Command and control of devices and applications by voice using a communication base system

• US 9,026,447 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Geldbach, Erik, Rooks, Kelsyn D. Sr., Smith, Shane M., Wilmoth, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Saint Cyr, Leonard
• Application Number:
  US12/011,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,657 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A first communication path for receiving a communication is established. The communication includes speech, which is processed. A speech pattern is identified as including a voice-command. A portion of the speech pattern is determined as including the voice-command. That portion of the speech pattern is separated from the speech pattern and compared with a second speech pattern. If the two speech patterns match or resemble each other, the portion of the speech pattern is accepted as the voice-command. An operation corresponding to the voice-command is determined and performed. The operation may perform an operation on a remote device, forward the voice-command to a remote device, or notify a user. The operation may create a second communication path that may allow a headset to join in a communication between another headset and a communication device, several headsets to communicate with each other, or a headset to communicate with several communication devices.

Claims

1. A method for controlling devices and applications using voice-commands, the method comprising:

establishing a first communication path directly between a user and a base station for receiving a communication;

establishing communication paths between the user and a plurality of communication devices via the base station;

relaying communications between the user and the plurality of communication devices;

identifying, by the base station, during the communications between the user and the plurality of communication devices, a speech pattern from the user, as including a voice-command, wherein the speech pattern is identified as including a voice command by a command processing module of the base station by the detection of a preliminary pre-determined address word;

separating, by the bases station, the voice command portion of the speech pattern from the address word portion of the speech pattern;

determining, by the base station, an operation corresponding to the voice-command portion of the speech pattern; and

performing, by the base station, the operation on one or more communication devices within the plurality of communication devices selected by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation for the voice command of the user differs from an operation for the voice command of a second user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation establishes a second communication path between the user that sent the voice-command and third communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation is forwarding the voice-command to one or more communications devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation is sending a notification to a second user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the address word is a phrase in a non-English language as predetermined by the first party.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the address word is a user-specified noun.

8. A base system includes non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing computer executable instructions for controlling devices and applications using voice-commands that, when executed, cause the base station to:

establish a first communication path with a user through the base station for receiving a communication;

establishing communication paths between the user and a plurality of communication devices via the base station;

receive and identify during the communications between the user and the plurality of communication devices a speech pattern including a voice-command, wherein the speech pattern is identified as including a voice command by a command processing module of the base station by the detection of a preliminary pre-determined address word;

separate the voice command portion of the speech pattern from the address word portion of the speech pattern;

determine an operation corresponding to the voice-command portion of the speech pattern; and

perform the operation on one or more communication devices within the plurality of communication devices selected by the user.

9. The base station of claim 8, wherein the instructions causing the base station to receive the voice-command further include instructions to:

process a speech included in the communication;

identify a speech pattern in the speech as including a voice-command;

determine a portion of the speech pattern as including the voice-command;

separate the portion of the speech pattern from the speech pattern;

compare the portion of the speech pattern with a second speech pattern; and

accept the portion of the speech pattern as the voice-command.

10. The base station of claim 8, wherein instructions causing the base station to perform the operation include communicating instructions to perform the operation on a remote device.

11. The base station of claim 8, wherein the operation forwards the voice-command to a remote device.

12. A base system for controlling devices and applications using voice-commands, the base system comprising:

a plurality of communication devices

a user-side interface coupled to a first communication path and configured receive verbal communications from a user, said verbal communications comprising in part a voice-command from the user; and

a processing engine in communication the user-side interface through the first communication path, the processing engine being configured receive and identify during verbal communications between the user and the plurality of communication devices a speech pattern including a voice-command, wherein the speech pattern is identified by the processing engine as including a voice command by the detection of a preliminary pre-determined address word, wherein the processing engine is further configured to separate the voice command portion of the speech pattern from the address word portion of the speech pattern, determine an operation corresponding to the voice-command portion of the speech pattern, and perform the operation on any number of user-selected communication devices coupled to a network side interface.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user-side interface receives the voice-command during the communication.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the operation is establishing a second communication path between a source of the voice-command and second device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second communication path enables a plurality of headsets to communicate with each other.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the address word is a phrase in a non-English language as predetermined by the first party.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the address word is a user-specified noun.