Method and apparatus for pictorial identification of a communication event

• US 8,571,320 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Original Assignee: Conversant Wireless Licensing S.à.r.l. (f/k/a Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.) (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Inventors: Lindroos, Sanna, Jokinen, Pivi
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/302,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20070133875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,878 Days
• Field of Search: 382/181, 382/231, 382/100
• US Class Current: 382/181
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/289 Phrasal analysis, e.g. finite state techniques or chunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

The specification and drawings present a new method, apparatus and software product for pictorial identification of a communication event using speech or text recognition in an electronic device. The communication can be (but is not limited to) a telephone call, an electronic mail message, MMS, SMS, an instant message, etc. Words from the communication event are identified using the speech or text recognition by the electronic device and at least one picture out of a library of reference pictures is identified by comparing the identified words with the key picture words using a predetermined criterion. Color background of the identified standard picture can be also identified using the identified words and a further predetermined criterion. The identified picture can be displayed during the communications event or can be stored so the user can identify the topic of the communication event later on.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

initiating, by a first device, a communication event comprising speech, text, or both speech and text with a second device via a network connection;

identifying, by said first device, words from said communication event using at least one of speech recognition and text recognition during the communication event, said identified words comprising words received via a user interface of said first device and words received via said network connection from said second device;

identifying, by said first device, at least one picture from a library of reference pictures stored in said first device by comparing said identified words with a plurality of key picture words during the communication event, each of the at least one picture in the library of the reference pictures corresponding to at least one of the key picture words; and

storing said at least one picture identified from said library in the first device such that a topic of the communication event is associated with the stored at least one picture.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first device identifying and storing a background color out of a library of reference colors for the identified at least one picture by comparing said identified words with key color words, wherein each background color out of the library of the reference colors is uniquely identified by at least one of the key color words to facilitate identification of said topic of the communication event by displaying said at least one stored picture with said stored background color.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, if said background color is not identified by the first device, a predefined default background color is used by the first device for said identified standard picture.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said library of reference colors and said key color words are stored in said first device.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising at least one of:

the first device displaying said identified picture with said identified background color or said predefined default background color on said display of said first device during said communication event; and

the first device storing said identified picture with said identified background color or with said predefined default background color in said first device after said communication event is terminated.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said library of reference colors or said key color words can be altered via said user interface of said first device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said comparing said identified words with key color words is based on a predetermined criterion that can be altered via said user interface of said first device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

the first device displaying said identified picture on a display of said first device during said communication event, and

the first device storing said identified picture in said first device after said communication event is terminated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said communication event is one event out of:

a telephone call,

an electronic mail message,

a multimedia messaging service message,

a short message service message, and

an instant message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said library of reference pictures and said key picture words can be altered via said user interface of said first device.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium stored with code thereon for execution by a computer processor in the first device wherein said code includes instructions for performing the method of claim 1 by the first device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first device identifying more than one picture out of the library from corresponding identified words and storing said more than one picture identified out of said library after the communication event in said communication log of communication events in association with a timeline displayable on said first device.

13. An apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory including computer program code, the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform the following acts:

identify a word selected from among words from a communication event facilitated by a network connection with another apparatus using speech recognition, text recognition, or both, during the communication event and for providing the identified word, said words comprising words received via said network connection from said other apparatus and words received via a user, interface of said apparatus;

identify a picture out of a library of reference pictures by comparing said identified word with picture words identifying said reference pictures in said library during the communication event, wherein each reference picture in the library of the reference pictures is identified by a unique picture word; and

store said identified picture after the communication event in a communication log of communication events such that a topic of the communication event is associated with the stored at least one picture.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said processor and said memory with the program code are configured to cause said apparatus to identify and store a background color out of a library of reference colors for the identified picture by comparing said identified word with color words, wherein each background color out of the library of reference colors is uniquely identified by at least one color word to facilitate identification of said topic of the communication event by said apparatus later retrieving and displaying said at least one stored picture with said stored background color.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, if said background color is not identified, said processor and said memory with the program with code are configured to cause the apparatus use a predefined default background color for said identified picture.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said processor and said memory with the program with code are configured to cause said apparatus to display said stored picture with said identified background color.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said speech communication event is one event out of:

a telephone call,

an electronic mail message,

a multimedia messaging service message,

a short message service message, and

an instant message.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said apparatus is a computer, a communication device, a wireless communication device, a portable electronic device, a mobile electronic device or a mobile phone.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, said memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to identify more than one picture out of the library from corresponding identified words and to store said more than one picture identified out of said library after the communication event in a communication log of communication events in association with a timeline displayable on said apparatus.