Method and apparatus for voice interactive messaging

• US 8,755,494 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2012
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takeda, Kyoko, Booth, Theodore R. III, Clement, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, MD S
• Application Number:
  US13/711,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20130136243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801- 8804, 379/88.23, 379/88.24, 1/1, 709/206, 455/404.2, 704/254, 704/270.1, 704/275
• US Class Current: 379/88.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/65 Recording arrangements for recording a message from the calling party in the exchange H04M3/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/39 using speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

An audio indication of a message recipient is received from a user who desires that a message be sent to the message recipient. The audio indication is analyzed to determine the recipient and searching an electronic database for an account of the recipient. Information is retrieved from the electronic account. The retrieved information indicates at one or more modes of message delivery to the recipient. An audio guide for the user based is constructed upon the retrieved information. The audio guide includes one or more audio prompts that are entirely customizable and not based upon a predetermined pattern. The user is sequentially prompted with the audio prompts to select at least one of the modes of message delivery. The message is constructed and sent to the recipient according to the selected mode of message delivery.

Claims

1. A method for sending messages to a recipient, the method comprising,

receiving an audio indication of a message recipient from a user who desires that a message be sent to the message recipient;

analyzing the audio indication to determine the recipient and searching an electronic database for an electronic account of the recipient;

retrieving information from the electronic account, the retrieved information indicating one or more modes of message delivery to the recipient;

analyzing a content of the account to identify a next piece of information;

constructing an audio guide for the user based upon the retrieved information, the audio guide including one or more audio prompts, the prompts being entirely customizable and not based upon a predetermined pattern wherein, an informational content of the prompts, a sequence of the prompts, and a format of the prompts being changeable between users;

sequentially prompting the user with the audio prompts to select at least one of the modes of message delivery and to obtain the next piece of that is needed to construct the message;

constructing and sending the message to the recipient according to the selected mode of message delivery.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic database comprises an electronic address book.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is a recorded voice message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more modes of message delivery is a delivery mode selected from the group consisting of email and a phone.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing comprises using an independent voice recognition system to determine the recipient.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein constructing the message comprises obtaining a message content from the user.

7. A apparatus, the apparatus comprising,

an interface having an input and output, the interface configured to receive at the input an audio indication of a message recipient from a user who desires that a message be sent to the message recipient;

a controller, the controller being coupled to the interface, the controller configured to analyze the audio indication to determine the recipient and search an electronic database for an electronic account of the recipient, the controller further configured to retrieve information from the electronic account, the retrieved information indicating at one or more modes of message delivery to the recipient, the controller configured to analyze a content of the account to identify a next piece of information, the controller further configured to construct an audio guide for the user based upon the retrieved information, the audio guide including one or more audio prompts, the prompts being entirely customizable and not based upon a predetermined pattern wherein, an informational content of the prompts, a sequence of the prompts, and a format of the prompts being changeable between users, the controller further configured to sequentially prompt the user at the output with the audio prompts to select at least one of the modes of message delivery and to obtain the next piece of that is needed to construct the message, the controller configured to construct and send the message to the recipient according to the selected mode of message delivery.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the electronic database comprises an electronic address book.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the message is a recorded voice message.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the one or more modes of message delivery is a delivery mode selected from the group consisting of email and a phone.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the controller analyzes the audio indicator using an independent voice recognition system to determine the recipient.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the controller constructs the message with a message content obtained from the user at the input.