal
• Primary Examiner(s): Sked, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US11/695,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20080249778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 704/235, 704/260, 704/270, 704/270.1, 379/88.01, 715/758
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/006 Call diverting means
• 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 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0045 where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service

Abstract

Communications between users of different modalities are enabled by a single integrated platform that allows both the input of voice (from a telephone, for example) to be realized as text (such as an interactive text message) and allows the input of text (from the interactive text messaging application, for example) to be realized as voice (on the telephone). Real-time communication may be enabled between any permutation of any number of text devices (desktop, PDA, mobile telephone) and voice devices (mobile telephone, regular telephone, etc.). A call to a text device user may be initiated by a voice device user or vice versa.

Claims

1. A system for cross-modal communication comprising:

a processing means comprising a processor; and

a single platform for cross-modal communication between a first device of a first mode and a second device of a second mode different than the first mode, wherein the single platform provides options to the first device for selecting the second mode from a plurality of available modes determined based on an availability of a user of the second device with respect to the plurality of available modes, wherein a first message in the first mode sent from the first device to the second device is converted from the first mode to the second mode and is received on the second device in the second mode and a second message in the second mode sent from the second device to the first device is converted from the second mode to the first mode and is received on the first device in the first mode, the single platform collecting information relating to a topic and an urgency of at least one of the first message and the second message and classifying at least one of the first message and the second message based on the collected information relating to the topic and the urgency.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mode is voice.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second mode is text.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first mode is text.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second mode is voice.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first device is a desktop telephone, cellular telephone, PDA, smart phone, or a PC based soft-phone.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second device is an interactive text messaging client.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the cross-modal communication occurs in real-time.

9. A method for cross-modal communication comprising:

receiving a request for cross-modal communication between a first device of a first mode and a second device of a second mode;

providing options to the first device for selecting the second mode from a plurality of available modes determined based on an availability of a user of the second device with respect to the plurality of available modes;

collecting information relating to a topic and an urgency of the request and classifying the request based on the collected information relating to the topic and the urgency of the request;

establishing a communication session between the first device and the second device wherein a first message sent from the first device to the second device is converted from a first mode to a second mode and wherein a second message sent from the second device to the first device is converted from the second mode to the first mode; and

generating a third message to request from the first device additional information not included in the first message for classifying the first message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first mode is voice and the second mode is text.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first mode is text and the second mode is voice.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a user of the first device is a caller and a user of the second device is a callee.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the communication session is established according to a set of rules associated with the caller.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the communication session is established according to a set of rules associated with the callee.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the communication session is conducted in real-time.

16. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed cause a computing environment to:

receive a request for cross-modal communication between a first device of a first mode and a second device of a second mode;

provide options to the first device for selecting the second mode from a plurality of available modes determined based on an availability of a user of the second device with respect to the plurality of available modes;

collect information relating to a topic and an urgency of the request and classifying the request based on the collected information relating to the topic and the urgency of the request;

establish a communication session between the first device and the second device wherein a first message sent from the first device to the second device is converted from a first mode to a second mode and wherein a second message sent from the second device to the first device is converted from the second mode to the first mode; and

generating a third message to request from the first device additional information not included in the first message for classifying the first message.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising additional computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computing environment to:

convert a voice message to text, wherein the first mode is voice and the second mode is text.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising additional computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computing environment to:

convert a text message to voice, wherein the first mode is voice and the second mode is text.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising additional computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computing environment to:

send the converted message to the second device.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, comprising additional computer-executable instructions that when executed cause the computing environment to:

conduct the communication session in real-time.