| Method of providing voicemails to a wireless information device -> Monitor Keywords |
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Method of providing voicemails to a wireless information deviceRelated Patent Categories: Telephonic Communications, Audio Message Storage, Retrieval, Or SynthesisMethod of providing voicemails to a wireless information device description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070127638, Method of providing voicemails to a wireless information device. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/553,926, filed Oct. 20, 2005, which is the U.S. national stage of International Application No. PCT/GB2004/001805, filed Apr. 22, 2004, which is based on and claims priority to Great Britain Application No. 0313615.7, filed Jun. 12, 2003 and Great Britain Application No. 0309088.3, filed Apr. 22, 2003 the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to a method of providing voicemails to a wireless information device. The term `wireless information device` used in this patent specification should be expansively construed to cover any kind of device with two way wireless information capabilities and includes without limitation radio telephones, smart phones, communicators, wireless messaging terminals, personal computers, computers and application specific devices. It includes devices able to communicate in any manner over any kind of network, such as GSM or UMTS, CDMA and WCDMA mobile radio, Bluetooth, IrDA etc. [0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0005] Voicemail has the sole purpose of storing voice messages from someone trying to call a user's telephone when that user is otherwise unavailable and then relaying those messages to the user when convenient. But today's voicemail systems, particularly for wireless information devices such as mobile telephones, fail to do this intelligently. The primary reason is the nature of the interface from the user's wireless information device to the remote voice mail server: typically, a mobile telephone user will call (or be called by) a voicemail server controlled by the network operator. The voicemail server will generate a synthetic voice announcing the number of messages to the user and then replaying the messages; various options are then spoken by the synthetic voice, such as "press 1 to reply", "press 2 to delete", "press 3 to repeat" etc. This presents several challenges to the user: first, he may not have a pen and paper to hand to take down any important information; secondly, he may forget or not be able to hear the options and hence will be unable to operate the voicemail system effectively. [0006] Because of this inadequate and opaque interface, voicemail is not used by at least 45% of mobile telephone users. Of those that do use voicemail, it typically accounts for 30% of a user's call time and spend. One of the reasons for this perhaps surprisingly high level is that, because of the difficult interface, users frequently dial in again just to listen to key messages they did not get the details of the first time round. [0007] Some efforts have been made to make retrieving voicemails easier: reference may be made for example to U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,643 to Breveon Inc: in this patent, voicemail is automatically converted, using a voice recognition computer, to a text message suitable for sending as an e-mail message and for viewing on a text display device such as a PC or laptop computer. Reading a written message can be quicker than having to listen to a spoken voicemail; there is also no need to write down important information from the message since it has already been transcribed. However, automated voicemail systems have quite limited performance and accuracy; they also slavishly transcribe the normal hesitations in human speech (`er`, `um`, `ah` etc.). When one is listening to human speech, one can readily filter out these sounds and concentrate on the substantive communication. Seeing these hesitations slavishly transcribed to an e-mail can make the sender appear less then lucid. [0008] Automated voice to text conversion can in theory also be deployed within a mobile telephone itself: reference may be made to the Nokia Short Voice Messaging system (see EP 1248486) in which a user can speak a message to his mobile telephone, which locally converts it to text using an automated voice recognition engine and then packages and sends it as a SMS message. [0009] The overwhelming bias in the field of voice to text conversion systems is in improving the accuracy of automated voice recognition software; current generation software nevertheless still either needs to be trained to recognise words spoken by a specific person or is limited to recognising a very limited vocabulary and has huge difficulties with context. Training requires the user to read out quite extensive test passages and to then correct the transcription errors introduced by the machine transcription. This is a slow and arduous task. Whilst this avoids the need to input a text message using the small keys of a mobile telephone, it does not address the inherent inaccuracy and inappropriate transcription of conventional automated voice recognition software. [0010] The task of constructing voice recognition software that can reliably and accurately recognise natural speech relating to any subject, from anyone and spoken at normal speed, remains a daunting one. Nevertheless, it remains the over-riding goal in the area of voice to text systems. The present invention challenges this orthodoxy. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0011] In a first aspect, there is a method of providing voicemail to a wireless information device, comprising the steps of: [0012] (a) receiving a voice message at a voicemail server; [0013] (b) converting the voice message to an audio file format; [0014] (c) sending or streaming the audio file over a wide area network to a voice to text transcription system comprising a network of computers; wherein the method is characterised by the steps of: [0015] (i) one of the networked computers playing back the voice message to an operator; [0016] (ii) the operator intelligently transcribing the original voice message into the computer to generate a transcribed text message; [0017] (iii) the operator causing the transcribed text message to be sent to the wireless information device from the computer. [0018] Because human operators are used instead of machine transcription, voicemails are converted accurately, intelligently, appropriately and succinctly into text messages (e.g. SMS/MMS). [0019] There are many advantages to providing voicemails using this approach: A. It's Written Down For You [0020] No dialling in to retrieve messages; instead they are already accurately and intelligently (e.g. omitting hesitations, repetitions etc.) transcribed into a message format. [0021] See who the message is actually from before opening and reading it, giving the user an `inbox` view of received voicemails and control over which ones they read, when, store, forward, delete, reply to, etc . . . A converted voicemail will have a different icon from standard text messages. Where available, the Caller ID is used to populate the text message header with that number so it appears as if it came directly from that person. Otherwise, if the number is withheld, the recipient will see it is from `SpinVox Voicemail`. [0022] Key information is to hand--no fumbling for pen and paper when you are supposedly `mobile` [0023] Most new phones, particularly smartphones, they are able to parse the text and then provide useful parts of it for automatic use inside the phone and its applications saving the user copying across--e.g. a phone number is available for immediate storage or use, an address can be hyperlinked and added to a contact, or used to automatically locate the address on mapping software, etc . . . B. It's Discreet and Convenient [0024] No annoying calls from voicemail when busy. Instead, a user sees voice messages arrive whilst in a meeting and reads them at his discretion. C. Message Always Gets to You [0025] SMS store & forward capacity guarantees fast delivery as soon as the user's phone is turned back on or back in coverage [0026] Choose convenient delivery method: SMS, email, fax D. Divert any Other Phone that Supports Call Divert, for Instance Your Office-Phone (Desk-Phone) to the Text Conversion Service [0027] Desk-phone & mobile voicemail can now both be delivered to a user's mobile as text--all in one place, conveniently to-hand [0028] Access voicemail from any phone--mobile or landline--since the original voice files for voicemails are stored in servers accessible by password from any phone E. Cheap Voice-Message Delivery when Roaming Abroad [0029] Users keep receiving voice-messages in text wherever they are [0030] Users can receive them as email instead so that the user can pick it up world-wide and out of mobile coverage [0031] No roaming charges or expensive dial-backs to retrieve messages Billing [0032] There are two choices--Pre-pay or post pay either via micro-billing on the user's phone bill or credit/debit card and direct debit monthly payments. In fact any payment method available at the time via 3.sup.rd party Merchant Service providers, so even PayPal which is largely a US phenomenon is becoming available in Europe as a valid payment method. Credit/Debit Card [0033] Users will be able to sign-up with credit/debit cards for automatic monthly payments, including Direct Debit (UK) and PayPal for the US. Micro-Billing [0034] Users will be able to buy SpinVox credit (e.g. .English Pound.10's worth) via a single reverse billed SMS which will confirm their new credit. Typically this will appeal to the pre-paid market. This neatly avoids the relatively expensive cost (60%+) of many individual micro-transactions each time they use the Services which otherwise make this too expensive and encourages some commitment from the user to the service. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Continue reading about Method of providing voicemails to a wireless information device... 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Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Method of providing voicemails to a wireless information device or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method of operating a telecommunications link between two telecommunications devices which transmits display control commands in a separate data channel Next Patent Application: Methods and apparatus for implementing voice messaging using e-mail Industry Class: Telephonic communications ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Method of providing voicemails to a wireless information device patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.30154 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Computers: Graphics , I/O , Processors , Dyn. Storage , Static Storage , Printers 174 |
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