Facility and method for cellular data communication between hearing impaired users and emergency service centers

• US 20020085703A1
• Filed: 01/02/2001
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Karma Automotive LLC (Wanxiang Group Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Karma Automotive LLC (Wanxiang Group Corporation)
• Inventors: Proctor, Rod L.
• Application Number:
  US09/753,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20020085703A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/265.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A telecommunications system including a digital cellular network, and a call center having a central converter connected to the network, and operable to convert an incoming signal from a first format to a second format. The call center has a TTY/TDD device operable to read the signal in the second format and to output a text version of the signal. A user communication system is connected to the network and includes a user TTY/TDD device operable to convert text to a signal in the second format. A user converter is connected to the user terminal and is operable to convert the signal from the second format to the first format. A cellular device is connected to the user converter and the network, and is operable to communicate the signal in the first format to the network.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system comprising:

a digital cellular network;

a call center having a central converter connected to the network, and operable to convert an incoming signal from a first format to a second format; and

the call center having a central terminal operable to read the signal in the second format and to output a text version of the signal.

2. The system of claim 1 including:

a source for generating digital data;

a tone generation module for encoding the digital data into a series of audio frequency tones;

the audio fragment tones being selected so as to avoid frequencies that are characteristic of human voice thereby minimizing interference with simultaneous voice traffic on the channel;

a voice/data signal encoder/decoder (vocoder) for sampling the audio frequency tones and forming digital signals for transmission over the digital wireless telecommunication network; and

a transmission system for transmitting the digital signals over the audio traffic channel of the digital wireless telecommunication network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first format is a digital cellular-transmissible format.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the second format is a TTY/TDD device-readable signal.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the central terminal is a TTY/TDD device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the central converter is operable to convert an outgoing signal from the second format to the first format.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the call center is a public service access point.

8. The system of claim 1 including a user communication system including a user terminal operable to convert text to a signal in the second format, a user converter connected to the user terminal and operable to convert the signal to the first format, and a cellular device connected to the user converter and the network, and operable to communicate the signal in the first format to the call center.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the user converter and the central converter are operably equivalent.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the user terminal is a TTY/TDD device.

11. A method of communication comprising:

receiving from a digital cellular network a signal in a first format;

identifying that the signal is in the first format;

converting the signal to a second format; and

converting the signal from the second format to a text format.

12. The method of claim 11 including replying to the signal by generating a reply signal in the second format, converting it to the first format, and transmitting it to the network.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein converting the signal from the second format to a text format includes receiving the signal in a TTY/TDD device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the second format is a TTY/TDD signal.

15. The method of claim 11 including a user engaging in the steps of:

entering a text message to a terminal,

converting the message to a signal in the second format,

converting the signal in the second format to a signal in the first format, and

transmitting the signal to the network.

16. The method of claim 15 including the user converting a reply signal from the network from the first format to the second format, and from the second format to a text format.

17. The method of claim 11 including:

providing a wireless remote communication apparatus (“

RCA”

) having a vocoder for transmitting and receiving human voice content over a voice channel of the digital wireless communication network;

providing a call receiver apparatus (“

CRA”

) also capable of transmitting and receiving human voice content over a voice channel of the digital wireless communication network;

defining one or more control codes reserved for communication control signaling over the voice channel, each control code comprising one or more alpha-numeric characters;

establishing a digital voice channel connection between the RCA and the call receiver apparatus CRA;

in a first one of the RCA and the CRA, selecting one of the communication control codes for transmission to the other one of the RCA and the CRA;

in the first one of the RCA and the CRA, converting the selected control code into an audio tone representation;

in the first one of the RCA and the CRA, formatting the audio tones in a vocoder so as to form digital transmission data;

in the first one of the RCA and the CRA, transmitting the digital transmission data over the digital voice channel connection to the other one of the RCA and the CRA; and

in the other one of the RCA and the CRA, detecting the control code to effect control signaling transparently over the voice channel.

19. The system of claim 18 including:

a source for generating digital data;

a tone generation module for encoding the digital data into a series of audio frequency tones;

the audio fragment tones being selected so as to avoid frequencies that are characteristic of human voice thereby minimizing interference with simultaneous voice traffic on the channel;

a voice/data signal encoder/decoder (vocoder) for sampling the audio frequency tones and forming digital signals for transmission over the digital wireless telecommunication network; and

a transmission system for transmitting the digital signals over the audio traffic channel of the digital wireless telecommunication network.

18. A telecommunications system comprising:

a digital cellular network;

a call center having a central converter connected to the network, and operable to convert an incoming signal from a first format to a second format;

call center having a TTY/TDD device operable to read the signal in the second format and to output a text version of the signal;

a user communication system connected to the network including a user TTY/TDD device operable to convert text to a signal in the second format;

a user converter connected to the user terminal and operable to convert the signal from the second format to the first format; and

a cellular device connected to the user converter and the network, and operable to communicate the signal in the first format to the network.