Patent Publication Number: US-2005125230-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for entering alphabetic characters

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to a portable communication device, and more particularly, to a voice recognition system that accepts voice commands that include alphabetic characters, numeric digits, and symbolic characters.  
     BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
      This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.  
      To exchange information, a user may utilize any one of a variety of communication devices to communicate with another individual at another location. Typical communication devices include telephones, radio telephones, cellular telephones, pagers, two-way radios, and other similar devices. These communication devices are utilized to establish connections with other communication devices for a user.  
      To operate the various kinds of communication devices, a user may utilize a keypad to enter information, and a display to view information entered through the keypad or generated from the communication device. Typically, the keypad has columns and rows of buttons that include the numbers from “0” to “9,” and symbols, such as “*” and “#.” In addition, the keypad may include the letters “a” through “z,” which may correspond to a specific number. Generally, the numbers, symbols, and letters follow a standard layout with three or four letters being associated with a specific number on the keypad. While the user may utilize the keypad to operate the communication device, in some instances, the use of the keypad may not be convenient. For example, if the user is carrying luggage, the user may not be able to press the buttons on the keypad of the communication device.  
      In response to this type of problem, some communication devices may include a hands-free mode or voice recognition mode that facilitates operation of the communication device with no use, or minimal use, of the keypad. In this mode, the user may utilize various voice commands to operate the communication device. Each voice command is typically related to a specific function or action to be performed by the communication device. Once the voice command is received, the communication device compares the received voice command with a stored voice command that relates to a specific action. If the received voice command matches a stored voice command, then the communication device may perform the specific action associated with the voice command. Thus, the voice command allows the user to utilize human speech to control the operation of the communication device.  
      However, for a variety of reasons, the communication device operating in the hands-free mode may not perform the specific command desired by the user. For instance, businesses may market products and services that relate a telephone number to a combination of numeric digits and alphabetic characters, such as 1-800-MOTOROLA. If the user does not remember the relationship of the alphabetic characters to the numeric digits on the keypad of a communication device or is unable to view the keypad of the communication device, the user may be unable to identify the specific phone number, which is 1-800-668-6765 in this example. As such, the user may be unable to dial the specific phone number that relates to the combined alphabetic characters and numeric digits without actually using the keypad. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Advantages of the invention may become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a communication device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a diagram of an exemplary communication system positioned in a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a diagram of an exemplary communication system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of an exemplary process in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS  
      One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.  
      The present technique is an improved approach for entering alphabetic characters, numeric digits, and symbolic characters into a communication device through the use of voice recognition. Under the present technique, a communication device may receive voice commands, which include alphabetic characters, numeric digits, and/or symbolic characters, for dialing a specific phone number and/or for storing the phone number into memory. Because the communication device may translate the various digits and characters into the specific phone number, a user may utilize the communication device to enter phone numbers that include various types of digits and characters without having to view the keypad. As such, the user may enter numeric digits along with alphabetic characters and symbolic characters to operate the communication device.  
      Turning now to the drawings, and referring initially to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary communication device  10  in accordance with an embodiment with the present invention is illustrated. The communication device  10  may be a cellular telephone that is utilized to communicate with other individuals. Also, it should be note that the communication device  10  may be a cordless telephone, a radiotelephone, a pager, a two-way radio, and/or other similar device. The communication device  10  may include a control module  12 , which may be a circuit that includes a processor or group of processors along with other associated circuitry that may be used to provide communication. For instance, the control module  12  may include a processor, which utilizes software programs, such as an operating system  14  and/or voice recognition program  32 , which are discussed below. The processor may handle the analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversions for signals being exchanged with the communication device  10 . Also, the control module  12  may include a voice recognition engine that may be utilized to translate audio signals into sound files that may correspond to specific voice commands.  
      The control module  12  may utilize an operating system  14  to interact with various hardware components and software programs within the communication device  10 . The operating system  14  may manage various operational functions, such as allocating memory, scheduling tasks, accessing memory, displaying information to the user, and polling the interfaces for any entered data. By utilizing the operating system  14 , the control module  12  may control the operation of the communication device  10  and may manage the interaction of various modules, such as a power supply  16 , a port  18 , a display  20 , a user interface  22 , a speaker  24 , a microphone  26 , a transceiver module  28 , and a memory  30  that may include additional software programs, such as a voice recognition program  32 .  
      The power supply  16  may provide power to the control module  12  and other modules of the communication device  10 . The power supply  16  may operate from power that is supplied from batteries or an external source through the port  18 , which is discussed below. As an example, the power supply  16  may include rechargeable batteries that may be connected to an electrical distribution system in a vehicle through the port  18 .  
      To interact with the user of the communication device  10 , the control module  12  may utilize the display  20  and the user interface  22 . The display  20  may be an LCD screen that is used to present the user with information and/graphics, such as numeric digits, symbolic characters, and alphabetic characters. The display  20  may present information that is entered through the user interface  22  and/or provided from the control module  12 . The user interface  22  may include keypads or buttons, which are used to enter information into the communication device  10 . For instance, the user interface  22  may be a keypad that includes columns and rows of individual keys that are associated with the numeric digits “0” through “9.” Also, each of the keys on the keypad may be associated with a group of alphabetic characters from “a” to “z” along with different symbols, such as “*” or “#.”  
      Additionally, the speaker  24  and the microphone  26  may be utilized to communicate with the user of the communication device  10  or to communicate with another user of another communication device  10 . The speaker  24  may produce audible sounds that are generated based on commands from the control module  12 . These audible sounds may relate to the functioning of the control module  12  or to an exchange of data with another communication device  10 . The microphone  26  may be used as an audio input device to enter audible sounds into the communication device  10 . These sounds may be voice commands for the communication device  10 , human speech being used to communicate with another individual, or sounds generated from another machine, such as a fax or modem, for example.  
      To interact with external devices or systems, the port  18  and the transceiver module  28  may be utilized to establish communication paths with external systems. For instance, the port  18  may be adapted to receive a cable that may be connected to systems external to the communication device  10 . These systems may include a vehicle, speakers that are external to the communication device  10 , and/or an adapter that interfaces with another system, which are discussed below. The port  18  may use the connection to exchange electrical signals with the control module  12 . Similarly, the transceiver module  28  may be connected to the control module  12  to exchange data with the control module  12  or to establish a wireless connection with other devices, as discussed below in greater detail. The data exchanged may include human speech, digital information, control signals, or other audio signals.  
      To manage the operation of the communication device  10 , a memory  30  may be coupled to the control module  12  to store information or software programs, which may be under the control of the control module  12 . The memory  30  may include dynamic random access memory, static random access memory, read-only memory, flash memory, or any combination of these memory types. The control module  12  may use the memory  30  to store data for the communication device  10 . The stored data may include phone numbers, contact information, sound files, and any other information that might be useful to the user of the communication device  10 . Further, the control module  12  may use the memory  30  to store various applications or programs, such as the operating system  14  and the voice recognition program  32 .  
      The voice recognition program  32  may be a software program that is used by the control module  12  to recognize different voice commands. The voice commands may be words or phrases that are stored in the memory  30  in the form of sound files, which are accessible by the communication device  10 . When a voice command is received, the communication device  10  may compare the voice command with the stored sound files to determine if a specific function or action should be performed. For instance, the communication device  10  may use the voice commands to store a specific phone number or to dial a phone number.  
      To operate from voice commands, the control module  12  may utilize the voice recognition program  32  or the control module  12  to translate voice commands into specific actions or instructions. For example, a user of the communication device  10  may be unable to view or access the user interface  22 . If the user is listening to a radio or a television program, the user may hear or see a vanity phone number, which is a phone number that includes numeric digits and alphabetic characters. The vanity phone number may be used by businesses or advertisers to market products or services through a unique phone number. If the user is unable to remember or is unable to view the numeric digits associated with the alphabetic characters, then the user is unable to utilize the vanity phone number.  
      To enhance the operation of the communication device  10 , the voice recognition program  32  may be configured to receive voice commands that include alphabetic characters, numeric digits, and symbolic characters that are utilized to represent numeric digits or specific phone numbers. The use of the various digits and characters enables the user to call a phone number that includes a combination of digits and characters, to store a phone number that includes a combination of digits and characters, and/or to interact with other systems that may utilize a combination of digits and characters in a hands free mode. An example of the associations of the voice commands or utterances to the associated numeric digits and symbolic characters are shown in Table 1.  
               TABLE 1                          Voice Command and Associated Numeric Digit                             Utterance or   Associated Numeric Digit or           Voice Command   Symbolic Character                       “one”   “1”           “two”   “2”           “three”   “3”           “four”   “4”           “five”   “5”           “six”   “6”           “seven”   “7”           “eight”   “8”           “nine”   “9”           “zero”   “0”           “star”   “*”           “pound”   “#”           “a,” “b,” “c”   “2”           “d,” “e,” “f”   “3”           “g” “h,” “i”   “4”           “j” “k,” “l”   “5”           “m,” “n,” “o”   “6”           “p,” “q,” “r,” “s”   “7”           “t,” “u,” “v”   “8”           “w,” “x,” “y,” “z”   “9”           “oh”   “6”           “ate”   “8”                      
 
      As discussed above, voice commands may be used to correspond to specific numeric digits or actions to be performed by the communication device  10 . For instance, the voice command “one” may correspond to the numeric digit “1,” while the voice command “star” may correspond to the symbol “*,” as shown in Table 1. Also, with regard to the alphabetic characters, the voice commands “a,” “b,” and “c” may correspond to the numeric digit “2,” as shown in Table 1. By associating the individual digits and characters to a specific numeric digit, the voice recognition program  32  may translate the various digits and characters into numeric digits that correspond to a specific phone number. This allows the user to utilize voice commands that include numeric digits, symbolic characters, and/or alphabetic characters.  
      However, it should be understood that the user may also utilize additional utterances and languages with the communication device  10 . For instance, certain additional utterances may correspond to specific numeric digits because of similarities in the audible sound (i.e. homophones). Particularly, the utterance “oh” may correspond to the numeric digit “6,” while the utterance “ate” may correspond to the numeric digit “8.” Accordingly, the voice recognition program  32  may relate other words of human speech to specific numeric digits because of the similarity of the utterances with the voice commands. In addition, it should be noted that different languages and dialects may also utilize voice commands with the communication device  10  in a similar manner. For example, the languages may include Spanish, Chinese, French, or any other language or dialect.  
      To provide other benefits, the communication device  10  may interface with an interface module  36  in a vehicle  34 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the exemplary vehicle  34  includes an interface module  36  that is used to communicate with the communication device  10 . The communication device  10  may be a cellular telephone or other portable communication device that may interact with components within the vehicle  34 . The vehicle-based communication system may include the interface module  36 , which is connected to a power supply  42 , a speaker  44 , a microphone  46 , and/or an antenna module  48  to enhance the operation of the communication device  10 . These components may be individual units, units that are integrated into the vehicle  34 , or a standalone unit that combines certain components together. As such, the interface module  36 , the power supply  42 , the speaker  44 , the microphone  46 , and/or the antenna module  48  may be utilized by the user of the communication device  10  to enhance the operation of the communication device  10 , when it is near the vehicle  34 . The interaction of the communication device  10  with the vehicle-based communication system components may be better understood by concurrently viewing  FIG. 1 .  
      The interface module  36  may communicate with the communication device  10  through a physical link  38  or a wireless link  40  to facilitate a hands-free mode of operation. With the physical link  38 , the interface module  36  may be physically connected to the communication device  10  through the port  18 . To provide this physical link  38 , the interface module  36  may include a docking station that engages with the communication device  10  or a cable that connects to the communication device  10 , for example. The interface module  36  also may secure the communication device  10  within the vehicle  34  to prevent movement of the communication device  10  during the operation of the vehicle  34 .  
      Alternatively, the communication device  10  may communicate with the interface module  36  through the wireless link  40 . For instance, the interface module  36  may communicate with the communication device  10  through the transceiver module  28  to establish the wireless link  40 . The wireless link  40  may be established between the interface module  36  and the communication device  10  by utilizing Bluetooth™ technology, infrared technology, frequency division multiple access (“FDMA”), time division multiple access (“TDMA”), or and code division multiple access (“CDMA”), for example. Also, the interface module  36  and the communication device  10  may utilize various wireless standards and protocols, such as Bluetooth™ standards, general packet radio system (“GPRS”), global system for mobile communications (“GSM”) or wireless application protocol (“WAP”).  
      Regardless of the link  38  or  40  being utilized, the interface module  36  may utilize various other components to enhance the operation of the communication device  10 . For instance, the interface module  36  may utilize the power supply  42  to provide power to the power supply  16  of the communication device  10 . The power supply  42  may receive power generated from the operation of an engine within the vehicle  34 . Also, the power supply  42  may include permanent batteries, replaceable batteries, and/or rechargeable batteries that are connected to the electrical distribution system of the vehicle  34 .  
      To interact with the user, the interface module  36  may utilize the speaker  44  and the microphone  46  to provide the interaction between the user and the communication device  10 .  
      For instance, the interface module  36  may use the speaker  44  to produce audio sounds generated from the communication device  10 . The speaker  44  may be a group of speakers within the vehicle  34  that are associated with the radio (not shown) or a standalone speaker that is connected to the interface module  36 . Similarly, the interface module  36  may use the audio input device or microphone  46  to receive audio signals from the user. The microphone  46  may be located within the vehicle  34  or may be attached to a cable that may be positioned near the user. As such, the speaker  44  and the microphone  46  may enhance or supplement the speaker  24  and microphone  26  of the communication device  10  depending on the specific configuration.  
      As another enhancement to the communication device  10 , the interface module  36  may utilize an antenna module  48  to improve communication with devices that are external to the vehicle  34 . The interface module  36  may interface with the radio (not shown) within the vehicle  34  to gain access to the antenna module  48 . The antenna module  48  may support open architecture platforms used for universal port combination of real time voice, fax, and data on a network. As such, the antenna module  48  may boost or otherwise modify the signal generated from the communication device  10  to improve the range of the communication device  10  or clarify the signal from the transceiver module  28  of the communication device  10 .  
      To communicate with other devices, the communication device  10  may interact with a communication system  50 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . In this communication system  50 , the communication device  10  may communicate through one or more node stations  56  or one or more satellites  58  to exchange information with a second communication device  52  that is located in a vehicle  34 , or a third communication device  54  that is connected to a local office  60 .  
      The node stations  56 , the satellites  58 , and the local office  60  may be used to provide the communication between communication devices  10 ,  52 , and  54 . The node stations  56  may be cellular communication stations, wireless telephone stations, or other similar structures. To exchange signals with the node stations  56 , the communication device  10  or  52  may utilize a wireless technology, such as GSM, TDMA, CDMA, FDMA, or other similar technology, as discussed above. The node stations  56  may deliver the audio signals to a local office  60  to communicate with the third communication device  54 . The local office  60  may be a central office that has switching equipment to switch calls locally or to long-distance carriers. As an alternative communication route, the communication device  10  may communicate through the satellites  58 . The communication between the communication device  10  and the satellites  58  may also utilize wireless or satellite technologies, as discussed above. The satellites  58  may also communicate with the third communication device  54  through the local office  60 .  
      In operating communication devices  10 ,  52  and  54 , the user may enter various digits and characters, such as alphabetic characters, numeric digits, and/or symbolic characters, into the communication device  10  in the form of voice commands. Once a voice command is identified, the communication device  10 ,  52  and  54  may perform the specific action associated with the voice command. For example, the user of the first communication device  10  may utilize voice commands to enter in a phone number, such as 1-800-MOTOROLA, into the first communication device  10 . The first communication device  10  may translate the voice commands into the specific phone number, such as 1-800-668-6765, by using the associations shown in Table 1. Once the various digits and characters are translated, the first communication device  10  may establish a link through the node stations  56  to the local office  60 . The local office  60  may establish communication with the third communication device  54 , which may be the specified phone number. As such, the user of the first communication device  10  may utilize alphabetic characters, symbolic characters, and numeric digits to establish communication link with another communication device  52  or  54 . To further understand the operation of the communication device, a process flow diagram is shown in  FIG. 4 .  
      As depicted in  FIG. 4 , a flow diagram, generally designated by reference numeral  100 , is illustrated of a process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The flow diagram  100  may be better understood by concurrently viewing  FIGS. 1-3 . In the flow diagram  100 , the user may utilize the communication device  10  to communicate with another individual. As will be explained below, the communication device  10  may receive voice commands from the user, which may include alphabetic characters, symbolic characters, numeric digits or a combination of the types of digits and characters. Each of these digits and characters may be related to a numeric digit or symbolic character, as shown in Table 1. As a result, the communication device  10  may translate the voice commands into a specific phone number that may be stored in memory or utilized to communicate with another individual.  
      The process begins at block  102 . At block  104 , the user of the communication device  10  may store symbolic characters, numeric digits, and/or alphabetic characters into a memory. The digits and characters may correspond to specific numeric digits on the user interface  22 , which may be a keypad. The memory may be the memory  30  within the communication device  10  or a memory located within a vehicle  34 . At block  106 , the hands free or voice recognition mode of the communication device  10  may be activated by the user. The voice recognition mode, which may be used to program voice commands or initiate voice commands, may be continuously active, activated by a specific voice command, or activated by pressing a button or key.  
      Once the voice recognition mode is activated, the voice command may be received from the user at block  108 . The voice command may be received through the microphone  26  or  46 , or other suitable audio input device. At block  110 , the received voice command may be compared with voice commands that are stored in memory as sound files. If the voice command is determined to be similar to the stored voice command, then the communication device  10  may translate the voice command into an associated numeric digit at block  112 . The translation of the received voice command into the specified numeric digit may be handled by the control module  12 , which may utilize the voice recognition program  32  or voice recognition hardware. At block  114 , the translated numeric digit may be stored in memory. Similarly, the translated numeric digit may also be presented to the user on the display  20 . Then, the communication device  10  may continue operation at block  116 . The continued operation may include waiting for another voice command or performing the action related to the received voice command. However, if the voice command does not relate to a stored voice command, then the communication device  10  may continue operation at block  116 . Accordingly, after block  116 , the process ends at block  118 .  
      While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.