Method and apparatus for social network communication over a media network

• US 9,246,868 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2014
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Hisao, Mornhineway, David
• Primary Examiner(s): YEN, ERIC L
• Application Number:
  US14/339,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/00 Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis in musical instruments G10H
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/87 Detection of discrete points within a voice signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may initiate a communication session with a member device of a social network and may activate a speech capture element based on a pattern of prior speech messages. A speech message may be detected at the speech capture element and, in turn, transmitted to the member device.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions;

a speech capture element configured to capture speech messages;

a user interface; and

a processor that is coupled to the memory, coupled to the speech capture element, and coupled to the user interface, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

detecting, at the user interface, a stimulus associated with a user, and thereby initiating a communication session, wherein the communication session includes exchanging communications between the user and a member communication device of a social network;

responsive to the stimulus, accessing a user profile that is associated with the user, where the user profile includes a determination of a pattern of prior speech messages, where the prior speech messages are speech messages of the user and are speech messages captured by the speech capture element;

determining, based on prior speech messages that are in accordance with the pattern, a speech capture time period that is based on a time between;

an activation of the stimulus, and

a period after detecting that the user has stopped speaking;

activating, in response to the stimulus, the speech capture element;

transmitting a request, and thereby requesting an initiation of the communication session;

capturing, using the speech capture element, an input speech message;

appending, to the user profile and to a data set comprising elapsed speech times, the speech capture time period; and

transmitting, to the member communication device of the social network, a message representative of the input speech message.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the communications are associated with a television program which is presented by way of a media processor,

wherein the media processor is communicatively coupled to the processor,

wherein the device comprises one of a remote controller or a mobile communication device, and

wherein the social network comprises a social network application which has selective accessibility for member devices and which is managed by a social network server.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the stimulus is a selection of a button on the user interface of the device, and wherein the processor further performs operations comprising transmitting a command to a media processor, and thereby indicating an activation state of the speech capture element.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the speech capture element is maintained, for a length of time equal to the speech capture time period, in an active state, and

wherein the active state is independent of a characteristic of the stimulus.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a display, and wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

receiving, from the member communication device of the social network, a text message; and

presenting, on the display, the text message.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a speaker, and wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

receiving, from the member communication device of the social network, an audio message; and

reproducing, via the speaker, the audio message.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the message that is transmitted is a text message and wherein the input speech message is converted, by a remote server, into the text message.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

presenting, by way of the user interface, a list of member devices of the social network, wherein the list includes the member communication device;

detecting, by way of the user interface, a first selection, wherein the first selection selects, from the list of member devices, the member communication device; and

detecting, by way of the user interface, a second selection, and thereby initiating the communication session.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

receiving a group of messages generated by the member communication device; and

presenting, at the user interface, the group of messages, wherein the group of messages generated by the member communication device are received from a remote server communicatively coupled to the social network.

10. A network element, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

initiating a communication session, wherein the communication session includes exchanging communications between a first member device and a second member device, wherein the first member device and the second member device are member devices of a social network, wherein the communications are in relation to a media program;

determining, based on prior speech messages that are in accordance with a pattern of prior speech messages of a user profile, a speech capture time period that is based on an elapsed time between;

the initiating of the communication session, and

a period after detecting that a user has stopped speaking;

receiving, as a captured speech message, a speech message that is captured by a speech capture element, wherein the speech capture element is part of the first member device;

transmitting, to the second member device, a message that is representative of the captured speech message; and

updating, according to an accuracy of the captured speech message, a user profile, wherein the accuracy of the captured speech message is in relation to the speech capture time period.

11. The network element of claim 10, wherein the speech capture element is activated independent of a characteristic of a detected activation stimulus of the first member device and is maintained, for the speech capture time period, in an active state in an active state.

12. The network element of claim 11, wherein the characteristic comprises one of:

a duration of a selection of a button, and

a sequence of a selection,

wherein the button is on a user interface of the first member device, and

wherein the pattern of prior speech messages is determined by one of the first member device or the processor.

13. The network element of claim 10, wherein the pattern of prior speech messages is derived from user profile data, wherein the user profile data is updated by monitoring speech message patterns.

14. The network element of claim 10, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

presenting, by way of a display which is communicatively coupled to the network element, a list of member devices of the social network, wherein the list includes the second member device;

receiving a first selection, wherein the first selection selects, from the list of member devices. the second member device; and

receiving a second selection, and thereby initiating the communication session.

15. The network element of claim 10, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

receiving a group of messages that are generated by the second member device; and

presenting, at a display device that is communicatively coupled to the network element, the group of messages.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

accessing, responsive to a stimulus, a user profile;

determining, based on prior speech messages that are in accordance with a pattern of prior speech messages of the user profile, a speech capture time period that is based on a time between;

an activation of the stimulus, and

a period after detecting that a user has stopped speaking;

activating a speech capture element, wherein, after the stimulus has ended, the speech capture element is maintained, for the speech capture time period, in an active state;

detecting, at the speech capture element, a speech message;

transmitting, to a member communication device of a social network, a message that is representative of the detected speech message; and

appending the user profile, wherein the user profile is appended according to a time that is based on the activation of the speech capture element and that is based on an end of the detected speech message.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise detecting, at a user interface, the stimulus, and thereby initiating a communication session,

wherein the pattern of prior speech messages is determined by one of:

a processor that is coupled to the speech capture element,

a media processor communicatively coupled to the member communication device, or

a remote server.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the pattern of prior speech messages is derived from user profile data, wherein the user profile data is updated by monitoring speech message patterns.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting, by way of a user interface, a list of member devices of the social network, wherein the list includes the member communication device;

detecting, by way of the user interface, a first selection, wherein the first selection selects, from the list of member devices, the member communication device; and

detecting, by way of the user interface, a second selection, and thereby initiating a communication session.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a request, and thereby initiating a communication session, wherein the communication session includes exchanging communications between a user and the member communication device, and

wherein the communications are in relation to a media program.