Abstract:
A communications system and method, comprising means for receiving a speech input from a user; converting the received speech input to a text representation thereof; communicating the text representation remotely from the user; and at least one of reproducing the speech input and displaying the text representation remotely from the user; and converting the text representation into speech remotely from the user.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of voice communication systems, and more particularly to computer telephone integrated systems supporting data communications functions. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Text chat systems are well known, and include AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Skype, GoogleTalk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, etc. Many of these applications are speech enabled to provide a centralized or peer-to-peer Voice over IP functionality. 
     Tellme Networks, Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.), for example, provides a VoiceXML interface for Skype®, and provides voice recognition functionality. Likewise, the Wishcom Open Message platform also permits integration of voice recognition into Skype. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The quality of a voice over IP conversation may be impacted by bandwidth issues and/or distance, making it difficult for at least one party to the conversation to hear clearly what another party is saying. Under these circumstances, receiving a text transcript of the other party&#39;s speech can help the receiving party(s) fill in the gaps in which the conversation cannot be clearly understood. The text transcript may be read to the receiving party by a text to speech engine. The text transcript may be stored in an archive to efficiently represent the conversation. 
     The transcript may include one or all parties to the conversation. 
     Likewise, by transporting the text transcript contemporaneously with the speech, a speech synthesizer may be able to fill in gaps to make the received speech more intelligible. Similarly, a text transcript may be translated from one language or dialect to another, and/or change a regional accent. 
     In its preferred embodiment, the system and method described herein uses a text to speech engine and a speech recognition software, capable of passing dictation and commands to other applications. When the speech recognition software is activated, and the target application is selected, in this case a voice over IP software application (preferably with an integrated chat or file transfer system) such as Skype, GoogleTalk, or Windows Messenger, the user receives or initiates a voice conversation. The speech recognition program sends the dictation transcript corresponding to the user&#39;s conversation to the message dialog interface (the area where a user may type messages) of the voice over IP application, and periodically at predetermined intervals or upon command from the user, sends a command to the voice over IP application to send the contents of its message dialog. The other party(s) to the conversation then receive a text transcript of the spoken words. The text transfer may also be in real time, either through the voice over IP application, or though a separate application or protocol. Indeed, the voice over IP protocol packets typically support a message payload, and therefore the accompanying text may be included within the same packets. In alternate embodiments, the speech functionality may be provided by another application or through operating system functionality. 
     If desired, the speech recognition program can be provided as a trial or given to end users for free or for a nominal charge. When in trial mode, the send message command embeds a text message at the end of the dictation before passing the send command to the voice chat or voice over IP application. This embedded message can be an advertisement promoting the program or a paid advertisement which generates revenue for the developer. 
     One embodiment of the present invention is a speech recognition application entitled SpeakToText™ (Coolsoft LLC. Vero Beach Fla.), which is packaged with the redistributable of the Microsoft SAPI 5.1 Speech Recognition Engine. When SpeakToText™ is started and placed in Advanced mode, dictation follows placement of the cursor in the text dialog of other applications. When SpeakToText is running in advanced mode, and the cursor is placed in the message dialog of a voice chat or voice over IP application, the spoken conversation is dictated into the message dialog. When the SpeakToText™ autosend feature is enabled, a send message command is automatically send to the chat or voice over IP application every 30 seconds, causing it to send the contents of its message dialog representing text of the spoken conversation. This is text is then received by the other party(s) to the conversation. As described above, when SpeakToText™ is in trial mode and this autosend feature is used, it embeds a text message at the end of the dictation before issuing the send message command. 
     In other embodiments, a program with a text to speech engine on the receiving party(s) computer can be used to read the text of the conversation. The voice over IP software or another program can be used to analyze the conversation and communicate with the voice over IP software of other user(s) in the conversation to assist in enhancing the voice portion of the conversation. This technique may be especially useful with impaired or limited bandwidth communications. 
     In other alternate embodiments, a separate program or the voice over IP software on the receiving computer(s) may analyze the voice and text conversation to present a synthesized composite of the received conversation so as to compensate for speech recognition errors on the speaker&#39;s computer and poor audio reception on the receiving computer(s). 
     In further alternate embodiments, the voice over IP software has at least one of the speech to text engine and the text to speech engine so a separate speech recognition program is not required. 
     It will be appreciated that the above described methods may be varied in many ways, including, changing the order of steps, and/or performing a plurality of steps concurrently. It should also be appreciated that the above described description of methods and apparatus are to be interpreted as including apparatus for carrying out the methods, and methods of using the apparatus, and computer software for implementing the various automated control methods on a general purpose or specialized computer system, of any type as well known to a person or ordinary skill, and which need not be described in detail herein for enabling a person of ordinary skill to practice the invention, since such a person is well versed in industrial and control computers, their programming, and integration into an operating system. For the main embodiments of the invention, the particular selection of type and model is not critical, though where specifically identified, this may be relevant. The present invention has been described using detailed descriptions of embodiments thereof that are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. No limitation, in general, or by way of words such as “may”, “should”, “preferably”, “must”, or other term denoting a degree of importance or motivation, should be considered as a limitation on the scope of the claims or their equivalents unless expressly present in such claim as a literal limitation on its scope. It should be understood that features and/or steps described with respect to one embodiment may be used with other embodiments and that not all embodiments of the invention have all of the features and/or steps shown in a particular figure or described with respect to one of the embodiments. That is, the disclosure should be considered combinatorially complete, with each embodiment of each element considered disclosed in conjunction with each other embodiment of each element (and indeed in various combinations of compatible implementations of variations in the same element). 
     Variations of embodiments described will occur to persons of the art. Furthermore, the terms “comprise,” “include,” “have” and their conjugates, shall mean, when used in the claims, “including but not necessarily limited to.” Each element present in the claims in the singular shall mean one or more element as claimed, and when an option is provided for one or more of a group, it shall be interpreted to mean that the claim requires only one member selected from the various options, and shall not require one of each option. The abstract shall not be interpreted as limiting on the scope of the application or claims. It is noted that some of the above described embodiments may describe the best mode contemplated by the inventors and therefore may include structure, acts or details of structures and acts that may not be essential to the invention and which are described as examples. Structure and acts described herein are replaceable by equivalents which perform the same function, even if the structure or acts are different, as known in the art. Therefore, the scope of the invention is limited only by the elements and limitations as used in the claims.