Audio-only user interface mobile phone pairing

• US 8,219,146 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2010
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Connors, Kirstin, Ansfield, Frederick W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic E
• Application Number:
  US12/917,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20110111741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 455/66.1, 455/344, 455/556.1, 455/575.1, 455/95, 455/550.1, 455/557
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

Address book content information and an input command set are synchronized by an audio-only user interface mobile phone with a mobile device pairing server, such that the address book content information and the input command set of the audio-only user interface mobile phone are synchronized with a display-based mobile phone and the audio-only user interface mobile phone is synchronized with the display-based mobile phone via a shared unified single telephone number. The synchronized address book content information and the synchronized input command set are stored. Audio voice input information is detected. A command associated with the stored input command set is identified within the detected audio voice input information, and the identified command is processed. Audio output is generated confirming that processing associated with the identified command is in process. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A method of pairing an audio-only user interface mobile phone with a display-based mobile phone via a shared unified single telephone number, comprising:

capacitively detecting a human hand contact on an enclosure of the audio-only user interface mobile phone;

sending, in response to the capacitive detection of the human hand contact on the enclosure of the audio-only user interface mobile phone, a synchronization request message to a mobile device pairing server;

synchronizing address book content information and an input command set via the audio-only user interface mobile phone with a mobile device pairing server, such that the address book content information and the input command set of the audio-only user interface mobile phone are synchronized with the display-based mobile phone and the audio-only user interface mobile phone is synchronized with the display-based mobile phone via the shared unified single telephone number;

storing the synchronized address book content information and the synchronized input command set;

detecting audio voice input information;

generating text input information via audio-to-text conversion of the detected audio voice input information;

identifying a command associated with the stored input command set within the generated text input information;

generating audio output confirming that processing associated with the identified command is in process;

determining that the identified command comprises a command to send a text message to a contact associated with the address book content information;

identifying the contact and text message content within the detected audio voice input information;

identifying contact information for the contact within the stored address book content information; and

sending the text message to the contact comprising the identified text message content using the identified contact information.

2. A method of pairing an audio-only user interface mobile phone with a display-based mobile phone via a shared unified single telephone number, comprising:

synchronizing address book content information and an input command set via the audio-only user interface mobile phone with a mobile device pairing server, such that the address book content information and the input command set of the audio-only user interface mobile phone are synchronized with the display-based mobile phone and the audio-only user interface mobile phone is synchronized with the display-based mobile phone via the shared unified single telephone number;

storing the synchronized address book content information and the synchronized input command set;

detecting audio voice input information;

identifying a command associated with the stored input command set within the detected audio voice input information;

processing the identified command; and

generating audio output confirming that processing associated with the identified command is in process.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

capacitively detecting a human hand contact on an enclosure of the audio-only user interface mobile phone; and

where synchronizing the address book content information and the input command set via the audio-only user interface mobile phone with the mobile device pairing server comprises synchronizing the address book content information and the input command set via the audio-only user interface mobile phone with the mobile device pairing server in response to the capacitive detection of the human hand contact on the enclosure of the audio-only user interface mobile phone.

4. The method according to claim 2, where identifying the command associated with the stored input command set within the detected audio voice input information comprises:

generating text input information via audio-to-text conversion of the detected audio voice input information; and

identifying the command within the generated text input information.

5. The method according to claim 2, where identifying the command associated with the stored input command set within the detected audio voice input information comprises:

generating recognized speech information via speech recognition processing of the detected audio voice input information; and

identifying the command within the generated recognized speech information.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the identified command comprises a command to send a text message to a contact associated with the address book content information;

identifying the contact and text message content within the detected audio voice input information;

identifying contact information for the contact within the stored address book content information; and

where processing the identified command comprises sending the text message to the contact comprising the identified text message content using the identified contact information.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the identified command comprises a command to perform a search via the Internet;

identifying search string content via audio-to-text conversion of the detected audio voice input information;

performing the Internet search via the mobile device pairing server using the audio-to-text converted search string content;

receiving search result content from the mobile device pairing server;

converting the received search result content to audio search result content via text-to-speech conversion of the received search result content; and

outputting the audio search result content.

8. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an instruction from the mobile device pairing server to terminate active operation of the audio-only user interface mobile phone;

synchronizing changed address book content information via the audio-only user interface mobile phone with the mobile device pairing server; and

entering a synchronization detection mode, where the synchronization detection mode comprises one of a capacitive detection of a human hand synchronization detection mode and a voice command synchronization detection mode.

9. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining that the identified command comprises a command to switch incoming call ring activity from the audio-only user interface mobile phone to the paired display-based mobile phone; and

sending a message to the mobile device pairing server to ring the paired display-based mobile phone for incoming calls to the shared unified single telephone number.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an instruction from the mobile device pairing server to render the audio-only user interface mobile phone inoperable;

deleting the address book content information and the shared unified single telephone number from the audio-only user interface mobile phone;

disconnecting the audio-only user interface mobile phone from the mobile device pairing server; and

deactivating operational capabilities of the audio-only user interface mobile phone.

11. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed on one or more programmed processors, carry out a method according to claim 2.

12. An audio-only user interface mobile phone for pairing with a display-based mobile phone via a shared unified single telephone number, comprising:

a memory that stores device pairing information;

an audio input device;

an audio output device; and

a processor programmed to;

synchronize address book content information and an input command set with a mobile device pairing server, such that the address book content information and the input command set of the audio-only user interface mobile phone are synchronized with the display-based mobile phone and the audio-only user interface mobile phone is synchronized with the display-based mobile phone via the shared unified single telephone number;

store the synchronized address book content information and the synchronized input command set in the memory;

detect audio voice input information via the audio input device;

identify a command associated with the stored input command set within the detected audio voice input information;

process the identified command; and

generate audio output via the audio output device confirming that processing associated with the identified command is in process.

13. The audio-only user interface mobile phone according to claim 12, where the processor is further programmed to:

capacitively detect a human hand contact on an enclosure of the audio-only user interface mobile phone; and

where, in being programmed to synchronize the address book content information and the input command set with the mobile device pairing server, the processor is programmed to synchronize the address book content information and the input command set with the mobile device pairing server in response to the capacitive detection of the human hand contact on the enclosure.

14. The audio-only user interface mobile phone according to claim 12, where, in being programmed to identify the command associated with the stored input command set within the detected audio voice input information, the processor is programmed to:

generate text input information via audio-to-text conversion of the detected audio voice input information; and

identify the command within the generated text input information.

15. The audio-only user interface mobile phone according to claim 12, where, in being programmed to identify the command associated with the stored input command set within the detected audio voice input information, the processor is programmed to:

generate recognized speech information via speech recognition processing of the detected audio voice input information; and

identify the command within the generated recognized speech information.

16. The audio-only user interface mobile phone according to claim 12, where the processor is further programmed to:

determine that the identified command comprises a command to send a text message to a contact associated with the address book content information;

identify the contact and text message content within the detected audio voice input information;

identify contact information for the contact within the stored address book content information; and

where, in being programmed to process the identified command, the processor is programmed to send the text message to the contact comprising the identified text message content using the identified contact information.

17. The audio-only user interface mobile phone according to claim 12, where the processor is further programmed to:

determine that the identified command comprises a command to perform a search via the Internet;

identify search string content via audio-to-text conversion of the detected audio voice input information;

perform the Internet search via the mobile device pairing server using the audio-to-text converted search string content;

receive search result content from the mobile device pairing server;

convert the received search result content to audio search result content via text-to-speech conversion of the received search result content; and

output the audio search result content via the audio output device.

18. The audio-only user interface mobile phone according to claim 12, where the processor is further programmed to:

receive an instruction from the mobile device pairing server to terminate active operation;

synchronize changed address book content information with the mobile device pairing server; and

enter a synchronization detection mode, where the synchronization detection mode comprises one of a capacitive detection of a human hand synchronization detection mode and a voice command synchronization detection mode.

19. The audio-only user interface mobile phone according to claim 12, where the processor is further programmed to:

determine that the identified command comprises a command to switch incoming call ring activity to the paired display-based mobile phone; and

send a message to the mobile device pairing server to ring the paired display-based mobile phone for incoming calls to the shared unified single telephone number.

20. The audio-only user interface mobile phone according to claim 12, where the processor is further programmed to:

receive an instruction from the mobile device pairing server to be rendered inoperable;

delete the address book content information and the shared unified single telephone number;

disconnect from the mobile device pairing server; and

deactivate operational capabilities.