Systems and methods for using a caption device with a mobile device

• US 9,191,789 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sorenson Ip Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Captioncall LLC
• Inventors: Pan, Jasper Cheekeong
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US14/044,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/41.2, 455/414.1, 379/52, 709/206, 704/235, 725/135, 725/4, 725/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A communication system including a caption device and a mobile device configured to engage in communication with each other. The caption device is configured to receive a text signal originating at a relay service, the text signal corresponding to a far-end voice signal originating at a far-end device. The caption device is configured to display text corresponding to the text signal on a display. The relay service is configured to receive the far-end voice signal, and transmit the text signal to the caption device. The mobile device is configured to receive the far-end voice signal, and transmit the far-end voice signal to the relay service. A method of facilitating a captioned conversation between a far-end user and a near-end user having a caption device includes establishing communication between a caption device and a mobile device, and between the caption device and a relay service.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a caption device configured to display text captions corresponding to voice communications between a mobile device located at a same near-end location as the caption device and a far-end communication device to enable a hearing-impaired user of the mobile device to participate in communication sessions with a far-end user of the far-end communication device, wherein the caption device and the mobile device have different calling numbers, further, the caption device comprising;

at least one communication element configured to enable the caption device to communicate with the mobile device and a relay service;

an electronic display configured to display the text captions; and

control circuitry operably coupled to the at least one communication element and the electronic display, the control circuitry configured to;

establish communication with a mobile device to communicate a far-end voice signal therebetween;

transmit the near-end voice signal to the far-end device through the mobile device;

receive the far-end voice signal from the far-end device through the mobile device;

transmit the far-end voice signal directly to the relay service;

receive a text signal originating at the relay service, the text signal corresponding to a transcript of the far-end voice signal originating at a far-end device, wherein the text signal is received directly from the relay service; and

cause the text captions corresponding to the text signal to be displayed on the electronic display.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is configured to establish communication with the mobile device responsive to a user input to the caption device.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the caption device further comprises a sync button, and wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is further configured to establish communication with the mobile device responsive to a detection of a user selecting the sync button.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the at least one communication element comprises a wireless transceiver.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the at least one communication element comprises an electrical connector configured to operably couple with the mobile device through a cable.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the caption device further comprises an input device configured to detect a selection of a sync option, wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is configured to establish communication with the mobile device responsive to the selection of the sync option.

7. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising the relay service, wherein the relay service is configured to:

receive the far-end voice signal directly from the caption device while the caption device and the mobile device are in communication with each other; and

transmit the text signal comprising the text transcript corresponding to the far-end voice signal directly to the caption device.

8. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is configured to:

receive the far-end voice signal from the far-end device; and

transmit the far-end voice signal to the relay service through the caption device.

9. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the caption device further comprises:

a microphone configured to generate the near-end audio signal; and

a speaker configured to reproduce the far-end audio signal as audible sound, wherein the control circuitry is configured to disable at least one of the microphone and the speaker while hearing impaired user has selected using audio elements of the mobile device during a sync mode.

10. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is further configured to disconnect the communication with the mobile device to disable captioning without disconnecting a call between the mobile device and the far-end device.

11. A communication system, comprising:

a caption device configured to display text captions corresponding to voice communications between a mobile device located at a same near-end location as the caption device and a far-end communication device to enable a hearing-impaired user of the mobile device to participate in communication sessions with a far-end user of the far-end communication device, wherein the caption device and the mobile device have different calling numbers, further, the caption device comprising;

at least one communication element configured to enable the caption device to communicate with the mobile device;

an electronic display configured to display the text captions; and

control circuitry operably coupled to the at least one communication element and the electronic display, the control circuitry configured to;

establish communication with a mobile device to communicate a far-end voice signal therebetween;

transmit the near-end voice signal to the far-end device through the mobile device;

receive the far-end voice signal from the far-end device through the mobile device;

receive a text signal originating at a relay service, the text signal corresponding to a transcript of the far-end voice signal originating at a far-end device, wherein the text signal is received from the relay service through the mobile device; and

cause the text captions corresponding to the text signal to be displayed on the electronic display.

12. The communication system of claim 11, further comprising the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is configured to:

receive the far-end voice signal from the far-end device; and

transmit the far-end voice signal directly to the relay service;

receive the text signal from the relay service; and

transmit the text signal to the caption device.

13. The communication system of claim 11, further comprising the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is configured to:

receive the near-end voice signal from the caption device;

transmit the near-end voice signal to the far-end device; and

transmit the far-end voice signal to the caption device.

14. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is further configured to disconnect the communication with the mobile device to disable captioning without disconnecting a call between the mobile device and the far-end device.

15. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the different numbers of the mobile device and the caption device are selected from the group consisting of a phone number and an IP address.

16. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is configured to sync with the mobile device automatically with the mobile device without user input responsive to detecting the presence of the mobile device.

17. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is configured to establish communication with the mobile device responsive to the hearing-impaired user selecting a sync input on the mobile device.

18. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is configured to establish communication with the mobile device responsive to the hearing-impaired user selecting a sync input on the caption device.

19. The communication device of claim 18, wherein the sync input is received through a sync option presented by a graphical user interface displayed on the electronic display of the caption device.

20. The communication device of claim 18, wherein the sync input is received through a mechanical sync button on the caption device.

21. The communication system of claim 20, wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is further configured to disconnect the communication with the mobile device to disable captioning without disconnecting a call between the caption device and the far-end device.

22. The communication system of claim 11, further comprising the relay service, wherein the relay service is configured to:

receive the far-end voice signal directly from the mobile device while the caption device and the mobile device are in communication with each other; and

transmit the text signal comprising the text transcript corresponding to the far-end voice signal to the caption device through the mobile device.

23. A communication system comprising:

a caption device configured to display text captions corresponding to voice communications between a mobile device located at a same near-end location as the caption device and a far-end communication device to enable a hearing-impaired user of the mobile device to participate in communication sessions with a far-end user of the far-end communication device, wherein the caption device and the mobile device have different calling numbers, further, the caption device comprising;

at least one communication element configured to enable the caption device to communicate with the mobile device and the far-end communication device;

an electronic display configured to display the text captions; and

control circuitry operably coupled to the at least one communication element and the electronic display, the control circuitry configured to;

establish communication with a mobile device to communicate a far-end voice signal therebetween;

transmit the near-end voice signal directly to the far-end device;

receive the far-end voice signal directly from the far-end device;

transmit the far-end voice signal to the relay service through the mobile device;

receive a text signal originating at a relay service, the text signal corresponding to a transcript of the far-end voice signal originating at a far-end device, wherein the text signal is received from the relay service through the mobile device; and

cause the text captions corresponding to the text signal to be displayed on the electronic display.

24. The communication system of claim 23, wherein the control circuitry of the caption device is configured to:

generate a graphical user interface (GUI) that presents a sync option for display on the electronic display that is selectable by the user; and

establish communication with the mobile device responsive to a user selecting the sync option on the caption device.

25. The communication system of claim 23, further comprising the relay service, wherein the relay service is configured to:

receive the far-end voice signal directly from the mobile device while the caption device and the mobile device are in communication with each other; and

transmit the text signal comprising the text transcript corresponding to the far-end voice signal directly to the caption device through the mobile device.

26. The communication system of claim 23, further comprising the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is configured to:

receive the far-end voice signal from the caption device;

transmit the far-end voice signal to the relay service;

receive the text signal from the relay service; and

transmit the text signal to the caption device.