Communication method and terminal

• US 20110112834A1
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: You, Hee Jun
• Application Number:
  US12/925,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112834A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A communication method and terminal assist hearing and speech impaired persons. The communication method includes generating a text by combining at least one character input in a text call mode. The text is converted to a speech, and the converted speech is transmitted to a counterparty terminal. The communication terminal of the present invention is capable of converting the text input by the user to a speech signal for the counterparty terminal and converting the speech signal received from the counterparty terminal to a text such that it is possible for the user to conduct a communication with the counterparty regardless of whether the counterparty is a hearing or speech impaired or whether the counterparty'"'"'s terminal supports the text call service, resulting in reduction of the text call service implementation complexity and improvement of user convenience.

Claims

1. A communication method of a communication terminal, comprising:

generating an input text for conversion by combining at least one character input in a text call mode;

converting the input text to a transmit speech; and

transmitting the transmit speech to a counterparty terminal.

2. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a speech from the counterparty terminal;

converting the received speech to an output text; and

decoding the output text into at least one character for display.

3. The communication method of claim 1, wherein generating the input text comprises:

initiating a text timer at the start of the text call mode;

accumulating the at least one character; and

combining, when the text timer expires, the at least one character into the input text.

4. The communication method of claim 2, wherein converting the received speech to the received text comprises:

initiating a speech timer at start of the text call mode;

buffering the received speech; and

converting, when the speech timer expires, the received speech to the output text.

5. The communication method of claim 2, further comprising executing the text call mode when the at least one character is input or an external device for entering and displaying text is connected to the communication terminal.

6. A communication terminal comprising:

a text generator configured to combine at least one character input in a text call mode into an input text;

a text-speech converter configured to convert the input text to a transmit speech; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the transmit speech to a counterparty terminal.

7. The communication terminal of claim 6, further comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a speech from the counterparty terminal;

a speech-text converter configured to convert the received speech to an output text; and

a character decoder which decodes the received text into at least one character for display.

8. The communication terminal of claim 6, wherein the text generator is further configured to:

initiate a text timer at start of the text call mode;

accumulate the at least one character input; and

combine, when the text timer expires, the at least one character input into the input text.

9. The communication terminal of claim 7, further comprising a buffer configured to buffer the received speech, wherein the speech-text converter is further configured to:

initiate a speech timer at start of the text call mode, and

convert, when the speech timer expires, the received speech to the output text.

10. The communication terminal of claim 7, further comprising:

an external interface configured to connect the communication terminal to a text call assistant device for inputting and displaying the at least one character; and

a control unit configured to execute the text call mode when the text call assistant device is connected to the communication terminal.