METHOD OF IDENTIFYING CONTACTS FOR INITIATING A COMMUNICATION USING SPEECH RECOGNITION

• US 20140163994A1
• Filed: 12/06/2012
• Published: 06/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited, QNX Software Systems Limited (Canada) (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: LAU, Stephen, FRY, Darrin Kenneth John, SHI, Jianqiang
• Granted Patent: US 9,723,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4594 Address books, i.e. directories containing contact information about correspondents telephone directories in user terminals H04M1/27453
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display

Abstract

A method and system on an electronic device which uses speech recognition to initiate a communication from a mobile device having access to contact information for a number of contacts. The method includes: receiving through an audio input interface a voice input for initiating a communication, extracting from the voice input a type of communication and at least part of a contact name, and outputting, to an output interface, a selectable list of all contacts from the contact information which have the part of the contact name and which have a contact address associated with the type of communication. The mobile device may also be configured to access remote contact information from a remote server.

Claims

1. A method on an electronic device having access to contact information for a number of contacts, the method comprising:

receiving through an audio input interface a voice input for initiating a communication;

extracting from the voice input a type of communication and at least part of a contact name; and

outputting, to an output interface, a selectable list of all contacts from the contact information which have the part of the contact name and which have a contact address associated with the type of communication.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving selection of one of the listed contacts; and

initiating the communication to the contact address of the selected contact using an application corresponding to the type of communication.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising determining that no contacts stored in the electronic device satisfy the list of contacts, and upon said determining accessing remote contact information of at least one remote server for the list of contacts.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising determining whether any of the remote contact information from one remote server satisfies the list of contacts, and if not accessing remote contact information from a next remote server in a priority order.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of the contact information is remote contact information stored on at least one remote server, the method including accessing the remote contact information.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the remote server includes a social media application.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, the method further comprising identifying from the voice input a term specific to the social media application, and, in response to said identifying, sending a search request for the part of the contact name to the social media application.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the extracted type of communication specifies a type of communication type specific to the social media application, the method further comprising initiating the communication to the contact address through the remote server using the social media application.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving selection of one of the listed contacts stored by the social media application of the remote server; and

initiating the communication to the contact address using an application outside of the social media application corresponding to the type of communication.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the remote contact information is limited to the contact information within a social network of a user for the list of contacts.

11. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the remote server includes a messaging server associated with an enterprise.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact address associated with the type of communication is a peer-to-peer messaging address.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the output interface includes a graphical user interface displayed on a touchscreen.

14. An electronic device having access to contact information for a number of contacts, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

an input interface including an audio input interface; and

an output interface;

wherein the memory includes instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive through the audio input interface a voice input for initiating a communication,

extract from the voice input a type of communication and at least part of a contact name, and

output, to the output interface, a selectable list of all contacts from the contact information which have the part of the contact name and which have a contact address associated with the type of communication.

15. The electronic device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

receive from the input interface selection of one of the listed contacts; and

initiate the communication to the contact address of the selected contact using an application corresponding to the type of communication.

16. The electronic device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a communication subsystem, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to determine that no contacts stored in the memory satisfy the list of contacts, and upon said determining accessing remote contact information of at least one remote server for the list of contacts.

17. The electronic device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

determine whether any of the remote contact information from one remote server satisfies the list of contacts, and if not accessing remote contact information from a next remote server in a priority order.

18. The electronic device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a communication subsystem, wherein at least some of the contact information is remote contact information stored on at least one remote server, the method including accessing the remote contact information.

19. The electronic device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the remote server includes a social media application.

20. The electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to identify from the voice input a term specific to the social media application, and, in response to said identifying, send a search request for the part of the contact name to the social media application.

21. The electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the extracted type of communication specifies a type of communication type specific to the social media application, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to initiate the communication to the contact address through the remote server using the social media application.

22. The electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

receive selection of one of the listed contacts stored by the social media application of the remote server; and

initiate the communication to the contact address using an application outside of the social media application corresponding to the type of communication.

23. The electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the remote contact information is limited to the contact information within a social network of a user for the list of contacts.

24. The electronic device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the remote server includes a messaging server associated with an enterprise.

25. The electronic device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the contact address associated with the type of communication is a peer-to-peer messaging address.

26. The electronic device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the output interface includes a graphical user interface displayed on a touchscreen.

27. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon executable by a processor on an electronic device having access to contact information for a number of contacts, the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving through an audio input interface a voice input for initiating a communication;

instructions for extracting from the voice input a type of communication and at least part of a contact name; and

instructions for outputting, to an output interface, a selectable list of all contacts from the contact information which have the part of the contact name and which have a contact address associated with the type of communication.