Providing dynamically-translated public address system announcements to mobile devices

• US 9,332,401 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McCauley, Catherine A., Pannell, John S., Jones, Gregory S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Sharad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bassinan, Obidon
• Application Number:
  US13/974,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20150056961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/546.1, 455/466, 455/404.2, 455/422.1, 381/83, 381/77, 381/82, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• 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: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method for providing dynamically translated public address announcements can begin with a multi-lingual module maintaining a listing of mobile devices that are currently active within a specified geographic area serviced by a public address system. The native language used by a mobile device that is different than a language used by the public address system can be noted. Content for an announcement broadcast by the public address system can be converted into a format capable of being transmitted via a wireless communications message. The converted content can be translated to the native languages noted in the listing. The wireless communications message containing the translated content can be pushed to corresponding mobile devices in the listing and the wireless communications message containing the converted content can be pushed to a remainder of the mobile devices in the listing via a non-cellular wireless network local to the specified geographic area.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically translating the public address announcement comprising:

maintaining of a listing of mobile devices currently active within a specified geographic area serviced by a public address system by a multi-lingual module, wherein a native language of a mobile device that is different than a language used by the public address system is automatically noted from the mobile device;

converting content for an announcement broadcast by the public address system into a format capable of being transmitted via a wireless communications message;

translating the converted content to native languages noted in the listing; and

pushing the wireless communications message containing the translated content to corresponding mobile devices in the listing and the wireless communications message containing the converted content to a remainder of the mobile devices in the listing via a wireless network local to the specified geographic area, wherein a wireless standard utilized by said wireless network comprises at least one of IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.15.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the listing further comprises:

automatically detecting a presence of the mobile device within the specified geographic area, wherein said detection provides identifying information about the mobile device necessary for establishing a communications pathway to said mobile device;

recording the mobile device in the listing;

requesting the native language used by the mobile device; and

when the native language differs from the language used by the public address system, appending a record for the mobile device in the listing with the native language.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein converting content further comprises:

capturing audio spoken into an input device of the public address system in a digital format; and

transforming the audio into text using a speech-to-text engine.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, when the content is to be provided in an audio format, said translating of the content further comprises:

returning the text of the translated content to audio using a text-to-speech engine appropriate to the corresponding native language.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein converting content further comprises:

capturing text provided as input for the announcement in a digital format.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the content is to be provided in an audio format, said translating of the content further comprises:

transforming the text of the translated content into audio using a text-to-speech engine appropriate to the corresponding native language.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the translating of the content is performed by the mobile device.

8. A system for multi-lingual public address announcements comprising:

a plurality of mobile devices capable of receiving and presenting wireless communications messages, wherein a native language is defined for each mobile device;

a digital public address system configured to broadcast an announcement in a predetermined default language using standard output devices within a specified geographic area; and

a multi-lingual module configured to automatically rebroadcast the announcement, in real-time or near real-time, in a specified format as a wireless communications message in the native language of each mobile device within the specified geographic area via a wireless network local to the specified geographic area, wherein the multi-lingual module is configured to automatically note the native language from the mobile device, and wherein a wireless standard utilized by said wireless network comprises at least one of IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.15, wherein the specified format comprises at least one of audio and text.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the multi-lingual module further comprises:

a device/language listing containing identifying information and the native language for mobile devices within the specified geographic area;

a listing manager configured to maintain the device/language listing; and

a message handler configured to convert the announcement to the specified format for the wireless communications message and translate the announcement to the native languages indicated in the device/language listing that differ from the predetermined default language.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the message handler further comprises:

an agent application operating locally on each mobile device, wherein said agent application is responsible for the translation of the announcement to the native language of the mobile device, wherein the message handler provides the agent application with the announcement in the predetermined default language.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the message handler further comprises:

a speech-to-text engine configured to convert speech input to text output, wherein said speech-to-text engine is able to perform said function for at least one of the predetermined default language and the native language of the plurality of mobile devices; and

a text-to-speech engine configured to convert text input to speech output, wherein said text-to-speech engine is able to perform said function for at least one of the predetermined default language and the native language of the plurality of mobile devices.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the multi-lingual module is a component of the digital public address system.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the multi-lingual module further comprises:

a translation program capable of translating between a plurality of languages, wherein the plurality of target languages encompasses the native languages of the plurality of mobile devices and the predetermined default language of the digital public address system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the translation program is a Web service provided by a third-party entity, wherein components of the multi-lingual module are able to access the translation program using a network connection having Internet access.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:

computer usable program code configured to maintain a listing of mobile devices currently active within a specified geographic area serviced by a public address system, wherein a native language of a mobile device that is different than a language used by the public address system is automatically noted from the mobile device;

computer usable program code configured to convert content for an announcement broadcast by the public address system into a format capable of being transmitted via a wireless communications message;

computer usable program code configured to translate the converted content to native languages noted in the listing; and

computer usable program code configured to push the wireless communications message containing the translated content to corresponding mobile devices having different native languages in the listing and the wireless communications message containing the converted content to a remainder of the mobile devices in the listing via a wireless network local to the specified geographic area, wherein a wireless standard utilized by said wireless network comprises at least one of IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.15.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, maintaining the listing further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to automatically detect a presence of the mobile device within the specified geographic area, wherein said detection provides identifying information about the mobile device necessary for establishing a communications pathway to said mobile device;

computer usable program code configured to record the mobile device in the listing;

computer usable program code configured to request the native language used by the mobile device; and

computer usable program code configured to, when the native language differs from the language used by the public address system, append a record for the mobile device in the listing with the native language.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein converting content further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to capture audio spoken into an input device of the public address system in a digital format; and

computer usable program code configured to transform the audio into text using a speech-to-text engine.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein, when the content is to be provided in an audio format, said translating of the content further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to return the text of the translated content to audio using a text-to-speech engine appropriate to the corresponding native language.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein converting content further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to capture text provided as input for the announcement in a digital format.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein, when the content is to be provided in an audio format, said translating of the content further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to transform the text of the translated content into audio using a text-to-speech engine appropriate to the corresponding native language.