APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING VOICE COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20110145874A1
• Filed: 10/04/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: BI, Haifeng, BI, Xiaolian
• Granted Patent: US 8,935,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/110
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to receive a call request from a set top box that is remote from the server where the call request identifies a telephone number that is presented from video content presented by the set top box where the telephone number is detected based on a combination of image pattern recognition and speech recognition and where the telephone number is associated with a marketing entity, establish a voice communication with a first telephone device associated with the set top box, and establish the voice communication with a second telephone device associated with the telephone number and the marketing entity if the first telephone device accepts the voice communication. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium operating in a set top box, the storage medium comprising computer instructions to:

present video content at a display device;

determine a first telephone number that is displayed from the video content presented at the display device using image pattern recognition;

determine a second telephone number by applying speech recognition to at least an audio portion of the video content;

compare the first telephone number with the second telephone number for a matching number;

when the first telephone number matches the second telephone number, present an option to establish voice communication with a marketing entity associated with the video content;

receive an input associated with the set top box in response to the presentation of the option; and

transmit a call request to a remote server when the input is received, wherein the voice communication is established between a first telephone device associated with the set top box and a second telephone device associated with the marketing entity based on the call request and the matching number.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first telephone device receives a first call from the remote server prior to the voice communication being established.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions to determine an area code associated with the first telephone number or the second telephone number.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the voice communication is based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) protocol.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions to present the option based on a user profile associated with the set top box.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the element of determining the second phone number operates in a constant mode wherein the set top box has an audio output serving as an input to a speech recognition module to provide a continuous text stream that is analyzed for valid phone numbers.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the video content is buffered and the element of determining the second phone number operates in an on-demand mode wherein the set top box has an audio output selectively serving as an input to a speech recognition module in response to an activation signal to provide a text stream that is analyzed for valid phone numbers.

8. A server comprising a controller to:

receive a call request from a set top box that is remote from the server, wherein the call request identifies a telephone number that is presented from video content presented by the set top box, wherein the telephone number is detected based on a combination of image pattern recognition and speech recognition, wherein the telephone number is associated with a marketing entity;

establish a voice communication with a first telephone device associated with the set top box;

establish the voice communication with a second telephone device associated with the telephone number and the marketing entity if the first telephone device accepts the voice communication.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein the voice communication is according to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) protocol.

10. The server of claim 8, wherein the server is part of an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media system.

11. A method comprising:

presenting video content at a display device;

determining a first telephone number that is displayed from the video content presented at the display device using image pattern recognition;

determining a second telephone number that is audibly presented from the video content using speech-to-text conversion and text pattern recognition;

comparing the first telephone number and the second telephone number to identify a matching telephone number; and

transmitting a call request to a remote server based on the matching telephone number, wherein a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication is established between a first telephone device associated with the set top box and a second telephone device associated with a marketing entity based on the call request and the matching telephone number.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising presenting an option on the display device to establish the VoIP communication.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising receiving an input from a remote controller associated with the set top box in response to the presentation of the option.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising establishing the VoIP communication with the second telephone device if the first telephone device accepts the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the option is presented by using only the first telephone number using image pattern recognition, using only the second telephone number using speech recognition, or using a combination of image pattern recognition and speech recognition when the first telephone number matches the second telephone number.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising determining an alternative telephone number associated with the marketing entity based on metadata pointers associated with the video content.

17. The method of claim 12, comprising transmitting the option to another communication device associated with the set top box.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the other communication device is a mobile phone.

19. The method of claim 11, comprising determining the second telephone number in a constant mode wherein the set top box has an audio output serving as an input to a speech recognition module to provide a continuous text stream that is analyzed for valid telephone numbers and wherein an option to call the matching telephone number is presented at the display device when the first telephone number matches the second telephone number.

20. The method of claim 11, comprising buffering video content and determining the second telephone number in an on-demand mode wherein the set top box has an audio output selectively serving as an input to a speech recognition module in response to an activation signal to provide a text stream that is analyzed for valid phone numbers for the second telephone number which is compared with the first telephone number.