Method and apparatus for voice control of a mobile device

• US 9,280,981 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Abdelsamie, Ahmed, Zhang, Guowei, Barake, Omar George Joseph, Lill, Steven Anthony, Choo, Nicholas Shane
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Satwant
• Application Number:
  US13/778,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20140244268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/285 Memory allocation or algorithm optimisation to reduce hardware requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for voice control of a mobile device are provided. The method establishes a connection between the mobile device and a voice-control module. Responsive to establishing the connection, the mobile device enters into an intermediate mode; and the voice-control module monitors for verbal input comprising a verbal command from among a set of predetermined verbal commands. The voice-control module sends instructions to the mobile device related to the verbal command received; and the mobile device acts on the received instructions. An apparatus/voice control module (VCM) for voice control of a mobile device, wherein the VCM includes a connection module configured for establishing a connection between the VCM and the mobile device; a monitoring module configured for monitoring for a verbal command from among a set of predetermined verbal commands; and a communications module configured for sending instructions to the mobile device related to the verbal command received.

Claims

1. A method for voice control of a mobile device, the method comprising:

establishing a connection between the mobile device and a voice-control module;

responsive to establishing the connection, entering the mobile device into an intermediate mode;

monitoring at the voice-control module for verbal input comprising a verbal command from among a set of predetermined verbal commands;

upon receiving a verbal command from among the set of predetermined verbal commands, sending instructions from the voice-control module to the mobile device related to the verbal command received;

acting on the received instructions at the mobile device;

wherein monitoring at the voice-control module for verbal input comprising a verbal command further comprises monitoring at the voice-control module for verbal input comprising arguments associated with the verbal command; and

in response to receiving a verbal input that does not include an associated argument, issuing a prompt, based on the associated argument, for further verbal input at the voice-control module, if the associated argument is a required argument and has not been received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein entering the intermediate mode comprises disabling at least some predetermined functionality of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least some predetermined functionality comprises ability to communicate with one or more predetermined networks.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least some predetermined functionality comprises ability to monitor for verbal commands.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of predetermined verbal commands comprises verbal commands corresponding to communication applications.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, monitoring at the voice-control module for verbal input comprising arguments associated with the verbal command comprises identifying an argument based on a predetermined set of possible responses stored at the voice-control module.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein acting on the received instructions at the mobile device comprises activating an application related to the verbal command.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein acting on the received instructions at the mobile device further comprises performing an action via the application, based on the verbal command.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable code that, when executed on a computer device, performs the method of claim 1.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the verbal command is a command to initiate a communication and the associated argument is a recipient of the communication, the method further comprising:

determining one or more potential recipients for the communication; and

issuing the prompt based on the one or more potential recipients.

11. A voice control module (VCM) for voice control of a mobile device, the VCM comprising:

a connection module configured for establishing a connection between the VCM and the mobile device;

a monitoring module configured for monitoring for verbal input comprising a verbal command from among a set of predetermined verbal commands; and

a communications module configured for sending instructions to the mobile device related to the verbal command received;

wherein the monitoring module is further configured to monitor for verbal input comprising arguments associated with the verbal command and, in response to receiving a verbal input that does not include an associated argument, issue a prompt, based on the associated argument, for further verbal input, if the associated argument is a required argument and has not been received.

12. The VCM of claim 11, wherein the set of predetermined verbal commands comprises verbal commands corresponding to communication applications.

13. The VCM of claim 11, further comprising a memory module, and wherein the monitoring module is further configured to identify an argument based on a predetermined set of possible responses stored at the memory module.

14. The VCM of claim 11, wherein the verbal command is a command to initiate a communication and the associated argument is a recipient of the communication, the monitoring module further configured to:

determine one or more potential recipients for the communication; and

wherein issue the prompt based on the one or more potential recipients.

15. A mobile device comprising:

a connection module configured for establishing a connection between the mobile device and a voice-control module (VCM);

a mode-setting module configured to cause the mobile device to enter an intermediate mode, responsive to establishing the connection;

a monitoring module configured for monitoring for instructions received from the VCM; and

a processing module configured for executing the received instructions at the mobile device;

wherein the monitoring module is further configured to monitor for verbal input comprising arguments associated with the verbal command and, in response to receiving a verbal input that does not include an associated argument, issue a prompt, based on the associated argument, for further verbal input, if the associated argument is a required argument and has not been received.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein entering the intermediate mode disables at least some predetermined functionality of the mobile device.

17. The mobile device of claim 16, wherein the at least some predetermined functionality comprises ability to communicate with one or more predetermined networks.

18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processing module is configured for executing the received instructions by activating an application related to a verbal command recognized by the VCM and performing an action via the application, based on the verbal command.

19. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the verbal command is a command to initiate a communication and the associated argument is a recipient of the communication, the monitoring module further configured to:

determine one or more potential recipients for the communication; and

wherein issue the prompt based on the one or more potential recipients.