Method of identifying contacts for initiating a communication using speech recognition

• US 9,723,118 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2012
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc. (Blackberry Limited), Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lau, Stephen, Fry, Darrin Kenneth John, Shi, Jianqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Opsasnick, Michael N
• Application Number:
  US13/706,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20140163994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 704275
• 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 of initiating a communication using speech recognition on a mobile wireless communication device. Voice input is parsed using speech recognition to identify and extract a name and a communication type to be initiated from a plurality of potential communication types. A local address book is searched to identify all contact records having both a contact name including the name extracted from the voice input and a populated address field associated with the communication type extracted from the voice input. When only one contact record matches the extracted information, a communication is automatically initiated to the contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type. When more than one contact record in the local address book matches the extracted information, a list of all of the matching contacts is output from which a communication can be initiated.

Claims

1. A method of initiating a communication using speech recognition on a mobile wireless communication device, comprising:

receiving through a microphone a voice input for initiating a communication;

parsing the voice input using speech recognition to identify and extract a name and a communication type to be initiated from a plurality of potential communication types including a telephone call, email, SMS message, MMS message, instant message, device-to-device message and a social media service message;

searching a local address book stored in a memory of the mobile wireless communication device to determine whether any contact records in the local address book match the extracted information, wherein the local address book is searched to identify all records having both a contact name including the name extracted from the voice input and a populated address field associated with the communication type extracted from the voice input;

when only one contact record in the local address book matches the extracted information, automatically initiating a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type;

when more than one contact record in the local address book matches the extracted information, outputting to an output interface of the mobile wireless communication device, a selectable list of all of the matching contacts, receiving selection of one of the contacts from the selectable list via an input interface of the mobile wireless communication device, and initiating a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

outputting to the output interface a notification that the mobile wireless communication device will automatically initiate a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type;

delaying the automatic initiation of the communication for a predetermined duration after outputting to the notification;

cancelling the automatic initiation of the communication when designated input to cancel the communication is received within the predetermined duration;

performing the automatic initiation of the communication when designated input to cancel the communication is not received within the predetermined duration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the output interface is a speaker that announces the selectable list of all of the matching contacts and the input interface is the microphone.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the speaker and microphone are wirelessly connected to the mobile wireless communication device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the speaker and microphone are housed in the mobile wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the output interface and the input interface are provided by a touchscreen display.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when no contact records in the local address book match the extracted information, accessing remote contact information of at least one remote server;

searching the remote contact information to determine whether any contact records in the local address book match the extracted information, wherein the remote contact information is searched to identify all records having both a contact name including the name extracted from the voice input and a populated address field associated with the communication type extracted from the voice input;

when only one contact record in the remote contact information matches the extracted information, automatically initiating a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type;

when more than one contact record in the remote contact information matches the extracted information, outputting to the output interface, a selectable list of all of the matching contacts, receiving selection of one of the contacts from the selectable list, and initiating a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the remote server includes a messaging server associated with an enterprise.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

when no contact records in the remote contact information from the remote server match the extracted information, accessing remote contact information from a next remote server in a priority order.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the remote server is associated with a social media service.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

parsing the voice input using speech recognition to identify and extract a term specific to the social media service; and

sending a search request to the social media service using the application.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the extracted communication type specifies a communication type specific to the social media service, the method further comprising initiating the communication to the contact address through the remote server using the social media service.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving selection of one of the listed contacts stored by the social media service; and

initiating the communication to the contact address using an application associated with the communication type, wherein the application is separate from the social media service.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the remote contact information is limited to a contact list maintained within the social media service for a user associated with the mobile wireless communication device.

15. A mobile wireless communication device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory, a microphone, an input interface and an output interface coupled to the processor;

wherein the memory includes instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the mobile wireless communication device to;

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

parse the voice input using speech recognition to identify and extract a name and a communication type to be initiated from a plurality of potential communication types including a telephone call, email, SMS message, MMS message, instant message, device-to-device message and social media service message;

searching a local address book stored in a memory of the mobile wireless communication device to determine whether any contact records in the local address book match the extracted information, wherein the local address book is searched to identify all records having both a contact name including the name extracted from the voice input and a populated address field associated with the communication type extracted from the voice input;

when only one contact record in the local address book matches the extracted information, automatically initiate a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type;

when more than one contact record in the local address book matches the extracted information, output to the output interface, a selectable list of all of the matching contacts, receive selection of one of the contacts from the selectable list via the input interface, and initiate a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type.

16. The mobile wireless communication device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the mobile wireless communication device to:

output to the output interface a notification that the mobile wireless communication device will automatically initiate a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type;

delay the automatic initiation of the communication for a predetermined duration after outputting to the notification;

cancel the automatic initiation of the communication when designated input to cancel the communication is received within the predetermined duration;

perform the automatic initiation of the communication when designated input to cancel the communication is not received within the predetermined duration.

17. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the output interface is a speaker that announces the selectable list of all of the matching contacts and the input interface is the microphone.

18. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the mobile wireless communication device to:

when no contact records in the local address book match the extracted information, access remote contact information of at least one remote server;

search the remote contact information to determine whether any contact records in the local address book match the extracted information, wherein the remote contact information is searched to identify all records having both a contact name including the name extracted from the voice input and a populated address field associated with the communication type extracted from the voice input;

when only one contact record in the remote contact information matches the extracted information, automatically initiate a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type;

when more than one contact record in the remote contact information matches the extracted information, output to the output interface, a selectable list of all of the matching contacts, receive selection of one of the contacts from the selectable list, and initiate a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type.

19. The mobile wireless communication device of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the mobile wireless communication device to:

when no contact records in the remote contact information from the remote server match the extracted information, access remote contact information from a next remote server in a priority order.

20. A non-transitory machine readable medium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions for execution by a processor of a mobile wireless communication device, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor of the mobile wireless communication device, cause the mobile wireless communication device to:

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

parse the voice input using speech recognition to identify and extract a name and a communication type to be initiated from a plurality of potential communication types including a telephone call, email, SMS message, MMS message, instant message, device-to-device message and social media service message;

search a local address book stored in a memory of the mobile wireless communication device to determine whether any contact records in the local address book match the extracted information, wherein the local address book is searched to identify all records having both a contact name including the name extracted from the voice input and a populated address field associated with the communication type extracted from the voice input;

when only one contact record in the local address book matches the extracted information, automatically initiate a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type;

when more than one contact record in the local address book matches the extracted information, output to an output interface of the mobile wireless communication device, a selectable list of all of the matching contacts, receive selection of one of the contacts from the selectable list via an input interface of the mobile wireless communication device, and initiate a communication to a contact address from the populated address field of the contact record using an application associated with the communication type.