Method and system for providing an audio representation of a name

• US 8,416,926 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujita-Yuhas, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US11/691,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20080240382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,206 Days
• Field of Search: 379/70, 379/201.07
• US Class Current: 379/70
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis speech synthesis per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A system and method for providing an audio representation of a name includes providing a list of a plurality of users of a network and respective presence information regarding each of the plurality of users; receiving a request from an endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of a particular user of the plurality of users, and providing the audio representation to the endpoint. Moreover, the audio representation of the name at least generally approximates a pronunciation of the name as pronounced by the particular user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a list of a plurality of users of a network and respective presence information regarding each of the plurality of users;

prior to establishing a communication connection between an endpoint and a particular user of the plurality of users, receiving a request from the endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of the particular user of the plurality of users;

providing the audio representation to the endpoint; and

after providing the audio representation to the endpoint, receiving a request from the endpoint to establish the communication connection with the particular user;

wherein the audio representation of the name at least generally approximates a pronunciation of the name as pronounced by the particular user; and

wherein receiving a request from the endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of the particular user comprises receiving notification that an icon associated with the particular user has been selected from a plurality of icons.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio representation comprises a voiceprint of the name that was recorded by the particular user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio representation resides on a remote system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the audio representation further comprises referencing or synchronizing with a database of audio representations residing on a remote system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the audio representation further comprises retrieving the audio representation from a database of audio representations residing on a remote system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the audio representation of the name from a plurality of different audio representations of the name previously recorded by the user, using presence based call routing rules, caller identification information, or phone number association.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of the plurality of users comprises a plurality of icons, each icon being associated with a respective one of the plurality of users.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the endpoint comprises a device capable of placing a telephone call;

receiving a request from an endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of a particular user comprises receiving a telephone call directed to the particular user, and

providing the audio representation to the endpoint comprises delaying connection of the endpoint and the particular user for real-time communication until the audio representation has been provided to the endpoint.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting a party associated with the endpoint to provide a caller-identifying audio representation of the party'"'"'s name; and

providing the caller-identifying audio representation of the party'"'"'s name to the particular user before connecting the endpoint and the particular user in a real-time communication session.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing the caller-identifying audio representation of the party'"'"'s name.

11. A system, comprising:

an interface operable to provide a list of a plurality of users of a network and respective presence information regarding each of the plurality of users;

a processor operable to;

prior to establishing a communication connection between an endpoint and a particular user of the plurality of users, receive a request from the endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of the particular user of the plurality of users; and

after the audio representation is provided to the endpoint, receive a request from the endpoint to establish the communication connection with the particular user;

a transmission module operable to provide the audio representation to the endpoint; and

wherein the audio representation of the name at least generally approximates a pronunciation of the name as pronounced by the particular user; and

wherein the processor is further operable to receive a request from the endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of the particular user of the plurality of users by receiving notification that an icon associated with the particular user has been selected from a plurality of icons.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the audio representation comprises a voiceprint of the name that was recorded by the particular user.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmission module is further operable to reference or synchronize with a database of audio representations residing on a remote system.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmission module is further operable to retrieve the audio representation of the name from a database of audio representations residing on a remote system.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the list of the plurality of users comprises a plurality of icons, each icon being associated with a respective one of the plurality of users.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the processor is further operable to receive a request from an endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of a particular user of the plurality of users by receiving a telephone call directed to the particular user; and

the transmission module is further operable to delay connection of the endpoint and the particular user for real-time communication until the audio representation has been provided to the endpoint.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the processor is further operable to request a party associated with the endpoint to provide a caller-identifying audio representation of the party'"'"'s name; and

the transmission module is operable to provide the caller-identifying audio representation of the party'"'"'s name to the particular user before connecting the endpoint and the particular user in a real-time communication session.

18. A system comprising:

means for providing a list of a plurality of users of a network and respective presence information regarding each of the plurality of users;

means for, prior to establishing a communication connection between an endpoint and a particular user of the plurality of users, receiving a request from the endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of the particular user of the plurality of users;

means for providing the audio representation to the endpoint; and

means for, after providing the audio representation to the endpoint, receiving a request from the endpoint to establish the communication connection with the particular user;

wherein the audio representation of the name at least generally approximates a pronunciation of the name as pronounced by the particular user; and

wherein the means for, prior to establishing a communication connection between an endpoint and a particular user of the plurality of users, receiving a request from the endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of the particular user of the plurality of users comprises the means for, prior to establishing a communication connection between an endpoint and a particular user of the plurality of users, receiving notification that an icon associated with the particular user has been selected from a plurality of icons.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the audio representation comprises a voiceprint of the name that was recorded by the particular user.

20. Software embodied in a computer readable medium and comprising computer code such that when executed is operable to:

provide a list of a plurality of users of a network and respective presence information regarding each of the plurality of users;

prior to establishing a communication connection between an endpoint and a particular user of the plurality of users, receive a request from the endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of the particular user of the plurality of users;

provide the audio representation to the endpoint; and

after providing the audio representation to the endpoint, receive a request from the endpoint to establish the communication connection with the particular user;

wherein the audio representation of the name at least generally approximates a pronunciation of the name as pronounced by the particular user; and

wherein code operable to, prior to establishing a communication connection between an endpoint and a particular user of the plurality of users, receive a request from the endpoint to receive an audio representation of a name of the particular user of the plurality of users comprises code operable to, prior to establishing a communication connection between an endpoint and a particular user of the plurality of users, receive notification that an icon associated with the particular user has been selected from a plurality of icons.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein the audio representation comprises a voiceprint of the name that was recorded by the particular user.