Emergency synthesized voice generator method and apparatus

• US 4,589,132 A
• Filed: 09/13/1982
• Issued: 05/13/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gerald I. Evenden, Joseph M. Botbol
• Original Assignee: Gerald I. Evenden, Joseph M. Botbol
• Inventors: Botbol, Joseph M., Evenden, Gerald I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kemeny, E. S. Matt
• Application Number:
  US06/417,509
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 381/51-53, 364/513.5, 340/825.36, 455/79
• US Class Current: 704/274
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/045 using recorded signals, e.g. speech

Abstract

A method and apparatus for use in combination with a communications system, such as, a two-way radio which will simulate human voice at the level of a common microphone has been devised wherein the host radio has a transmit and receive mode for the transmission and reception of voice messages. The system has a memory device with at least one pre-encoded message permanently stored therein and a voice generator operative to convert the pre-encoded message into electrical analog voice signals which simulate the human voice. The device is programmable to extract one message from the memory and repetitively transmit the message at spaced time intervals to the voice generator. A relay control interconnects the voice generator and host radio for broadcasting the voice signals from the voice generator and is also capable of automatically converting the host radio to the receive mode for the reception of messages from an external source during the spaced time intervals between the transmission of the voice signals.

Claims

1. In an emergency message generator system wherein a host two-way radio communication device has a transmit and receive mode for the transmission and reception, respectively, of voice messages, the improvement comprising:

a memory device having at least one pre-encoded message permanently stored therein;

voice generator means for converting each pre-encoded message into electrical analog voice signals whereby to simulate the human voice at the audible signal level of a microphone;

means for extracting each said message from said memory and repetitively transmitting said message extracted at spaced time intervals to said voice generator means; and

relay control circuit means interconnecting said voice generator means and said host communication device being responsive to transmission of said message by said extracting means to said voice generator means to place said communication device in the transmit mode for broadcasting of said voice signals from said voice generator means, said relay control circuit means including control means operative to automatically convert said host communication device to the "receive" mode for the reception of messages from an external source during the spaced time intervals between the transmission of said voice signals, whereby messages are transmitted and received automatically while said communication device remains unattended, and a manually operable microphone to override the transmission of voice signals from said voice generator means for the transmission of human voice messages and to automatically convert said communication device to the receive mode for reception of messages from an external source after the transmission of each human voice message.

2. In a system according to claim 1, including message select means associated with the memory device for selecting one of a plurality of messages stored therein for extraction by said extracting means.

3. In a system according to claim 1, said memory device being a read only memory circuit.

4. In a system according to claim 3, including control buffer means interposed between said read only memory circuit and said voice generator means.

5. In a system according to claim 4, said control buffer means defined by a pair of latch buffer circuits and said message select means associated with said one of said latch buffer circuits.

6. In a system according to claim 2, said message select means being characterized by being manually selectable to select one of a plurality of messages stored in said memory device.

7. An emergency synthesized voice generator apparatus, comprising in combination:

a host communication device having a transmit and receive mode for the transmission and reception, respectively, of voice messages;

a memory device having a plurality of encoded message permanently stored therein;

voice generator means including a voice synthesizer circuit for converting said encoded messages into electrical analog voice signals whereby to simulate the human voice at the audible signal level of a microphone;

means for selecting one of said messages from said memory and repetitively transmitting each said message selected at spaced time intervals for conversion by said voice generator means into said voice signals; and

relay control means interconnecting said voice generator means and said host communication device responsive to activation of said voice generator means to place said communication device in the transmit mode for broadcasting of said voice signals from said voice generator means, said control circuit means operative to automatically convert said communication device to the "receive" mode for the reception of messages from an external source during the spaced time intervals between the transmission of said voice signals, and a manually operable microphone circuit to override the transmission of voice signals from said voice generator means for the transmission of human voice massages, and time delay means associated with said voice generator means to delay the transmission of messages by said selectable means for a predetermined time interval after said voice generator has been activated.

8. The method of transmitting emergency voice messages in which a voice generator is connected to a two-way radio having a microphone, said radio capable of radio transmission and receipt of voice messages, the steps comprising:

storing pre-encoded messages in said voice generator;

selecting one of said pre-encoded messages and converting same into electrical analog signals which simulate the human voice;

delivering a series of said pre-encoded messages selected at spaced time intervals to said two-way radio communication system for transmission by said system;

enabling said two-way radio communication system to receive messages from an external source during each time interval between the transmission of said pre-encoded messages, whereby messages are transmitted and received automatically while said radio remains unattended; and

overriding the transmission of voice signals from said voice generator for the transmission of human voice messages over said microphone and converting said radio to the receive mode for reception of messages from an external source after the transmission of each human voice message.

9. The method according to claim 8 further characterized by the step of preempting the transmission of pre-encoded messages by the transmission of normal human voice messages at the host communication system.

10. The method according to claim 8 further characterized by entering user identification information into at least one of said pre-encoded messages.