Methods and apparatuses related to text caption error correction

• US 9,336,689 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sorenson Ip Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Captioncall LLC
• Inventors: Romriell, Joseph N., Brooksby, Scot, Roylance, Shane Arthur, Chevrier, Brian, Puzey, Robert Cochran
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US14/530,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20150051908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/88.01, 434/179, 704/3, 704/235, 704/270, 704/277, 704/260, 348/468, 715/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/279 Recognition of textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/009 Teaching or communicating with deaf persons G09B21/04 takes precedence; deaf and dumb persons G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

Systems and methods related to providing error correction in a text caption are disclosed. A method may comprise displaying a text caption including one or more blocks of text on each of a first device and a second device remote from the first device. The method may also include generating another block of text and replacing a block of text of the text caption with the another block of text. Furthermore, the method may include displaying the text caption on the second device having the block of text of the first text caption replaced by the another block of text.

Claims

1. A communication system including:

a first communication device specifically configured for use by a call assistant of a remote captioning service providing captioning assistance for a hearing-impaired user during a real-time communication session; and

a second communication device specifically configured for use by the hearing-impaired user to provide captions displayed to the hearing-impaired user during the real-time communication session;

wherein the first communication device comprises;

a first memory device having a speech recognition program stored therein;

a first input device configured to receive inputs from the captioning assistant;

a first processor operably coupled with the first memory device and the first input device, the first processor configured to;

receive a voice signal during a real-time communication session between at least two parties, the voice signal including at least audio from a far end user for the real-time communication session;

generate a text transcription for the audio for the far-end user from the voice signal during the real-time communication session using the speech recognition program;

transmit a first block of text of the text transcription to the second communication device for display by the second communication device during the real-time communication session;

receive the inputs from the call assistant as edits to the text transcription; and

transmit a replacement block of text with the edits to the second communication device after transmission of the first block to the second communication device has already occurred, the replacement block of text being an inline correction for the first block of text that was already received and displayed by the second communication device; and

wherein the second communication device comprises;

second electronic display; and

second processor operably coupled with the second electronic display, the second processor configured to;

receive the voice signal and during the real-time communication session;

receive the first block of text of the text transcription from the remote captioning service;

cause the first block of text of the text transcription to be displayed by the second electronic display as captions for the hearing-impaired user during the real-time communication session;

receive the replacement block of text from the remote captioning service after the first block of text has been received and displayed by the second electronic display; and

cause the replacement block of text to be displayed by the second electronic as an inline correction for the first block of text previously displayed by the second communication device.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first processor is configured to transmit the first block of text and the replacement block of text to the second communication device over a telephone network selected from the group consisting of the Public Switch Telephone Network and a VOIP network.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the replacement block of text is selected from the group consisting of at least one word, at least one sentence, and at least one line of text.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first processor is programmed to generate the text transcription using a speech recognition program with assistance of a call assistant revoicing words of the voice signal.

5. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising a first display device operably coupled with the first processor, the first display device configured to receive the text transcription from the first processor and display the text transcription visible for the call assistant to review the text transcription for identifying errors.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first input device includes a keyboard.

7. The communication system of claim 4, wherein the first processor is configured to insert the replacement block of text as an inline correction as displayed by the first display device associated with the call assistant responsive to the call assistant selecting and replacing text, inserting text, or deleting text.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the second processor is further configured to transmit the voice signal to the remote captioning service prior to the voice signal having the text transcription thereof being generated by the remote relay service.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the second processor is configured to cause the second electronic display to provide a visual indication that the replacement block of text has replaced the first block of text as displayed by the second electronic display.

10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the visual indication includes the replacement block of text being displayed with highlighting.

11. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising a first application program stored in the first memory that, when executed by the first processor, is configured to generate and transmit the replacement block of text.

12. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the second communication device further comprises a second memory operably coupled with the second processor, the second communication device further comprising a second application program stored in the second memory that, when executed by the second processor, is configured to cause the replacement block of text to be displayed by the second electronic as the inline correction for the first block of text previously displayed by the second communication device.

13. A method of providing error correction in a caption-based communication system, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first communication device associated with a call assistant within a captioning service, a voice signal during a real-time communication session between a second communication device associated with a hearing-impaired user and a third communication device;

receiving, at a second communication device, the voice signal from the first communication device within the remote communication device during the real-time communication session;

generating, at the first communication device, a text transcription for the voice signal during the real-time communication session using a speech recognition program;

transmitting, from the first communication device to the second communication device, a first block of text of the text transcription;

receiving, at the second communication device, the first block of text of the text transcription of the voice signal from the remote captioning service;

displaying the first block of text on a second electronic display of the second communication device during the real-time communication session;

receiving, through a first input device of the first communication device, corrections corresponding to an error within at least a portion of a text transcription after of the text transcription to the second communication device has already occurred;

generating, at the first communication device, a replacement block of text responsive to the corrections;

transmitting the replacement block of text from the first communication device to the second communication device as an inline correction for the error with instructions for the second communication device to indicate that the block of text is a correction for the portion of the text transcription to be replaced;

receiving, at the second communication device, the replacement block of text from the remote captioning service after the first block of text has been received and displayed by the second electronic display; and

displaying the replacement block of text on the second electronic display as an inline correction for the first block of text previously displayed by the second communication device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving corrections into the first input device includes at least one of replacing text, inserting text, or deleting text.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying the replacement block of text as an inline correction on a first electronic display of the first communication device to be visible to the call assistant during the real-time communication session.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying the replacement block of text includes displaying a visual indication on the second electronic display that the replacement block of text has replaced the first block of text as displayed by the second electronic display.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the visual indication includes at least one of a mark or a tag of the replacement block of text as displayed by the second electronic display.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting the voice signal from the first communication device to the remote captioning service prior to the text transcription being generated for that portion of the voice signal.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving, at the second communication device, the replacement block of text from the remote captioning service occurs within three seconds or less from when the voice signal from the first communication device is received by the second communication device.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein generating, at the first communication device, a replacement block of text responsive to the corrections occurs through an application program stored in a first memory of the first communication device as executed by a first processor of the first communication device.