Communication device for providing value-added information based upon content and/or context information

• US 9,491,573 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Khare, Aniruddha
• Primary Examiner(s): Beyen, Zewdu A
• Application Number:
  US12/265,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20100111071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,924 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 455/563, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/414.5, 379/88.11, 379/88.14, 379/88.01, 709/202, 704/211
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/008 Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A communication device, for use in a communication network, provides value-added information to a user of the communication device. The communication device includes a transceiver, operable to transmit and receive communications over the communication network, and a processor. The processor is operable to facilitate detecting context information representative of an environment in which the communication device is operated, detecting content information of a multi-directional communication stream by identifying significant words in the communication stream, encoding the detected context and content information as meta-information, transmitting the meta-information as a request for value-added information, receiving value-added information in response, and providing the value-added information to the user of the communication device. A method for providing value-added information to a user of a communication device and a communication system for providing value-added information are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of providing value-added information to a first user of a first communication device, the method comprising:

sensing first context information representative of a first environment in which the first communication device is operated by the first user;

sensing second context information representative of a second environment in which a second communication device is operated by a second user;

detecting content information of a conversation between the first and second users by identifying significant words in the conversation, wherein the conversation occurs as a multi-directional communication stream transmitted and received in a communication network between the first and second communication devices;

encoding the sensed first and second context information and the detected content information as first meta-data;

determining whether archived meta-data includes relevant content information of significant words in a past conversation between the first user and at least one of;

the second user; and

a third user of a third communication device;

in response to determining that the archived meta-data includes the relevant content information, encoding the relevant content information as second meta-data;

acquiring the value-added information by performing real-time processing using the first and second meta-data, including acquiring the value-added information in response to at least;

the sensed first and second context information and the detected content information that are encoded as the first meta-data; and

the relevant content information that is encoded as the second meta-data; and

providing the value-added information to at least the first user via the first communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

detecting content information is performed using speech recognition on the multi-directional communication stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

acquiring the value-added information by performing real-time processing includes:

the first communication device transmitting, using the first and second meta-data, at least one request to retrieve the value-added information, and

the first communication device receiving the value-added information, in response to the at least one request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first communication device is a cellular phone;

the multi-directional communication stream is a cellular telephone call, and

acquiring the value-added information by performing real-time processing includes;

the cellular phone transmitting, using the first and second meta-data, at least one request to retrieve the value-added information to at least one device connected to a packet network after the at least one request is transmitted through the cellular network, and

receiving by the cellular phone, through the cellular network, the value-added information, in response to the at least one request, provided by the at least one device connected to the packet network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first communication device is a voice-over-packet (VOP) capable telephone;

the multi-directional communication stream is content in packets transmitted as part of a telephone call placed over a packet network; and

acquiring the value-added information by performing real-time processing includes;

the VOP capable telephone transmitting, using the first and second meta-data, at least one request to retrieve the value-added information to at least one device connected to the packet network, and

receiving by the VOP capable telephone the value-added information, in response to the at least one request, provided by the at least one device connected to the packet network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

detecting content information of a conversation includes detecting information about goods to be purchased by at least the first user, and

providing value-added information includes providing at least the first user with at least a list of vendors of the goods to be purchased.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein

detecting content information of a conversation includes detecting information about an appointment, and

providing value-added information includes providing at least the first user with appointment information regarding the time, date and location of a scheduled appointment, the appointment information being automatically entered into a calendar application of the first user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein

providing the value-added information to at least the first user includes displaying the value-added information on a display mechanism of the first communication device.

9. A first communication device, for use in a communication network and for providing value-added information to at least a first user of the first communication device, comprising:

a transceiver operable to transmit and receive communications over the communication network;

a processor cooperatively operable with the transceiver, and configured to facilitate;

sensing first context information representative of a first environment in which the first communication device is operated by the first user;

sensing second context information representative of a second environment in which a second communication device is operated by a second user;

detecting content information of a conversation between the first and second users by identifying significant words in the conversation, wherein the conversation occurs as a multi-directional communication stream transmitted and received in the communication network between the first and second communication devices;

encoding the sensed first and second context information and the detected content information as first meta-data;

determining whether archived meta-data includes relevant content information of significant words in a past conversation between the first user and at least one of;

the second user; and

a third user of a third communication device;

in response to determining that the archived meta-data includes the relevant content information, encoding the relevant content information as second meta-data;

transmitting the first and second meta-data as at least one request for the value-added information;

receiving the value-added information in response to the at least one request, including receiving the value-added information in response to at least;

the sensed first and second context information and the detected content information that are encoded as the first meta-data; and

the relevant content information that is encoded as the second meta-data; and

providing the value-added information to at least the first user via the first communication device.

10. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein

detecting content information is performed by the processor using speech recognition on the multi-directional communication stream.

11. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein

the first communication device is a cellular telephone, and the multi-directional communication stream is cellular telephone call.

12. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein

the first communication device is a telephone capable of performing voice-over-packet (VOP) communication, and the multi-directional communication stream is a telephone call placed over a packet network.

13. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein

detecting content information of a conversation includes detecting information about goods to be purchased by at least the first user, and

providing the value-added information includes providing at least the first user with at least a list of vendors of the goods to be purchased.

14. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein

detecting content information of a conversation includes detecting information about an appointment, and

providing the value-added information includes providing at least the first user with appointment information regarding the time, date and location of a scheduled appointment, the appointment information being automatically entered into a calendar application of the first user.

15. The first communication device of claim 9, wherein

providing the value-added information to at least the first user includes displaying the value-added information on a display mechanism of the first communication device.