Queueing voice assist messages during microphone use

• US 9,444,928 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Iyer, Boby, Eklund, Jonathan E, Agrawal, Amit Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US14/740,644
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.2, 455/418, 455/567, 381/58
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6008 in the transmitter circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/00 Electrostatic transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/004 for microphones H04R29/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method includes generating a voice assist message in a device, queueing the voice assist message responsive to a state of a microphone in the device indicating an active state, and executing the queued voice assist message on the device responsive to identifying the state of the microphone in the device indicating an inactive state. A device includes a microphone, a speaker, and a processor coupled to the microphone and the speaker. The processor is to generate a voice assist message, queue the voice assist message responsive to a state of a microphone indicating an active state, and execute the queued voice assist message on the speaker responsive to identifying the state of the microphone indicating an inactive state.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a voice assist message in a device;

queueing the voice assist message responsive to a state of a microphone in the device indicating an active state; and

executing the queued voice assist message on the device responsive to identifying the state of the microphone in the device indicating an inactive state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the queued voice assist message comprises:

voicing the queued voice assist message on a speaker of the device; and

monitoring the microphone for a user response.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein executing the queued voice assist message further comprises voicing content associated with the voice assist message on the speaker responsive to the user response.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the content comprises one of a text message or an email message.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the voice assist message comprises an incoming communication request, and executing the queued voice assist message further comprises contacting an initiator of the incoming communication request responsive to the user response.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying the user prior to executing the queued voice assist message.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising queueing a plurality of voice assist messages during a time period that the state of the microphone in the device indicates an active state.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising inserting a delay between the executing of each of the plurality of voice assist messages.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises one of a plurality of connected devices, and the method further comprises:

queueing the voice assist message responsive to a state of a microphone of any of the devices in the plurality of connected devices indicating an active state; and

executing the queued voice assist message on the device responsive to identifying the state of the microphones of all of the devices in the plurality of connected devices indicating an inactive state.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises one of a plurality of connected devices, and the method further comprises:

queueing the voice assist message responsive to a state of a microphone of a selected one of the plurality of connected devices indicating an active state and being in a common location with the device; and

executing the queued voice assist message on the device responsive to identifying the state of the microphone of all of the devices in the plurality of connected devices in the common location indicating an inactive state.

11. A device, comprising:

a microphone;

a speaker; and

a processor coupled to the microphone and the speaker, wherein the processor is to generate a voice assist message, queue the voice assist message responsive to a state of the microphone indicating an active state, and execute the queued voice assist message on the speaker responsive to identifying the state of the microphone indicating an inactive state.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is to voice the queued voice assist message on the speaker and monitor the microphone for a user response.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor is to voice content associated with the voice assist message on the speaker responsive to the user response.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the content comprises one of a text message or an email message.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the voice assist message comprises an incoming communication request, and the processor is to contact an initiator of the incoming communication request responsive to the user response.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is to query the user prior to executing the queued voice assist message.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is to queue a plurality of voice assist messages during a time period that the state of microphone in the device indicates an active state.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is to insert a delay between the executing of each of the plurality of voice assist messages.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is to queue the voice assist message responsive to a state of a microphone of any of a plurality of connected devices including the device indicating an active state and execute the queued voice assist message on the speaker responsive to identifying the state of the microphones of all of the devices in the plurality of connected devices indicating an inactive state.

20. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is to queue the voice assist message responsive to a state of a microphone of a selected one of a plurality of connected devices including the device indicating an active state and being in a common location with the device and execute the queued voice assist message on the speaker responsive to identifying the state of the microphone of all of the devices in the plurality of connected devices in the common location indicating an inactive state.