Devices, systems, and methods for enriching communications

• US 10,373,508 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2012
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Crawford, Richard P., Morris, Margaret E., Hasteen-Izora, Muki, Vuckovic, Nancy
• Primary Examiner(s): Washburn, Daniel C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ogunbiyi, Oluwadamilona M
• Application Number:
  US13/534,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20140004486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,596 Days
• Field of Search: 704 10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for enriching communications may include communications circuitry configured to process one or more verbal communications signals being transmitted between a computing device and a remote computing device, the one or more verbal communications signals relating to a conversation between a user of the computing device and a user of the remote computing device, a conversation dynamics engine configured to generate at least one suggested conversation topic by analyzing the one or more verbal communications signals, and a display configured to present the at least one suggested conversation topic to the user of the computing device.

Claims

1. A computing device for enriching communications, the computing device comprising:

communications circuitry to process one or more verbal communications signals transmitted between the computing device and a remote computing device, wherein the one or more verbal communications signals relate to a current conversation between a user of the computing device and a user of the remote computing device, wherein the current conversation has a current topic;

a conversation dynamics hardware engine to (i) analyze the one or more verbal communication signals to identify one or more keywords of the current conversation, (ii) access data from a personal database based on the identified keywords of the current conversation, (iii) generate a plurality of new conversation topics different from the current topic based on the identified keywords of the current conversation and the data from the personal database, (iv) grade each of the plurality of new conversation topics based on the identified keywords of the current conversation and the data from the personal database to determine a relevancy for each corresponding new conversation topic, and (v) identify at least one relevant conversation topic from the plurality of new conversation topics based on the relevancy of each of the plurality of new conversation topics; and

a display to present the at least one relevant conversation topic to the user of the computing device.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the conversation dynamics hardware engine is further to receive a feedback signal in response to a user selection of one of the relevant conversation topics.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the conversation dynamics hardware engine is further to generate at least one additional relevant conversation topic with the conversation dynamics hardware engine in response to the feedback signal.

4. The computing device of claim 2, wherein:

the conversation dynamics hardware engine is further to retrieve a media element in response to the feedback signal, the media element corresponding to the user selection of one of the one or more relevant conversation topics; and

the display is further to present the media element to the user of the computing device.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the conversation dynamics hardware engine is to analyze the one or more verbal communications signals, at least in part, by assessing a voice characteristic of at least one of the user of the computing device and the user of the remote computing device.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein:

the communications circuitry is further configured to process one or more video communications signals being transmitted between the computing device and the remote computing device, the one or more video communications signals relating to the conversation between the user of the computing device and the user of the remote computing device; and

the conversation dynamics hardware engine is further to generate the at least one relevant conversation topic by analyzing the one or more video communications signals, along with the one or more verbal communications signals.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the conversation dynamics hardware engine is to analyze the one or more video communications signals, at least in part, by assessing a facial expression of at least one of the user of the computing device and the user of the remote computing device.

8. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the conversation dynamics hardware engine is to analyze the one or more video communications signals, at least in part, by assessing one or more body gestures used by at least one of the user of the computing device and the user of the remote computing device.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the conversation dynamics hardware engine is further to analyze a time between responses in the one or more verbal communication signals, and wherein to generate a plurality of new conversation topics comprises to generate a plurality of new conversation topics further based on the time between responses.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the data comprises biographical information, and wherein to generate a plurality of new conversation topics comprises to generate a plurality of new conversation topics further based on the biographical information.

11. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the data comprises geographical information, and wherein to generate a plurality of new conversation topics comprises to generate a plurality of new conversation topics further based on the geographical information.

12. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the data comprises previous conversation topics, and wherein to generate a plurality of new conversation topics comprises to generate a plurality of new conversation topics further based on the previous conversation topics.

13. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the data comprises user preferences, and wherein to generate a plurality of new conversation topics comprises to generate a plurality of new conversation topics further based on the user preferences.

14. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the data comprises media elements associated with the user of the computing device, and wherein to generate a plurality of new conversation topics comprises to generate a plurality of new conversation topics further based on the media elements associated with the user of the computing device.

15. A method for enriching communications, the method comprising:

receiving one or more verbal communications signals being transmitted between a first computing device and a second computing device, the one or more verbal communications signals relating to a current conversation between a user of the first computing device and a user of the second computing device, wherein the current conversation has a current topic;

analyzing the one or more verbal communications signals using a conversation dynamics hardware engine to identify one or more keywords of the current conversation;

access data from a personal database based on the identified keywords of the current conversation;

generating a plurality of new conversation topics different from the current topic based on the identified keywords of the current conversation and the data from the personal database;

grading each of the plurality of new conversation topics based on the identified keywords of the current conversation and the data from the personal database to determine a relevancy for each corresponding new conversation topic;

identifying at least one relevant conversation topic from the plurality of new conversation topics based on the relevancy of each of the plurality of new conversation topics; and

generating one or more output signals that cause the at least one relevant conversation topic to be displayed on the first computing device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving a feedback signal in response to a user selection of one of the relevant conversation topics.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating at least one additional relevant conversation topic with the conversation dynamics hardware engine in response to the feedback signal.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

retrieving a media element in response to the feedback signal, the media element corresponding to the user selection of one of the relevant conversation topics; and

generating one or more output signals that cause the media element to be displayed on the first computing device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein analyzing the one or more verbal communications signals using the conversation dynamics hardware engine comprises assessing at least one of a voice characteristic of at least one of the user of the first computing device and the user of the second computing device.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving one or more video communications signals being transmitted between the first computing device and the second computing device, the one or more video communications signals relating to the conversation between the user of the first computing device and the user of the second computing device; and

analyzing the one or more video communications signals, along with the one or more verbal communications signals, using the conversation dynamics hardware engine to generate the at least one relevant conversation topic.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein analyzing the one or more video communications signals using the conversation dynamics hardware engine comprises assessing a facial expression of at least one of the user of the first computing device and the user of the second computing device.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein analyzing the one or more video communications signals using the conversation dynamics hardware engine comprises assessing one or more body gestures used by at least one of the user of the first computing device and the user of the second computing device.

23. One or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon that, in response to being executed, result in a first computing device:

receiving one or more verbal communications signals being transmitted between the first computing device and a second computing device, the one or more verbal communications signals relating to a current conversation between a user of the first computing device and a user of the second computing device, wherein the current conversation has a current topic;

analyzing the one or more verbal communications signals using a conversation dynamics hardware engine to identify one or more keywords of the current conversation;

accessing data from a personal database based on the identified keywords of the current conversation;

generating a plurality of new conversation topics different from the current topic based on the identified keywords of the current conversation and the data from the personal database;

determining a relevancy for each of the plurality of new conversation topics based on the identified keywords of the current conversation and the data from the personal database by grading each of the plurality of new conversation topics;

identifying at least one relevant conversation topic from the plurality of new conversation topics based on the relevancy of each of the plurality of new conversation topics; and

generating one or more output signals that cause the at least one relevant conversation topic to be displayed on the first computing device.

24. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 23, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the first computing device receiving a feedback signal in response to a user selection of one of the relevant conversation topics.

25. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 24, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the first computing device generating at least one additional relevant conversation topic with the conversation dynamics hardware engine in response to the feedback signal.

26. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 24, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the first computing device:

retrieving a media element in response to the feedback signal, the media element corresponding to the user selection of one of the relevant conversation topics; and

generating one or more output signals that cause the media element to be displayed on the first computing device.

27. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 23, wherein analyzing the one or more verbal communications signals using the conversation dynamics hardware engine comprises assessing at least one of a voice characteristic of at least one of the user of the first computing device and the user of the second computing device.

28. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 23, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the first computing device:

receiving one or more video communications signals being transmitted between the first computing device and the second computing device, the one or more video communications signals relating to the conversation between the user of the first computing device and the user of the second computing device; and

analyzing the one or more video communications signals, along with the one or more verbal communications signals, using the conversation dynamics hardware engine to generate the at least one relevant conversation topic.

29. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 28, wherein analyzing the one or more video communications signals using the conversation dynamics hardware engine comprises assessing a facial expression of at least one of the user of the first computing device and the user of the second computing device.

30. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 28, wherein analyzing the one or more video communications signals using the conversation dynamics engine hardware comprises assessing one or more body gestures used by at least one of the user of the first computing device and the user of the second computing device.