Configurable phone with interactive voice response engine

• US 8,611,876 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2010
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Larry D Miller
• Original Assignee: Larry D Miller
• Inventors: Miller, Larry
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US12/901,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20110092187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/415, 455/79, 455/563
• US Class Current: 455/415
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/251 where a voice mode or a visual mode can be used interchangeably
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42204 Arrangements at the exchange for service or number selection by voice at the terminal H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A land-based or mobile phone and methods are provided for receiving inbound communications as either voice or text, and then based on the user'"'"'s configuration settings, the inbound communication is provided to the user as it was received or is automatically converted into a format that is desired by the user. The phone also takes voice or text that is input by the user of the phone and converts the user'"'"'s input to either voice or text based on the configuration settings stored in the user'"'"'s contact list or otherwise. The outbound communication is configured according to how the intended recipient wants to receive a communication based on the configuration settings stored in the user'"'"'s contact list or otherwise. The phone includes a controller that determines how the phone will handle and process inbound and outbound communications. The controller includes a speech recognition engine.

Claims

1. A phone operated by a user comprising:

a receiver for receiving an inbound call over a communications network from a caller, the inbound call being a voice call or at least one text message;

a speaker;

a screen; and

a controller coupled to the receiver, the speaker and the screen,

wherein the controller permits the user to set and store configuration information for a plurality of callers, retrieves the configuration information associated with the caller, and based on the inbound call and the retrieved configuration information associated with the caller determining a configuration mode for the phone;

in response to determining a first configuration mode the controller routes the voice call to the speaker,

in response to determining a second configuration mode the controller routes the at least one text message to the screen,

in response to determining a third configuration mode the controller converts the voice call to one or more text messages and routes the one or more text messages to the screen, and

in response to determining a fourth configuration mode the controller converts the at least one text message to a voice call and routes the voice call to the speaker.

2. The phone as in claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a speech recognition engine for translating and parsing the inbound call from the voice signal or the at least one text message.

3. The phone as in claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a text to speech engine for converting the inbound call from the at least one text message into a voice signal.

4. The phone as in claim 1, wherein the controller identifies the caller from the inbound call and based on the identity of the caller, determines one of the configuration modes associated with the caller.

5. The phone as in claim 4, wherein the controller further includes a chat room engine for creating a private chat room when the configuration mode indicates that the inbound call is text or the inbound call is being converted to text.

6. The phone as in claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a speech recognition engine that converts and parses a voice signal or parses a text message from the user and wherein the controller performs a command based on the parsed voice signal or the parsed text message.

7. A phone operated by a user comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting an outbound call over a communications network to a receiver;

a microphone for receiving speech;

a keypad for entering text; and

a controller coupled to the transmitter, the microphone, and the keypad,

wherein the controller permits the user to set and store configuration information for a plurality of receivers, retrieves the configuration information associated with the receiver, and based on the retrieved configuration information associated with the receiver determining a configuration mode of the phone;

in response to determining a first configuration mode the controller routes the received speech as an outbound voice signal,

in response to determining a second configuration mode the controller routes the entered text as an outbound text message,

in response to determining a third configuration mode the controller converts the received speech into an outbound text message, and

in response to determining a fourth configuration mode the controller converts the entered text into an outbound voice signal.

8. The phone as in claim 7, wherein the controller comprises a speech recognition engine for translating and parsing the received speech into one or more words.

9. The phone as in claim 8, wherein the controller recognizes whether each of the one or more words matches one of a plurality of commands or is part of a command sequence, and if there is a match, the controller initiates action so the command is performed.

10. The phone as in claim 7, wherein the controller comprises a text to speech engine for converting the entered text into the outbound voice signal.

11. The phone as in claim 9, wherein the controller comprises a chat room engine for creating a private chat room for the user of the phone.

12. The phone as in claim 7, wherein the controller identifies the receiver and based on an identification of the receiver determines one of the configuration modes associated with the receiver.

13. The phone as in claim 7, wherein the controller comprises an interactive voice response engine for interacting with the user of the phone to set or initiate at least one function of the phone.

14. A phone operated by a user comprising:

a receiver for receiving an inbound call over a communications network from a caller, the inbound call being either a voice call or at least one text message;

a speaker;

a screen; and

a controller coupled to the receiver, the speaker and the screen,

wherein the controller permits the user to set and store configuration information for a plurality of callers, retrieves the configuration information associated with the caller, and based on the inbound call and the retrieved configuration information associated with the caller determines a configuration mode for the phone;

in response to determining a first configuration mode, the voice call is routed to the speaker,

in response to determining a second configuration mode, the at least one text message is routed to the screen,

in response to determining a third configuration mode, the voice call is converted to one or more text messages that are routed to the screen, and

in response to determining a fourth configuration mode, the at least one text message is converted to a voice call that is routed to the speaker.

15. The phone as in claim 14, wherein the controller comprises a speech recognition engine for translating and parsing the inbound call from the voice signal or the at least one text message.

16. The phone as in claim 14, wherein the controller comprises a text to speech engine for converting the inbound call from the at least one text message into a voice signal.

17. The phone as in claim 14, wherein the controller identifies the caller from the inbound call and based on the identity of the caller, determines one of the configuration modes associated with the caller.

18. A phone operated by a user comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting an outbound call over a communications network to a receiver;

a microphone for receiving speech;

a keypad for entering text; and

a controller coupled to the transmitter, the microphone, and the keypad,

wherein the controller permits the user to set and store configuration information for a plurality of receivers, retrieves the configuration information associated with the receiver, and based on the retrieved configuration information associated with the receiver determines a configuration mode of the phone;

in response to determining a first configuration mode, the received speech is routed as an outbound voice signal,

in response to determining a second configuration mode, the entered text is routed as an outbound text message,

in response to determining a third configuration mode, the received speech is converted into an outbound text message, and

in response to determining a fourth configuration mode, the entered text is converted into an outbound voice signal.

19. The phone as in claim 18, wherein the controller comprises a speech recognition engine for translating and parsing the received speech into one or more words.

20. The phone as in claim 19, wherein the controller recognizes whether each of the one or more words matches one of a plurality of commands or is part of a command sequence, and if there is a match, the controller initiates action so the command is performed.