Method for transmitting a message from a portable communication device to a separate terminal, and associated portable device and terminal

• US 20080032672A1
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fagnoni, Carole, Lejay, Frederic, Le, Minh
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for transmitting a message from a portable communication device to a separate terminal including a step of recording at the portable communication device a voice message, and a step of generating, at the portable communication device, a multimedia file including at least the voice message. According to the disclosure, the portable communication device transmits to the separate terminal a signal including the multimedia file and a specific flag for indicating that the voice message is to be displayed as a text message. Upon reception of the signal at the separate terminal, the voice message is extracted and specific flag is detected. Upon detection of the specific flag, speech-to-text conversion is performed at the separate terminal in order to transform the voice message into a text message to be displayed.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a message from a portable communication device to a separate terminal comprising the steps of:

recording a voice message at the portable communication device;

generating, at the portable communication device, a multimedia file comprising at least said voice message;

transmitting a signal from said portable communication device to said separate terminal, said signal including said multimedia file and a specific flag for indication that voice message is to be displayed as a text message;

receiving said signal at said separate terminal, extracting said voice message, and detecting said specific flag; and

converting speech-to-text at said separate terminal upon detection of said specific flag, to transform said voice message into a text message to be displayed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said specific flag is included in said multimedia file.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said specific flag is attached to said multimedia file.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting said signal occurs wirelessly.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting said signal occurs through wired communication.

6. The method according claim 1, further comprising transmitting said text message from said separate terminal to an end user terminal.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating said multimedia file includes a sub-step of noise reduction processing.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising said portable communication device identifying that a recorded voice message is to be converted as text message.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein identifying is initiated by a user of said portable communication device.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein identifying is initiated automatically by said portable communication device according to a mode of said portable communication device.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein identifying includes a determination of the language used for the recorded voice message, and said signal further includes information relating to the determined language.

12. A portable communication device for implementing the method according to claim 1, the portable communication device comprising:

means for recording a voice message, and for generating a multimedia file including at least said voice message;

software means for generating a signal including said multimedia file and a specific flag for indication that said voice message is to be displayed as a text message;

transmission means for transmitting said signal to a separate terminal.

13. The portable communication device according to claim 12, further comprising software means for determining the language used in the recorded voice message, so that information relating to determined language can be sent within said signal.

14. A terminal for use as said separate terminal in the method according to claim 1, comprising:

means for receiving signal transmitted by said portable communication device, for extracting said voice message from the received signal and detecting said specific flag;

software means for converting said voice message into a text message to be displayed upon detection of said specific flag.

15. The terminal according to claim 14, further comprising a personal computer to which said portable communication can be connected through one of a wired connection and a wireless connection.

16. The terminal according to claim 14, further comprising a server to which said portable communication can be connected through one of a wired and a wireless connection.

17. The terminal according to anyone of claims 14 to 16, further comprising means for transmitting said text message to an end user terminal.