Command and control of devices and applications by voice using a communication base system

• US 9,514,754 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Geldbach, Erik, Rooks, Kelsyn D., Smith, Shane M., Wilmoth, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): SAINT CYR, LEONARD
• Application Number:
  US14/679,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20150221309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 704/246, 704/247, 704/251, 704/252, 704/275
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/08 Speech classification or search
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/22 Interactive procedures; Man-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

A first communication path for receiving a communication is established. The communication includes speech, which is processed. A speech pattern is identified as including a voice-command. A portion of the speech pattern is determined as including the voice-command. That portion of the speech pattern is separated from the speech pattern and compared with a second speech pattern. If the two speech patterns match or resemble each other, the portion of the speech pattern is accepted as the voice-command. An operation corresponding to the voice-command is determined and performed. The operation may perform an operation on a remote device, forward the voice-command to a remote device, or notify a user. The operation may create a second communication path that may allow a headset to join in a communication between another headset and a communication device, several headsets to communicate with each other, or a headset to communicate with several communication devices.

Claims

1. A method for controlling devices and applications using voice-commands and DTMF signals, the method comprising:

establishing a first communication path between a first communication device and a base station;

establishing a second communication path between the first communication device and a second communication device via the base station;

relaying a verbal communication between the first communication device and the second communication device via the base station, wherein the verbal communication comprises a first portion of the verbal communication comprising conversation between a user of the first communication device and a user of the second communication device and a second portion of the verbal communication comprising a voice command;

contemporaneously processing the first portion of the verbal communication comprising conversation and the second portion of the verbal communication comprising the voice command with a processing engine of the base station;

identifying, with the processing engine, within the contemporaneously processed first and second portions of the verbal communication, during the verbal communication between the first user and the second user, the second portion of the verbal communication as comprising a voice command;

determining, by the base station, a first operation corresponding to the identified voice-command;

performing, by the base station, the first operation corresponding to the identified voice-command;

identifying, by the base station, a DTMF signal input from the first communication device during the communications between the first communication device and the second communication device;

determining, by the base station, a second operation corresponding to the DTMF signal; and

performing, by the base station, the second operation corresponding to the DTMF signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice command includes a verbal description of the first operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice command includes a code identifying the first operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operation for the voice command of the user differs from an operation for the voice command of a second user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the first or second operation establishes a second communication path between the user that sent the voice-command and a third communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first or second operation is forwarding the verbal communication to one or more communications devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first or second operation is sending a notification to another user.

8. A base station storing computer executable instructions on a non-transitory storage medium, said instructions for controlling devices and applications using voice-commands that, when said instructions are executed, cause the base station to:

establish a first communication path directly between a first communication device and a base station;

establish a second communication path between the first communication device and a second communication device via the base station;

relay a verbal communication between the first communication device and the second communication device via the base station, wherein the verbal communication comprises a first portion of the verbal communication comprising conversation between a user of the first communication device and a user of the second communication device and a second portion of the verbal communication comprising a voice command;

contemporaneously process the first portion of the verbal communication comprising conversation and the second portion of the verbal communication comprising the voice command with a processing engine of the base station;

identify, with the processing engine, within the contemporaneously processed first and second portions of the verbal communication, during the verbal communications between the first user and the second user, the second portion of the verbal communication as comprising a voice command;

determine a first operation corresponding to the identified voice-command;

perform the first operation corresponding to the identified voice-command;

identify a DTMF signal input from the first communication device during the communications between the first communication device and the second communication device;

determine a second operation corresponding to the DTMF signal; and

perform the second operation corresponding to the DTMF signal.

9. The base station of claim 8, wherein the voice command includes a verbal description of the first operation.

10. The base station of claim 8, wherein the voice command includes a code identifying the first operation.

11. The base station of claim 8, wherein instructions causing the base station to perform the operation include communicating instructions to perform the operation on a remote device.

12. The base station of claim 8, wherein the first or second operation forwards the voice-command to a remote device.

13. The base station of claim 8, wherein the first or second operation is sending a notification to another user.

14. A base station for controlling devices and applications using voice-commands and DTMF signals, the base station comprising:

a user-side interface coupled to a first communication path and configured receive verbal communications and DTMF signals from a user, said verbal communications comprising in part a voice-command from the user; and

a processing engine in communication with the user-side interface through the first communication path, said processing engine being configured to;

establish a first communication path directly between a first communication device and the base station;

establish a second communication path between the first communication device and a second communication device coupled to a network side interface via the base station;

relay a verbal communication between the first communication device and the second communication device via the base station, wherein the verbal communication comprises a first portion of the verbal communication comprising conversation between a user of the first communication device and a user of the second communication device and a second portion of the verbal communication comprising a voice command;

contemporaneously process the first portion of the verbal communication comprising conversation and the second portion of the verbal communication comprising the voice command with a processing engine of the base station;

identify, with the processing engine, within the contemporaneously processed first and second portions of the verbal communication, during the verbal communications between the first user and the second user the second portion of the verbal communication as comprising a voice command;

determine a first operation corresponding to the identified voice-command;

perform the first operation corresponding to the identified voice-command;

identify a DTMF signal input from the first communication device during the communications between the first communication device and the second communication device;

determine a second operation corresponding to the DTMF signal; and

perform the second operation corresponding to the DTMF signal.

15. The base station of claim 14, wherein the voice command includes a verbal description of the first operation.

16. The base station of claim 14, wherein the voice command includes a code identifying the first operation.

17. The base station of claim 14, wherein performance of the first or second operation include performance of the first or second on a remote device.

18. The base station of claim 14, wherein the first or second operation forwards the voice-command to a remote device.

19. The base station of claim 14, wherein the user-side interface receives the voice-command during the communication.

20. The base station of claim 14, wherein the second communication path enables a plurality of headsets to communicate with each other.