Automated message conversion based on availability of bandwidth

• US 8,213,580 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Morgan, Fabian F., Walker, Keith Raymond, White Eagle, Sarah Vijoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US11/924,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20090110158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8811- 8814, 379/88.17, 379/88.26, 455/412.2, 455/413, 455/466
• US Class Current: 379/88.14
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/0018 Speech coding using phonetic or linguistical decoding of the source; Reconstruction using text-to-speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for managing a communications session. The process monitors a bandwidth of the communications device in response to detecting an exchange of audio-based messages on a communications device. In response to detecting the bandwidth below a threshold, the process converts a subsequent outgoing audio-based message into an outgoing text-based message and associates a low bandwidth indicator to the outgoing text-based message to form a distinguished text-based message. The process then transmits the distinguished text-based message for receipt by an intended recipient.

Claims

1. A method for managing a communications session, the method comprising the steps of:

responsive to a communications device detecting an exchange of audio-based messages on the communications device, the communications device monitoring a bandwidth of the communications device;

responsive to the communications device detecting the bandwidth of the communications device below a predetermined bandwidth threshold level, the communications device converting an outgoing audio-based message into an outgoing text-based message;

the communications device incorporating a low bandwidth indicator into the outgoing text-based message; and

the communications device transmitting the outgoing text-based message with the low bandwidth indicator incorporated into the outgoing text-based message to a receiving communications device associated with an intended recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the communications device converting the outgoing audio-based message into the outgoing text-based message comprises the communications device using a message converter located in the communications device to convert the outgoing audio-based message into the outgoing text-based message.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

responsive to the communications device receiving an incoming audio-based message, the communications device determining whether the incoming audio-based message has an associated low bandwidth indicator;

responsive to the communications device determining that the incoming audio-based message has an associated low bandwidth indicator, the communications device converting an audio-based message that is responsive to the incoming audio-based message to a text-based message that is responsive to the incoming audio-based message; and

the communications device transmitting the text-based message that is responsive to the incoming audio-based message to the receiving communications device associated with the intended recipient.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the communications device monitoring the bandwidth of the communications device comprises the communications device identifying a signal strength of the communications device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of the communications device identifying the signal strength of the communications device comprises the communications device monitoring a distance of the communications device from a wireless communications tower and the communications device calculating an estimated available bandwidth to the communications device based on the distance of the communications device from the wireless communications tower.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of the communications device monitoring the bandwidth of the communications device comprises the communications device periodically sending test data packets to a server via a network to measure a latency of the network.

7. A computer program product for managing a communications session, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, to monitor a bandwidth of a communications device in response to detecting an exchange of audio-based messages on the communications device;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, to convert an outgoing audio-based message into an outgoing text-based message in response to detecting the bandwidth of the communications device below a predetermined bandwidth threshold level;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, to incorporate a low bandwidth indicator into the outgoing text-based message; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, to transmit the outgoing text-based message with the low bandwidth indicator incorporated into the outgoing text-based message to a receiving communications device associated with an intended recipient.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the program instructions to convert the outgoing audio-based message into the outgoing text-based message comprise program instructions to use a message converter located in the communications device to convert the outgoing audio-based message to the outgoing text-based message.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, to determine whether an incoming audio-based message has an associated low bandwidth indicator in response to the communications device receiving the incoming audio-based message;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, to convert an audio-based message that is responsive to the incoming audio-based message to a text-based message that is responsive to the incoming audio-based message in response to determining that the incoming audio-based message has an associated low bandwidth indicator; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, to transmit the text-based message that is responsive to the incoming audio-based message to the receiving communications device associated with the intended recipient.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the program instructions to monitor the bandwidth of the communications device comprise program instructions to identify a signal strength of the communications device.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the program instructions to identify the signal strength of the communications device comprise program instructions to monitor a distance of the communications device from a wireless communications tower and calculate by the communications device an estimated available bandwidth to the communications device based on the distance of the communications device from the wireless communications tower.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the program instructions to monitor the bandwidth of the communications device comprise program instructions to periodically send test data packets to a server via a network to measure a latency of the network.

13. A communications device for managing a communications session, the communications device comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer-readable memories, to monitor a bandwidth of the communications device in response to detecting an exchange of audio-based messages on the communications device;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer-readable memories, to convert an outgoing audio-based message into an outgoing text-based message in response detecting the bandwidth of the communications device below a predetermined bandwidth threshold level;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer-readable memories, to incorporate a low bandwidth indicator into the outgoing text-based message; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer-readable memories, to transmit the outgoing text-based message with the low bandwidth indicator incorporated into the outgoing text-based message to a receiving communications device associated with an intended recipient.

14. The communications device of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to convert the outgoing audio-based message into the outgoing text-based message comprise program instructions to use a message converter located in the communications device to convert the outgoing audio-based message to the outgoing text-based message.

15. The communications device of claim 13, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer-readable memories, to determine whether an incoming audio-based message has an associated low bandwidth indicator in response to receiving the incoming audio-based message;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer-readable memories, to convert an audio-based message that is responsive to the incoming audio-based message to a text-based message that is responsive to the incoming audio-based message in response to determining that the incoming audio-based message has an associated low bandwidth indicator; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer-readable memories, to transmit the text-based message that is responsive to the incoming audio-based message to the receiving communications device associated with the intended recipient.

16. The communications device of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to monitor the bandwidth of the communications device comprise program instructions to identify a signal strength of the communications device.

17. The communications device of claim 16, wherein the program instructions to identify the signal strength of the communications device comprise program instructions to monitor a distance of the communications device from a wireless communications tower and calculate an estimated available bandwidth to the communications device based on the distance of the communications device from the wireless communications tower.

18. The communications device of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to monitor the bandwidth of the communications device comprise program instructions to periodically send test data packets to a server via a network to measure a latency of the network.