Communication converter for converting audio information/textual information to corresponding textual information/audio information

• US 8,924,217 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2011
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Moore, Richard G., Mumford, Gregory L., Gunasekar, Duraisamy
• Primary Examiner(s): ALBERTALLI, BRIAN LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US13/096,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 : wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 : Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 : Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 : Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/07 : Split billing, i.e. both A-party and B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 : Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/09 : Third party charged communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/51 : for resellers, retailers or service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 : for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 : for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/57 : for integrated multimedia messaging subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/63 : based on the content carried by the session initiation protocol [SIP] messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7655 : shared by technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/77 : involving multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/772 : per service, e.g. prepay or post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8292 : Charging for signaling or unsuccessful connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 : Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 : Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 : Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 : Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 : Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems unified messaging in packet switching networks H04L51/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 : Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 : VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/208 : IMS, i.e. Integrated Multimedia messaging Subsystem
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/44 : Charging/billing arrangements for connection made over different networks, e.g. wireless and PSTN, ISDN, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/54 : Resellers-retail or service providers billing, e.g. agreements with telephone service operator, activation, charging/recharging of accounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 : Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/64 : Split billing, sharing the cost of calls, e.g. between calling and called parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/66 : Third party billing, i.e. third party can also be the predetermined telephone line of the caller if he is calling from another telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/725 : Shared by technologies, e.g. one account for different access technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7254 : Multiple accounts per user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7263 : per service, e.g. prepay and post-pay
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 : Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 : Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42127 : Systems providing several special services or facilities from groups H04M3/42008 - H04M3/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 : Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 : Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 : Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 : Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 : for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 : Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53308 : Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0003 : Interconnection between telephone networks and data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 : Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0045 : where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0048 : where the text-based messaging service is a Short Message Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0051 : where the data service is a multimedia messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 : where the data service is an electronic mail service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/125 : Details of gateway equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 : Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2335 : involving reformatting operations of audio signals, e.g. by converting from one coding standard to another details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 : by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 : by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 : by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text

Abstract

A communication converter is described for converting among speech signals and textual information, permitting communication between telephone users and textual instant communications users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, as part of chat-based service, textual information corresponding to an instant messaging session over a data connection;

allocating resources and communication ports for conversion of the textual information into a speech signal;

receiving commands by at least one controller from an intelligent gateway for coordinating connections between the receipt of the textual information and the conversion of the textual information into the speech signal, the at least one controller and the intelligent gateway being remote from each other; and

converting, by the processor, the textual information into the speech signal for transmission over a telephony connection during the instant messaging session,

wherein the received textual information is from a particular person, and the speech signal conveys sex, approximate age, vocal characteristics, inflection, and local dialect of the particular person,

wherein the textual information includes one or more emoticon symbols indicative of emotion, and

wherein the converting includes converting the one or more emoticon symbols into one or more sound effects corresponding to the one or more emoticon symbols.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a communicating party has requested the conversion of the textual information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting one or more identifiers; and

interacting with the communicating party to receive the request for the conversion of the textual information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

counting at least one of a number of packets processed and a number of symbols converted during the conversion; and

generating a message to inform a billing system of the conversion or the receipt of the textual information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking usage charges relating to the conversion or the receipt of the textual information; and

determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.

6. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

receive, as part of a chat-based service, textual information corresponding to an instant messaging session over a data connection,

allocate resources and communication ports for conversion of the textual information into a speech signal,

receive commands by at least one controller from an intelligent gateway for coordinating connections between the receipt of the textual information and the conversion of the textual information into the speech signal, the at least one controller and the intelligent gateway being remote from each other, and

convert the textual information into the speech signal for transmission over a telephony connection during the instant messaging session,

wherein the received textual information is from a particular person, and the speech signal conveys sex, approximate age, vocal characteristics, inflection, and local dialect of the particular person,

wherein the textual information includes one or more emoticon symbols indicative of emotion, and

wherein the converting includes converting the one or more emoticon symbols into one or more sound effects corresponding to the one or more emoticon symbols.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine that a communicating party has requested the conversion of the textual information.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

transmit one or more identifiers; and

interact with the communicating party to receive the request for the conversion of the textual information.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

generate a message to inform a billing system of the conversion or the receipt of the textual information.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

track usage charges relating to the conversion or the receipt of the textual information; and

determine whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, as part of a chat-based service, a speech signal over a telephone connection;

allocating resources and communication ports for conversion of audio information in the speech signal into textual information

receiving commands by at least one controller from an intelligent gateway for coordinating connections between the receipt of the speech signal and the conversion of the audio information in the speech signal into the textual information, the at least one controller and the intelligent gateway being remote from each other; and

converting, by the processor, the audio information in the speech signal into the textual information, the textual information is associated with an instant messaging session for transmission to an instant messaging application over a data connection,

wherein the received speech signal is from a particular person, and the text information conveys one or more of a screen name, an image or iconic representation, and a sound bite,

wherein the audio information includes information of one or more emotions, and

wherein the converting includes converting the information regarding one or more emotions into one or more symbols corresponding the one or more emotions.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining through the processor, that a communicating party has requested the conversion of the speech signal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting one or more identifiers; and

interacting, by the processor, with the communicating party to receive the request for the conversion of the speech signal.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, by the processor, a message to inform a billing system of the conversion or the receipt of the speech signal.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

tracking, through the processor, usage charges relating to the conversion or the receipt of the speech signal; and

determining whether payment can be obtained for usage charges based on the tracking through the processor of the usage charges.

16. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

receive, as part of a chat-based service, a speech signal over a telephone connection,

allocate resources and communication ports for conversion of audio information in the speech signal into textual information,

receive commands by at least one controller from an intelligent gateway for coordinating connections between the receipt of the speech signal and the conversion of the audio information in the speech signal into the textual information, the at least one controller and the intelligent gateway being remote from each other, and

convert the audio information in the speech signal into the textual information, the textual information is associated with an instant messaging session for transmission to an instant messaging application over a data connection,

wherein the received speech signal is from a particular person, and the text information conveys one or more of a screen name, an image or iconic representation, and a sound bite,

wherein the audio information includes information of one or more emotions, and

wherein the converting includes converting the information regarding one or more emotions into one or more symbols corresponding the one or more emotions.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine that a communicating party has requested the conversion of the speech signal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

transmit one or more identifiers; and

interact with the communicating party to receive the request for the conversion of the speech signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

generate a message to inform a billing system of the conversion or the receipt of the speech signal.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

track usage charges relating to the conversion or the receipt of the speech signal; and

determine whether payment can be obtained for usage charges.