Providing Options For Data Services Using Push-To-Talk

• US 20090325546A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reddy, Nagareddy S., Khandpur, Vikram
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Voice enabling mobile services leverage existing PTT infrastructure. Initiation of a service request and navigation through PTT service functions is accomplished by voice direction, rather than by reading choices and texting or clicking through options. A mobile phone includes a dedicated push-to-talk service button for generating a signal for initiating a voice enabled service session, a speaker and microphone for transducing sounds and electrical signals, a display for displaying visual information to a user, memory for storing data, a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data and a processor. The processor receives a signal generated by the PTT service button for initiating a voice enabled service session, communicates a prompt to a user to begin speaking, stores voice data from a user and transmits the stored voice data to a service server for transforming the voice data to a result satisfying the spoken voice service request.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed, provide options for data services using push-to-talk (PTT), by:

receiving a signal for initiating a voice enabled service session;

communicating a prompt to a user to begin speaking to provide voice data for processing of a spoken voice service request;

recording, from a user, voice data comprising the spoken voice service request; and

transmitting the recorded voice data to a service server for processing the voice data to satisfy the spoken voice service request.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 further comprising receiving data from the service server in response to processing of the voice data, processing the data received from the service server and presenting a service response to the user in response to the processing of the data received from the service server.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the presenting the service response to the user further comprises presenting an audible response to the user.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the receiving a signal for initiating a voice enabled service session further comprises a signal triggered by a dedicated push-to-talk service button.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 1 further comprising receiving the identified service request data at the mobile phone and presenting the identified service request data to a user of the mobile phone.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the presenting the service response to the user further comprises presenting an audible response to the user.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the presenting an audible response to the user further comprises presenting a search result.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the presenting an audible response to the user further comprises presenting a menu for allowing the user to verbally select one of a plurality menu items based on the service response.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the presenting an audible response to the user further comprises presenting a search result.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the presenting an audible response to the user further comprises presenting a menu for verbally selecting one of a plurality menu items based on the service response.

7. A mobile phone configured for providing options for data services using push-to-talk, comprising:

a dedicated push-to-talk service button for generating a signal for initiating a voice enabled service session;

a speaker and microphone for transducing sounds and electrical signals;

a display for displaying visual information to a user;

memory for storing data;

a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data; and

a processor, coupled to the PTT service button, display, memory and transceiver, the processor being configured for receiving a signal generated by the PTT service button for initiating a voice enabled service session, communicating a prompt to a user to begin speaking to provide voice data for processing of a spoken voice service request, storing in memory voice data from a user comprising the spoken voice service request and transmitting the stored voice data to a service server for transforming the voice data to a result satisfying the spoken voice service request.

8. The mobile phone of claim 7, wherein the transceiver receives data from the service server in response to transforming of the voice data, the processor presents a service request response to the user in response to the receipt of the data from the service server.

9. The mobile phone of claim 8, wherein the processor presents the service request response to the user via an audible response.

10. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the audible response comprises a search result.

11. The mobile phone of claim 9, wherein the audible response comprises a menu for verbally selecting one of a plurality menu items based on the service response.

12. The mobile phone of claim 7, wherein the processor receives a signal for initiating a voice enabled service session triggered by activation of the push-to-talk service button.

13. A computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed, provide options for data services in a push-to-talk (PTT) system, by:

receiving a signal from a mobile phone requesting a session with a PTT server;

sending a signal from the PTT server to the mobile phone indicating consent to the session for the mobile phone;

receiving, at the PTT server, voice data from the mobile phone including a voice enabled service request;

transforming the voice data to text data;

processing the text data to identify service request data for satisfying the voice enabled service request; and

transmitting the identified service request data to the mobile phone.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the receiving a signal from a mobile phone requesting a session with a PTT server further comprises receiving a signal from the mobile phone triggered by a dedicated push-to-talk service button of the mobile phone.

19. A system for providing voice enabled data services in a push-to-talk (PTT) network, comprising:

a PTT server, the PTT server configured for receiving a signal from a mobile phone requesting a session, for sending a signal to the mobile phone indicating consent to the session for the mobile phone and for receiving voice data from the mobile phone including a voice enabled service request; and

a service server, coupled to the PTT server, the service server configured for transforming the voice data to text data, for processing the text data to identify service request data for satisfying the voice enabled service request and for transmitting the identified service request data to the mobile phone.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the identified service request data comprises a search result.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the identified service request data comprises a menu for verbally selecting one of a plurality menu items based on the service response.