Unified and consistent user experience for server and client-based services

• US 8,995,626 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Huang, Xuedong David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US11/656,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20080175358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,990 Days
• Field of Search: 455/74.1, 455/66.1, 455/557, 455/575.1, 455/128, 455/347, 455/41.2, 455/419, 379/433.01, 379/434, 379/447, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/355.02, 379/355.03, 379/88.03
• US Class Current: 379/88.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2745 using static electronic memories, e.g. chips
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4935 Connection initiated by DAS system

Abstract

Described is a technology by which a storage at a telephone device (e.g., a client telephone) is synchronized with information corresponding to actions performed at a computing device (e.g., a server) on behalf of the client. For example, the server may employ speech recognition to recognize a name or number spoken into the client telephone, and in response, dial out a corresponding telephone number for the client telephone. This action is synchronized back to the client storage so that the client'"'"'s call history includes knowledge of the server'"'"'s dialing action. Thereafter, an action at the telephone device that accesses the call history (e.g., for redialing or scrolling) obtains the full call history, independent of whether the telephone device or computing device performed the action. Changes made via telephone device may be similarly synchronized to the computing device, such as directly dialed calls, user-input speed dial information, and so forth.

Claims

1. In a telephony environment in which a telephone device is coupled to a computing device, a method comprising:

performing an action by the computing device on behalf of the telephone device in response to a request from a user via the telephone device; and

synchronizing, by the computing device, a storage of the telephone device with information that indicates the performed action, where the synchronized storage includes information regarding computing device-performed actions and telephone device-performed actions, where the request comprises the user speaking a phrase into the telephone device, where the performed action comprises the computing device recognizing the spoken phrase and generating a number that corresponds to the spoken phrase and then placing a call using the generated number on behalf of the telephone device, where the information includes the generated number, and where the synchronizing comprises updating a call history stored on the telephone device to include the generated number as if the placed call was made from the telephone device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the action at the computing device comprises outputting data corresponding to a number that is spoken by the user via the telephone device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein performing the action includes the computing device recognizing speech received by the computing device from the telephone device.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the synchronizing the storage of the telephone device comprises providing information to the telephone device that represents the number spoken by the user via the telephone device.

5. The method of claim 4 where the information of the synchronized storage represents a portion of call history maintained on and by the telephone device.

6. The method of claim 5 where the number represented by the information of the synchronized storage is available via the call history to the telephone device for scrolling through the call history.

7. The method of claim 5 where the number represented by the information of the synchronized storage is available via the call history to the telephone device for a redial operation by the telephone device.

8. In a telephony environment, a system that includes a computing device and at least one program module that are together configured for performing actions comprising:

performing an action by the computing device on behalf of the telephone device in response to a request from a user via the telephone device; and

synchronizing, by the computing device, a storage of the telephone device with information that indicates the performed action, where the synchronized storage includes information regarding computing device-performed actions and telephone device-performed actions, where the request comprises the user speaking a phrase into the telephone device, where the performed action comprises the computing device recognizing the spoken phrase and generating a number that corresponds to the spoken phrase and then placing a call using the generated number on behalf of the telephone device, where the information includes the generated number, and where the synchronizing comprises updating a call history stored on the telephone device to include the generated number as if the placed call was made from the telephone device.

9. The system of claim 8 where performing the action at the computing device comprises outputting data corresponding to a number that is spoken by the user via the telephone device.

10. The system of claim 9 where performing the action includes the computing device recognizing speech received by the computing device from the telephone device.

11. The system of claim 9 where the synchronizing the storage of the telephone device comprises providing information to the telephone device that represents the number spoken by the user via the telephone device.

12. The system of claim 11 where the information of the synchronized storage represents a portion of call history maintained on and by the telephone device.

13. The system of claim 12 where the number represented by the information of the synchronized storage is available via the call history to the telephone device for scrolling through the call history.

14. At least one computer storage media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform actions comprising:

performing, by the computing device in response to a request from a user via a telephone device, an action on behalf of the telephone device; and

synchronizing, by the computing device, a storage of the telephone device with information that indicates the performed action, where the synchronized storage includes information regarding computing device-performed actions and telephone device-performed actions, where the request comprises the user speaking a phrase into the telephone device, where the performed action comprises the computing device recognizing the spoken phrase and generating a number that corresponds to the spoken phrase and then placing a call using the generated number on behalf of the telephone device, where the information includes the generated number, and where the synchronizing comprises updating a call history stored on the telephone device to include the generated number as if the placed call was made from the telephone device.

15. The at least one computer storage media of claim 14 where performing the action at the computing device comprises outputting data corresponding to a number that is spoken by the user via the telephone device.

16. The at least one computer storage media of claim 15 where performing the action includes the computing device recognizing speech received by the computing device from the telephone device.

17. The at least one computer storage media of claim 15 where the synchronizing the storage of the telephone device comprises providing information to the telephone device that represents the number spoken by the user via the telephone device.

18. The at least one computer storage media of claim 17 where the information of the synchronized storage represents a portion of call history maintained on and by the telephone device.

19. The at least one computer storage media of claim 18 where the number represented by the information of the synchronized storage is available via the call history to the telephone device for scrolling through the call history.

20. The at least one computer storage media of claim 18 where the number represented by the information of the synchronized storage is available via the call history to the telephone device for a redial operation by the telephone device.