Mobile communication terminal and method for converting voice message to text message

• US 20050255837A1
• Filed: 12/07/2004
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, Soon-Hwan
• Granted Patent: US 7,373,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.400
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

Disclosed herein is mobile communication terminal for performing a voice-text message conversion process that includes a memory, a voice data detecting unit, a voice-text converting unit, and a controlling unit. The memory stores condition information for the voice-text message conversion process. The memory includes a voice message area for storing voice messages and a text message area for storing text messages. The voice data detecting unit extracts a voice signal from a specific voice message. The voice-text converting unit converts the voice signal to a text message. The controlling unit determines whether the voice-text message conversion process is required for the specific message, based on the condition information, and stores the text message converted by the voice data detecting unit and the voice-text converting unit in the text message area.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal for performing a voice-text message conversion process comprising:

a memory for storing condition information for the voice-text message conversion process, said memory including a voice message area for storing voice messages and a text message area for storing text messages;

a voice data detecting unit for extracting a voice signal from a specific voice message;

a voice-text converting unit for converting the voice signal to a text message; and

a controlling unit for determining whether voice-text message conversion is required for the specific voice message, based on the condition information, and storing the text message converted by the voice-text converting unit in the text message area.

2. The mobile communication terminal as set forth in claim 1, wherein said voice-text message conversion process has a lowest priority among a plurality of processes performed in the mobile communication terminal to receive CPU (Central Processing Unit) resources.

3. The mobile communication terminal as set forth in claim 1, wherein said condition information stored in the memory includes:

a threshold set not to exceed a total size of the voice messages stored in the voice message area; and

selection reference information of the voice messages requiring voice-text conversion, said selection reference information being preset by a user.

4. The mobile communication terminal as set forth in claim 3, wherein said controlling unit compares the total size of the voice messages with the threshold.

5. The mobile communication terminal as set forth in claim 3, wherein said controlling unit selects a voice message having a highest priority for voice-text message conversion from among the voice messages using the selection reference information.

6. The mobile communication terminal as set forth in claim 5, wherein said controlling unit checks whether the voice message having the highest priority is locked for protection, extracts a voice signal from the voice message through the voice data detecting unit if the voice message is not locked, and selects an other voice message having a second highest priority as a new highest priority voice message among the voice messages if the voice message is locked.

7. The mobile communication terminal as set forth in claim 6, wherein said controlling unit converts the voice signal extracted from the voice message having the highest priority to a text message through the voice-text converting unit.

8. The mobile communication terminal as set forth in claim 1, wherein said controlling unit informs a user of the text message.

9. A method for performing a voice-text message conversion process comprising:

determining whether voice-text message conversion is required for a specific voice message from among voice messages;

extracting a voice signal from the specific voice message, if voice-text message conversion is determined to be required for the specific voice message;

converting the voice signal into a text message; and

storing the text message in the memory.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said determining step is performed based on condition information for voice-text message conversion, said condition information being preset by a user.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said determining step includes:

comparing a total size of the voice messages with a threshold set in the condition information;

selecting a voice message having a highest priority for voice-text message conversion from among the voice messages, based on selection reference information set in the condition information, if the total size of the voice messages is larger than the threshold;

checking whether the voice message having the highest priority is locked for protection; and

selecting the voice message having the highest priority for voice-text message conversion if the voice message is not locked, and selecting an other voice message having a second highest priority as a new highest priority if the voice message is locked.

12. The method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising:

informing a user of the converted text message.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising repeatedly performing voice-text message conversion until the total size of the voice messages, which is reduced as the voice-text message conversion process progresses, is smaller than the threshold, wherein the total size of the voice messages is reduced by a size of the voice messages converted to text messages.