Method and apparatus for voice control of a mobile device

• US 9,978,369 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2017
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Abdelsamie, Ahmed, Choo, Nicholas Shane, Zhang, Guowei, Barake, Omar George Joseph, Lill, Steven Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Satwant
• Application Number:
  US15/593,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20170263252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/285 Memory allocation or algorithm optimisation to reduce hardware requirements
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and apparatus for voice control of a mobile device are provided. The method establishes a connection between the mobile device and a voice-control module. Responsive to establishing the connection, the mobile device enters into an intermediate mode; and the voice-control module monitors for verbal input comprising a verbal command from among a set of predetermined verbal commands. The voice-control module sends instructions to the mobile device related to the verbal command received; and the mobile device acts on the received instructions. An apparatus/voice control module (VCM) for voice control of a mobile device, wherein the VCM includes a connection module configured for establishing a connection between the VCM and the mobile device; a monitoring module configured for monitoring for a verbal command from among a set of predetermined verbal commands; and a communications module configured for sending instructions to the mobile device related to the verbal command received.

Claims

1. A method for voice control of a mobile device, the method comprising:

establishing a connection between the mobile device and a voice-control module;

responsive to establishing the connection, the mobile device entering into an intermediate mode;

the voice-control module monitoring for verbal input comprising a verbal command from among a set of predetermined verbal commands;

upon receiving a verbal command from among the set of predetermined verbal commands, the voice-control module sending instructions to the mobile device related to the verbal command received; and

the mobile device performing an action based on the received instructions at the mobile device;

wherein the mobile device entering the intermediate mode comprises disabling at least some predetermined functionality of the mobile device, wherein the disabling is performed in the absence of a command received from the voice-control module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least some predetermined functionality comprises communication of the mobile device over one or more predetermined networks.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least some predetermined functionality comprises the mobile device monitoring for verbal commands.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of predetermined verbal commands comprises verbal commands corresponding to communication applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring at the voice-control module for verbal input comprising a verbal command further comprises monitoring at the voice-control module for verbal input comprising arguments associated with the verbal command.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising issuing a prompt, based on an associated argument, for further verbal input at the voice-control module, if the associated argument is a required argument and has not been received.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, monitoring at the voice-control module for verbal input comprising arguments associated with the verbal command comprises identifying an argument based on a predetermined set of possible responses stored at the voice-control module.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device performing an action based on the received instructions at the mobile device comprises activating an application related to the verbal command.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile device performing an action based on the received instructions at the mobile device further comprises performing an action via the application, based on the verbal command.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable code that, when executed on a computer device, performs the method of claim 1.

11. A mobile device comprising:

a connection module configured for establishing a connection between the mobile device and a voice-control module (VCM);

a mode-setting module configured to cause the mobile device to enter an intermediate mode, responsive to establishing the connection;

a monitoring module configured for monitoring for instructions received from the VCM; and

a processing module configured for executing the received instructions at the mobile device;

wherein mode-setting module configured to cause the mobile device to enter an intermediate mode comprises causing the mobile device to disable at least some predetermined functionality of the mobile device, wherein the disabling is performed in the absence of a command received from the VCM.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the at least some predetermined functionality comprises communication of the mobile device over one or more predetermined networks.

13. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processing module is configured for executing the received instructions by activating an application related to a verbal command recognized by the VCM and performing an action via the application, based on the verbal command.