Device independent text captioned telephone service

• US 8,917,821 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Engelke, Robert M., Colwell, Kevin R., Vitek, Troy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US13/790,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20130188784A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/93.15
• US Class Current: 379/52
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2475 for a hearing impaired user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• 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 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

A system and method for presenting caller ID information related to a caption assisted telephone call incorporating a first party Network appliance, a first party telephone service/terminal, and a relay linkable to the first party Network appliance via the Internet.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a relay linkable to at least one first party Network appliance via at least the Internet to provide, at least in part, a caption assisted telephone call with a second party, the first party Network appliance including at least one display, the relay configured to;

obtain second party identifying information;

effect provision of at least relay service identifying information via a telephone service to at least one of the first party Network appliance and a first party telephone service in response to obtaining the second party identifying information; and

effect provision of at least the second party identifying information via the Internet to the first party Network appliance in response to obtaining the second party identifying information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first party telephone service is associated with a first party telephone terminal that includes a telephone display that is separate from the first party Network appliance display, the relay being configured to effect presentation of the service identifying information via the first party telephone terminal display.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first party Network appliance is also used as a first party telephone terminal and wherein the relay is configured to effect presentation of the second party identifying information and the service identifying information via the Network appliance display.

4. A system for presenting caller ID information related to a caption assisted telephone call, the system comprising:

a first party Network appliance including at least one Network appliance display, the first party Network appliance configured to;

link to a relay via the Internet;

receive second party identification information from the relay via the Internet in response to the relay obtaining the second party identification information pertaining to a second party attempting to communicate with a first party; and

display the second party identification information on the at least one Network appliance display; and

a first party telephone terminal including at least one telephone terminal display, the first party telephone terminal configured to;

link to the relay via a first party telephone service;

receive relay service identification information from the relay via the first party telephone service in response to the relay obtaining the second party identification information; and

display the relay service identification information on the at least one telephone terminal display.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the first party Network appliance comprises the first party telephone terminal.

5. A method for presenting caller ID information related to a caption assisted telephone call, the method comprising:

at a relay linkable to a first party Network appliance via the Internet and linkable to a first party telephone service;

obtaining by the relay second party identifying information pertaining to a second party;

effecting provision of relay service identifying information by the relay to a first party via the first party telephone service in response to obtaining the second party identification information; and

effecting provision of the second party identifying information by the relay via the Internet to the first party via the first party Network appliance in response to obtaining the second party identifying information.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first party is associated with a first party telephone terminal that includes a telephone display that is separate from a display of the first party Network appliance, the relay effecting provision of the relay service identifying information via the first party telephone terminal display.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein effecting provision of the relay service identifying information by the relay to the first party via the first party telephone service further comprises effecting provision of the relay service identifying information by the relay to the first party via the first party telephone service via the first party Network appliance.