COMMUNICATING INFORMATION

The invention relates to a computing device that is capable of communicating speech data with another device over a communications connection. The invention particularly relates to devices that include a memory for storing one or more text strings.

The term 'computing device' includes, without being limited to, Desktop and Laptop computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), Mobile Telephones, Smartphones, Digital Cameras and Digital Music Players. It also includes converged devices incorporating the functionality of one or more of the classes of device already mentioned, together with many other industrial and domestic electronic appliances.

Many such computing devices are equipped with Personal Information Management (PIM) software such as address books or contact databases and calendars or agendas. One particular class of devices equipped with PIM software includes mobile telephones. Virtually all mobile telephones are capable of storing at least a basic directory of common contacts including their name and telephone number. More advanced devices, such as smartphones, provide a much more sophisticated type of software, with the ability include related information for each common contact, such as addresses, photographs, and personal details.

All types of mobile telephone and smartphone are typically used, when making or receiving voice calls, in the one-handed configuration common to virtually all modern types of telephone apparatus, with the device held by the side of the head in such a way that the speaker is near the ear and the microphone is near the mouth. While modern devices of this type do include alternatives to this one-handed configuration, such as speakerphone modes and various types of wired and wireless headsets, it remains true that the one-handed side of head position (which we refer to here as "voice mode") is the most common configuration for the voice call.

One significant feature of "voice mode" for a telephone is that while it is very convenient for talking and listening, it is not at all convenient for interacting with the screen and the keyboard that mobile phones and smartphones typically provide. If,

for example, someone is in the middle of a voice call and they need to look up some information stored on their device, such as the telephone number of third party, and then pass that information to the person with whom they are conducting the telephone conversation, it is necessary to pause the conversation, change from voice mode to a more convenient position for interacting with the screen and keyboard (which we refer to here as "data interaction mode"), look up the information, and then return to the more suitable mode for the voice call.

Not only is this awkward and disruptive to the voice call, but more importantly, it is error-prone. A well-known essay by George Miller, "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information" published in The Psychological Review issue 63 (1956) pages 81-97, points out that the average person can accurately recall a limited quantity of information, with 7 items being the average. Since a telephone number is typically 10 digits in length, there is a high probability that the procedure described above for looking up a telephone number one during a voice call and then relaying it to the person with whom one is speaking will actually result in an incorrect number.

Attempting to read out the number when in "data interaction mode" (e.g. by using a speaker phone) in the hope that the listener will be able to hear it is error-prone also, as audible feedback from the ear speaker can't be picked up. Returning to "voice mode" and asking for the number to be read back is subject to exactly the same inaccuracies as described above.

These considerations apply not just to telephone numbers, but to any type of information that needs to be looked up on a mobile phone. Existing devices are deficient because they do not allow this to be done in an accurate and easy manner. Therefore, there is a need for an improved computing device that addresses these deficiencies.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, there is provided a computing device for communicating speech data with another device over a communications connection, the computing device comprising a memory for storing at least one text

string and being arranged to establish a communications connection with another device and transmit speech data over that connection, identify that a text string stored in the memory is representative of information to be transmitted over the communications connection, convert the text string into speech data representative of the information to be transmitted over the communications connection and transmit the speech data to the other device over the communications connection.

The computing device may comprise a user interface and may be arranged to identify that the text string is representative of information to be transmitted over the communications connection in dependence on a user input received via the user interface. The computing device may be arranged to identify that the text string is representative of information to be transmitted over the communications connection in dependence on a user accessing the memory of the computing device via the user interface and selecting the text string as being representative of information to be transmitted over the communications connection.

Preferably the memory of the computing device is arranged to store multiple text strings, the computing device being arranged to identify that one of the multiple text strings is selected as being representative of information to be transmitted over the communications connection in dependence on the user selecting that text string via the user interface.

The user interface may comprise a keypad and the computing device may be arranged to identify that a text string is representative of information to be transmitted over the communications connection in dependence on a predetermined key of the keypad being activated by the user.

The user interface may comprise a display and the computing device may be arranged to identify that a text string is representative of information to be transmitted over the communications connection in dependence on a predetermined key of the keypad being activated by the user while that text string or data corresponding to that text string is selected in the display.

The text string may be representative of a telephone number. The text string may be contained in a contact list stored in the memory of the computing device.

The computing device may be arranged to convert the text string into speech data such that speech data representative of each respective element of the text string is separated by a predetermined period of time.

The computing device may be arranged to determine the period of time for which speech data representative of each respective element of the text string is separated in dependence on a user input received via the user interface.

The computing device may store a computer program for converting text data into speech data in the memory and the computing device may be arranged to execute the computer program so as to convert the text string into speech data representative of the information to be transmitted over the communications connection.

The computing device may comprise a receiver for receiving speech signals from a user and the computing device may have a record mode in which it is arranged to receive a speech signal from the user and store speech data representative of that speech signal in the memory. The computing device may be arranged to, when operating in record mode, associate a speech signal received from the user with a text element. The computing device may be arranged to store the speech data in association with the text element with which the speech signal corresponding to that speech data was associated.

Each text string may comprise one or more text elements. The computing device may be arranged to convert a text string into speech data representative of the information to be transmitted over the communications connection by forming data that includes the speech data associated with each respective text element comprised in the text string. The text elements may include text data representative of an integer in the range zero to nine.

The computing device is preferably adapted to being used in a first configuration during a voice call and in a second configuration during a memory access operation.

The computing device may comprise an audio reproduction means, the audio reproduction means being arranged to output an audio signal representative of the speech data transmitted to the other device.

The audio reproduction means is preferably arranged to amplify a signal representative of a speech signal received from the user by a first amplification factor and amplify a signal representative of the speech data to be transmitted to the other device by a second amplification factor, the second amplification factor being greater than the first amplification factor.

The computing device may be arranged to include data representative of a predetermined message in the speech data transmitted to the other device over the communications connection.

The computing device may be arranged to transmit the speech data to the other device during a telephone call with the other device.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, there is provided an operating system capable of controlling a computing device to operate as a computing device according to any of claims 1 to 21.

According to a third embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for a computing device to communicate information to another device over a communications connection, the method comprising the computing device establishing a communications connection with the other device and transmitting speech data over that connection, identifying that a text string stored in a memory of the computing device is representative of information to be transmitted over the communications connection, converting the text string into speech data representative of the information to be transmitted over the communications

connection and transmitting the speech data to the other device over the communications connection.

The invention will now be described by way of a specific example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a computing device according to certain embodiments of the invention;

Figure 2 shows the steps of communicating data over a communication connection according to certain embodiments of the invention; and

Figure 3 shows a mobile station that is suitable for implementing the invention.

A computing device according to certain embodiments of the invention is capable of communicating speech data with another device over a communications connection. The computing device also includes a memory that stores one or more strings of text data. The computing device addresses the deficiencies in existing computing devices by being capable of converting a stored text string into speech data while a call is being conducted with another computing device, and then transmitting that speech data to the other device over the same connection that is being used for the call.

One advantage of a computing device according to certain embodiments of the invention is that it enables a user to communicate information that is stored as text data in the memory of the computing device over the same connection that has already been established for a voice call. Therefore, there is no requirement to initiate a separate channel to communicate the information to the other device, e.g. by sending the data via SMS or Bluetooth™.

A further advantage of a computing device according to certain embodiments of the invention is that the user is not required to read out the text data in order to communicate it as voice data over the existing connection with the other device. This is advantageous because it addresses the problems described above, in which the

computing device is adapted to being held in two different configurations by the user: one configuration being convenient for conducting a voice call with another device and the second configuration being convenient for accessing data stored in the memory. A computing device according to certain embodiments of the invention addresses these problems by automatically converting selected text data into speech data and transmitting that speech data over the existing connection, with the result that the user is not obliged to read out the text data in order to communicate that information over the existing connection. This enables the accurate transmission over a voice connection of data held in textual form on a computing device.

An implementation of a computing device according to certain embodiments of the invention is shown in figure 1. The computing device comprises an antenna 101 , a transmit/receive unit 102, a central controller 103, a conversion unit 104, a memory 105, a keypad 106, a display 107, a microphone 108 and a speaker 109.

The computing device is capable of conducting a voice call with another computing device via the antenna, transmit/receive unit, microphone and speaker, as is well- known in the art. The computing device is also capable of identifying that a text string stored in the memory represents information that is to be transmitted over the voice connection.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the computing device is capable of automatically detecting that data previously stored on the device is being retrieved during a voice call. Suitably, the central controller is arranged to perform this function. The central controller may be a processor operating under software control (e.g. under the control of an operating system of the computing device). The exact method of doing this may vary from one set of operating system software to another, but those skilled in the art of using the facilities provided by various of the software systems provided on mobile telephones (which include without limitation those provided by Symbian Ltd, Microsoft Inc, and various Linux vendors) will readily appreciate how this may be done.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the computing device may be arranged to determine that data previously stored on the device is being accessed during a voice call responsive to a user input received via a user interface. For example, in figure 1 the device comprises a keypad connected to the central controller. The user can use the keypad to access data stored in the memory during a voice call and select some of that data for transmission over the voice call. In figure 1 , the text data selected by the user is a telephone number stored in the user's contact list or address book. The computing device shown in figure 1 includes a display arranged to display data stored in the memory, and the user can use the keypad to select an appropriate entry for conversion into speech data and transmission over the voice call.

Selecting or highlighting a specific item of data retrieved from the memory may cause that data to automatically be converted into speech data and transmitted over the voice call. Alternatively, selecting an item of data may trigger a dialogue or other interaction whereby the user is able to direct the device to read the data selected or highlighted over the voice connection. For example, the computing device may be arranged to perform the conversion and transmission responsive to a specific user input, such as the user pressing a specific key (e.g. 1 or #) on their keypad while the data item is selected or highlighted (e.g. in the display).

The user preferably has the ability to customise the conversion process, so that the conversion may be performed automatically on an appropriate text string being selected from memory or may be performed only if a specific key is pressed while the text string is selected. The user also preferably has the ability to customise which data is converted into speech from a selected item. For example, for entries in a contact list, the user may specify that both the name of the contact and the contact's telephone number are to be converted into speech data or that the telephone number only is to be converted.

The user may also have the option of incorporating a predetermined message with the speech data, so that the user of the receiving device knows what he is about to hear. For example, the predetermined message could be: "The telephone number

is...". This message may be stored in the computing device's memory as speech data or as a text string (in which case it will need to be converted into speech data for transmission over the voice call). The message may be pre-recorded by the user and stored in the computing device's memory. Alternatively, the user may have previously enter the message as a text string via the keypad or the message may have been pre-stored by the manufacturers of the computing device.

Different pre-stored messages may be stored in the memory, and the computing device may be arranged to select the appropriate message for inclusion with the speech data representative of the text string. For example, the messages could refer to fax numbers, contact names etc and the computing device may be arranged to select the appropriate message in dependence on the information which the selected text string represents.

Converting the selected text data into speech data may be performed by a conversion unit, such as the one illustrated in figure 1 , or could be performed by the central controller. For example, the computing device may be equipped with text-to- voice software which is able to read the information retrieved from the device directly to the listener. Such software could act as the conversion unit shown in figure 1. There are many implementations of text-to-voice technology available. This type of software, when installed on a computing device such as a mobile telephone, is advantageous because it enables text data that is stored on the telephone to be read to a listener during a voice call.

The computing device is preferably capable of customising the conversion process to replicate the voice of the user. For example, the text-to-voice software may be capable of being customised to replicate the voice of the user. Alternatively, the computing device may be arranged to record samples of the user's voice and to store these in memory for use when converting stored text data into speech data. For example, the computing device may have a record mode which the user can use to customise the data conversion process.

One possibility is that the computing device is arranged to receive voice signals from the user representing specific words and store data representative of these voice signals in association with the appropriate word. This method could be used to record the user pronouncing the numbers one to nine, for example, so that the computing device could straightforwardly substitute each element of a telephone number with the appropriate recording. This method of converting text strings into speech data is not limited to numbers. Other words that could be useful include "plus", "star", "hash", "extension" etc.

The computing device may be arranged to identify which word the user is pronouncing in dependence on a user input (e.g. a particular key pressed on the keypad), in dependence on a predetermined order which the user is instructed to follow (e.g. the numbers one to nine displayed sequentially on the display) or by using voice recognition software.

The computing device may be arranged to perform a different type of conversion on text strings that are representative of different types of information. For example, a telephone or fax number may be converted by accessing pre-recorded voice data, whereas a contact name or email address may be converted using text-to-voice software.

The speech data that is generated by the computing device from the text string stored in memory need not be in any particular format. For example, the term "speech data" is intended to encompass data that may be input at any stage of the computing device's transmit chain.

A further feature that may be incorporated into a computing device according to certain embodiments of the invention is the capability to adjust the speed at which the data is read back over the voice connections. In this way the user can adjust the speed of the data read back over the voice connection to allow the listener sufficient time to take notes. This may achieved by changing the length of pauses between words.

A computing device such as a mobile phone is often arranged to replay voice signals received from the user during a voice call through the speaker so that the user can clearly hear what he is saying. Typically, the replayed voice signal is kept to a relatively low volume (i.e. the audio reproduction means of the computing device controls amplification of the signal so that the volume of the signal output by the speaker is low). This low volume is sufficient when the user is talking at the same time because the user can hear his own voice through other acoustic pathways in addition to through the speaker of the computing device.

Preferably, a computing device according to certain embodiments of the invention is also arranged to offer this "replay" feature. The computing device is also preferably arranged to offer a similar "replay" feature in respect of the speech data that has been generated from the pre-stored text string. However, in this scenario the user is not speaking the words himself and so he will not hear the audio signal representative of the speech data from any source other the speaker of the computing device. Therefore, the audio reproduction means of the computing device is preferably arranged to amplify the speech data by a greater amplification factor than it uses to amplify the user's voice during a voice call, so that the user can hear the audio signal representative of the speech data clearly through the speaker of the computing device.

The audio reproduction means of the computing device may include a speaker, amplifiers, digital-to-analogue converters etc, as would be understood by the person skilled in the art.

A method for communicating information over a communications connection according to certain embodiments of the invention is shown in figure 2. In step 202 the computing device establishes a voice call with another device. This may be achieved by any suitable method of establishing a communications connection between two devices, which would be understood by the skilled person. In step 204 the computing device determines that text data stored in the memory is representative of information to be transmitted over the communications connection that has been established with the other device. In step 206 the computing device

converts this text data into speech data and in step 208 this speech data is transmitted over the connection.

The method for communicating information described herein may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination of both. Suitably, the steps involved may be implemented by an operating system running on a computing device.

Although the above description refers specifically to an example in which the text data represents a telephone number, it should be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to converting text data that represents any specific type of information. Embodiments of the invention may be used to convert any pre-stored text data into speech data for transmission across a voice communications channel. Specifically, the invention encompasses any type of data that might be contained in the contacts list or address book stored on a computing device, including fax numbers, addresses, email addresses etc.

The term 'computing device' includes, without being limited to, Desktop and Laptop computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), Mobile Telephones, Smartphones, Digital Cameras and Digital Music Players. It also includes converged devices incorporating the functionality of one or more of the classes of device already mentioned, together with many other industrial and domestic electronic appliances.

Figure 3 shows a mobile phone that may suitably communicate information over a voice connection in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention. The mobile phone, shown generally at 1 , includes a non-volatile memory 2 that stores instructions defining application programs (shown schematically at 3) and an operating system (shown schematically at 4). The mobile phone may be configured in such a way that the operating system controls the memory. The mobile phone has a CPU 5 which can execute the instructions stored in memory 2. The non-volatile memory also stores data (shown schematically at 6) defining a series of resource usage profiles. The mobile phone has a keypad 7 by which a user can control the operation of the phone. The mobile phone has an RF transceiver 8 coupled to an antenna 9, by means if which it can transmit and receive data according to a mobile

phone radio protocol. The transceiver is coupled to the CPU. Data received by the transceiver is passed to the CPU and data can be passed from the CPU to the transceiver for transmission. The mobile phone has a display 10 for displaying data to a user, a loudspeaker 11 for producing sound (e.g. to reproduce audio data received through the transceiver 8) and a microphone 12 for receiving sound (e.g. to capture audio data that is subsequently to be transmitted by the transceiver 7). The mobile phone is powered by a battery 13. The mobile phone may be provided with a working memory, which may be on the CPU or in RAM (random access memory) 15 coupled to the CPU. The mobile phone is also provided with a ROM (read only memory) 16 coupled to the CPU.

The applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, to the extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried out based on the present specification as a whole in light of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art, irrespective of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein, and without limitation to the scope of the claims. The applicant indicates that aspects of the present invention may consist of any such feature or combination of features. In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.