Controlling mute function on telephone

• US 9,413,864 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2014
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Battaglini, Roberto, Singer, Brian P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donado, Frank
• Application Number:
  US14/289,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20140270151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/563, 379/88.01, 379/406.03
• 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 17/04 Training, enrolment or model building
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/06 Decision making techniques; Pattern matching strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/84 for discriminating voice from noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/19 Arrangements of transmitters, receivers, or complete sets to prevent eavesdropping, to attenuate local noise or to prevent undesired transmission; Mouthpieces or receivers specially adapted therefor circuit arrangements for preventing eavesdropping H04M1/68; telephone cabinets E04H1/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6008 in the transmitter circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/405 involving speaker-dependent recognition adaptation to speaker for speech recognition G10L15/07
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/258 Service state indications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00

Abstract

A telephone device and a method and for controlling a mute function in the telephone device. While the mute function is active, voice recognition software in the telephone device processes sound detected by a microphone in the telephone device to recognize and identify one or more specific words as having been spoken by a specific person and not by another person, and in response, the telephone device activates an alarm in the telephone device to communicate that the mute function is active. The voice recognition software was trained, prior to the sound having been detected, to differentiate the one or more specific words spoken by the specific person from the same one or more specific words spoken by other people.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a mute function in a telephone device, the method comprising the steps of:

while the mute function is active, voice recognition software in the telephone device processing sound detected by a microphone in the telephone device to recognize and identify one or more specific words as having been spoken by a specific person and not by another person, and in response, the telephone device activating an alarm in the telephone device to communicate that the mute function is active, wherein the voice recognition software was trained, prior to the sound having been detected, to differentiate the one or more specific words spoken by the specific person from the same one or more specific words spoken by other people, wherein the method further comprises;

while the mute function is active, ascertaining that a magnitude of an analog signal representing the detected sound exceeds a predetermined threshold, below which the detected sound is identified as being noise, as part of the identifying that the specific word is spoken by the specific person, wherein the activating the alarm is responsive to both the ascertaining and the identification of the one or more specific words spoken by the specific person.

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

while the mute function is active, determining that a magnitude of an analog signal representing another sound detected by the microphone does not exceed the predetermined threshold, and in response the telephone device deactivating the alarm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the alarm is an audible sound.

4. A computer program product for controlling a mute function in a telephone device, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage device in the telephone device and program code stored on the storage device, wherein the program code comprises:

program instructions (i) to process, by voice recognition software while the mute function is active, sound detected by a microphone in the telephone device and (ii) to recognize and identify, while the mute function is active, one or more specific words as having been spoken by a specific person and not by another person, and in response, (iii) to activate, while the mute function is active, an alarm in the telephone device to communicate that the mute function is active, wherein the voice recognition software was trained, prior to the sound having been detected, to differentiate the one or more specific words spoken by the specific person from the same one or more specific words spoken by other people,

wherein the program code further comprises;

program instructions to ascertain while the mute function is active, that a magnitude of an analog signal representing the detected sound exceeds a which the detected sound is identified as being noise, as part of the identifying that the specific word is spoken by the specific person, wherein the program instructions to activate the alarm is responsive to both program instructions to ascertain and the program instructions to identify the one or more specific word spoken by the specific person.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the program code further comprises:

program instructions to determine, while the mute function is active, that a magnitude of an analog signal representing another sound detected by the microphone does not exceed the predetermined threshold, and in response to deactivate the alarm.

6. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the alarm is an audible sound.

7. A telephone device, comprising:

a mute function, a microphone for sensing sound reaching the telephone device, a processor, a memory, a computer-readable storage device and program code stored on the storage device for execution by the processor via the memory, wherein the program code comprises;

program instructions (i) to process, by voice recognition software while the mute function is active, sound detected by the microphone in the telephone device and (ii) to recognize and identify, while the mute function is active, one or more specific words as having been spoken by a specific person and not by another person, and in response, (iii) to activate, while the mute function is active, an alarm in the telephone device to communicate that the mute function is active, wherein the voice recognition software was trained, prior to the sound having been detected, to differentiate the one or more specific words spoken by the specific person from the same one or more specific words spoken by other people, wherein the program code further comprises;

program instructions to ascertain, while the mute function is active, that a magnitude of an analog signal representing the detected sound exceeds a predetermined threshold, below which the detected sound is identified as being noise, as part of the identifying that the specific word is spoken by the specific person, wherein the program instructions to activate the alarm is responsive to both the program instructions to ascertain and the program instructions to identify the one or more specific words spoken by the specific person.

8. The telephone device of claim 7, wherein the program code further comprises:

program instructions to determine, while the mute function is active, that a magnitude of an analog signal representing another sound detected by the microphone does not exceed the predetermined threshold, and in response to deactivate the alarm.

9. The telephone device of claim 7, wherein the alarm is an audible sound.