Captioned telephone service

• US 10,587,751 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ultratech Incorporated (Veeco Instruments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Engelke, Robert M, Colwell, Kevin R, Vitek, Troy D
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US13/950,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20130308763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,420 Days
• Field of Search: 379 37- 52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A method of operating a captioned telephone call in which an assisted user is connected by a captioned telephone device that is connected both by a first line to a remote user and a second line to a relay providing captioning for a conversation, the method comprising the steps of: when a start of an incoming call is detected by the captioned telephone device on the first line, the captioned telephone device automatically calling the relay on the second line to initiate captioning service set up; the captioned telephone device passing spoken words received on the first line to the second line; and the relay then providing text captions of the spoken words back to the captioned telephone device on the second line.

Claims

1. A method of operating a captioned telephone call in which an assisted user is connected by a captioned telephone device that is connected both by a first line to a remote user and a second line to a relay providing captioning for a conversation, the method comprising the steps of:

when a start of an incoming call is detected by the captioned telephone device on the first line, without any input selection by the assisted user to initiate a captioning service, the captioned telephone device automatically calling the relay on the second line to initiate captioning service set up;

the captioned telephone device passing spoken words received on the first line to the second line; and

the captioned telephone device then receiving text captions of the spoken words from the relay on the second line.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of initiating captioning service set up further comprises establishing communication with a call assistant.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of initiating captioning service set up further comprises establishing communication with a call assistant after a predetermined period.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of initiating captioning service set up further comprises establishing communication with a call assistant after the assisted user answers the call.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of initiating captioning service set up further comprises establishing communication with a call assistant when the assisted user answers the call.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein communication is established with the assigned call assistant subsequent to the incoming call being answered.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first line is a telephone line.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the second line is an internet connection.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the captioned telephone device includes at least one caption control feature for selecting automated captioning upon reception of an incoming call and wherein the step of automatically calling the relay includes the steps of checking a status of the caption control feature after an incoming call is detected and, when a captioning default is selected, automatically calling the relay.

15. The method of claim 14 further including the steps of, when an assisted user uses the captioned device to initiate an outgoing call, checking the status of the caption control feature and, when the captioning default is selected, automatically calling the relay without requiring a new selection of the caption control feature by the assisted user.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of automatically calling includes immediately calling the relay on the second line upon detection of an incoming call by the captioned telephone device on the first line.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the captioned telephone device automatically calls the relay on the second line prior to a receiver associated with the captioned telephone device going off hook.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the step of initiating captioning service set up further comprises establishing communication with a call assistant.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of establishing communication with a call assistant includes establishing communication with the call assistant after the receiver associated with the captioned telephone device goes off hook.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the captioned telephone device automatically calls the relay on the second line to establish the communication with a call assistant in parallel with generating an audible alert to indicate that the incoming call has been received.

6. A method of operating a captioned telephone call in which an assisted user is connected by a captioned telephone device that is connected both by a first line to a remote user and a second line to a relay providing captioning for a conversation, the method comprising the steps of:

when a call is received at the captioned telephone device on the first line, without any input selection by the assisted user to initiate a captioning service, the captioned telephone device automatically calling the relay on the second line to establish an interconnection to the relay;

linking the call to an assigned call assistant after a predetermined condition is satisfied;

the captioned telephone device passing spoken words received on the first line to the second line; and

the captioned telephone then receiving text captions of the spoken words from the relay on the second line.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the predetermined condition is the expiration of a predetermined period.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the predetermined condition is the assisted user answering the call.

16. The method of claim 6 wherein the captioned telephone device includes at least one caption control feature for selecting automated captioning upon reception of an incoming call and wherein the step of automatically calling the relay includes the steps of checking a status of the caption control feature after an incoming call is detected and, when a captioning default is selected, automatically calling the relay.

17. The method of claim 16 further including the steps of, when an assisted user uses the captioned device to initiate an outgoing call, checking the status of the caption control feature and, when the captioning default is selected, automatically calling the relay to initiate a captioning service without requiring a new selection of the caption control feature by the assisted user.

21. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of automatically calling includes immediately calling the relay on the second line upon detection of an incoming call by the captioned telephone device on the first line.

9. A method of operating a captioned telephone call in which an assisted user is connected to a relay providing captioning for a conversation by a captioned telephone device, the method comprising the steps of:

the captioned telephone device automatically detecting a connection with at least one of a first line and a second line;

the captioned telephone device automatically, and without user input, setting up to support one-line captioning if only the first line is connected to the captioned telephone device and automatically, and without user input, setting up to support two-line captioning if both the first line and the second line are connected to the captioned telephone device; and

the captioned telephone device then receiving text captions of spoken words from the relay.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the captioned telephone device passing spoken words received on the first line to the second line.

18. A method of facilitating a captioned telephone call using a captioned telephone device used by an assisted user, the captioned telephone device connectable by a first line to a remote user and a second line to a relay providing captioning for a conversation, wherein the captioned telephone device includes at least one caption control feature for selecting automated captioning upon reception of an incoming call, the method comprising the steps of:

upon detecting an incoming call on the first line, the captioned telephone device checking a status of the caption control feature and, when a captioning default is activated, without any input selection by the assisted user to initiate a captioning service subsequent to detection of the incoming call, automatically calling the relay on the second line to initiate captioning service set up;

establishing communication with a call assistant assigned to the call to generate text captions corresponding to words spoken by the remote user;

the captioned telephone device passing spoken words received from the remote user on the first line to the second line; and

the captioned telephone device receiving text captions of the spoken words from the relay on the second line.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of automatically calling the relay on the second line includes calling the relay prior to any voice communication between the assisted user and the remote user.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of automatically calling includes immediately calling the relay on the second line.

27. A method of operating an assisted user'"'"'s captioned telephone device to facilitate communication with a remote hearing user using a hearing user'"'"'s communication device, the method for facilitating captioning of the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal for the assisted user, the method comprising the steps of:

upon the assisted user initiating a call to the remote user, prior to establishing a link to the remote user, without any user input selection to initiate a captioning service, the captioned telephone device automatically calling the relay to establish a first link to the relay and to initiate captioning service set up;

subsequent to establishing the first link, the captioned telephone device initiating a second link to the hearing user'"'"'s device for voice communications between the assisted user and the hearing user wherein the second link is independent of the first link.

28. A method of operating an assisted user'"'"'s captioned telephone device comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the captioned telephone device, a request from an assisted user to listen to a hearing user'"'"'s voice signal;

in response to the request from the user, automatically delaying access to the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal at the captioned telephone device until establishment of a connection between the captioned telephone device and a remote call assistant at a relay, in order to allow the remote call assistant to receive audio of the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal from the very beginning of the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal;

providing the audio of the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal to the remote call assistant at the relay over a network;

obtaining, over the network, captions generated by the relay using the audio of the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal; and

presenting, by the captioned telephone device, the captions substantially concurrently with broadcast of the audio of the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal is a real time voice signal that is generated substantially simultaneously as a hearing user speaks into a hearing user'"'"'s communication device.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the request includes the assisted user dialing a phone number of a communication device used by the hearing user.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the step of providing the audio of the voice signal to the remote call assistant includes the captioned telephone device transmitting the audio to the relay.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein the captioned telephone device includes a display screen and wherein the step of presenting the captions includes presenting the captions on the display screen.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the captioned telephone device includes a speaker and wherein the hearing user'"'"'s voice signal is broadcast via the speaker.