Methods and apparatus to audibly provide messages in a mobile device

• US 9,800,730 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hymel, James Allen, Lindner, Jeffery Erhard
• Primary Examiner(s): MCFADDEN, SUSAN IRIS
• Application Number:
  US15/200,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20160316060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 704260
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/279 Recognition of textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/1822 Parsing for meaning understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6072 Authentication using challenger response
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4365 based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5335 Message type or catagory, e.g. priority, indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to audibly provide messages an electronic device are described. An example method includes receiving a message at the electronic device, determining that the message includes a predetermined phrase, and in response to determining that the message includes the predetermined phrase, audibly presenting, at the electronic device, an alert that requests an audio input.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at an electronic device, a message;

determining that the message includes a predetermined phrase;

in response to determining that the message includes the predetermined phrase, audibly presenting, at the electronic device, an alert that requests an audio input;

in response to the alert, receiving the audio input at the electronic device;

determining that the audio input includes an instruction instructing the electronic device to perform an operation associated with the message; and

in response to determining that the audio input includes the instruction, performing the operation in the instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the audio input includes an unlock instruction; and

in response to determining that the audio input includes the unlock instruction, unlocking the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the audio input includes a second predetermined phrase, and the electronic device is unlocked in response to determining that the second predetermined phrase matches the predetermined phrase.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined phrase is at least one word.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising audibly presenting the message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the message is an audio message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the message is not an audio message, the method further comprising:

converting the message to audio.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one hardware processor communicatively coupled with the memory and configured to;

receive, at the electronic device, a message;

determine that the message includes a predetermined phrase;

in response to determining that the message includes the predetermined phrase, audibly present, at the electronic device, an alert that requests an audio input;

in response to the alert, receive the audio input at the electronic device;

determine that the audio input includes an instruction instructing the electronic device to perform an operation associated with the message; and

in response to determining that the audio input includes the instruction, perform the operation in the instruction.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to:

determine that the audio input includes an unlock instruction; and

in response to determining that the audio input includes the unlock instruction, unlock the electronic device.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the audio input includes a second predetermined phrase, and the electronic device is unlocked in response to determining that the second predetermined phrase matches the predetermined phrase.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the predetermined phrase is at least one word.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to audibly present the message.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the message is an audio message.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the message is not an audio message, and the at least one hardware processor is further configured to convert the message to audio.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed, cause a computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at an electronic device, a message;

determining that the message includes a predetermined phrase;

in response to determining that the message includes the predetermined phrase, audibly presenting, at the electronic device, an alert that requests an audio input;

in response to the alert, receiving the audio input at the electronic device;

determining that the audio input includes an instruction instructing the electronic device to perform an operation associated with the message; and

in response to determining that the audio input includes the instruction, performing the operation in the instruction.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

determining that the audio input includes an unlock instruction; and

in response to determining that the audio input includes the unlock instruction, unlocking the electronic device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the audio input includes a second predetermined phrase, and the electronic device is unlocked in response to determining that the second predetermined phrase matches the predetermined phrase.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the predetermined phrase is at least one word.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising audibly presenting the message.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the message is an audio message.