AU747487B2

AU747487B2 - Transceiver for various information formats

Info

Publication number: AU747487B2
Application number: AU40131/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Daniel Lecomte
Original assignee: Alcatel CIT SA; Alcatel SA
Current assignee: Alcatel Lucent SAS
Priority date: 1996-07-26
Filing date: 1997-07-31
Publication date: 2002-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 2017-07-31
Also published as: EP0821538B1; CA2267336A1; AU4013197A; WO1999007131A1; ES2162004T3; DE59607536D1; EP0821538A1

Description

1 Device for playing back and transmitting messages of different formats Field of the invention The concern of the invention is a device for playing back and transmitting messages of different formats, transmitted via an information transmission network. In particular, the concern of the invention is a device for playing back and sending transmitted messages, which originate from the Internet or world wide web (www) or which are transmitted from the integrated services digital network (ISDN).

Background of the invention So-called CTI (Computer-Telephone-Integration) applications are known from state of the art technology. By this we understand the so-called PC-supported telephony.

Systems, which are able to turn a PC into a telephone have, for example, the following configuration: The PC is connected to a telephone via the V.24 interface. From the telephone, or 15 rather from the So-bus, a connection is established with a so-called ISDN communications system. This in turn connects the PC and the telephone with the public network. A further possibility is to connect the PC via an ISDN card and the So-bus S directly to the public network.

To achieve the telephone function within the PC, a telephone is attached to the a/b interface. To be able to listen to messages directly via the PC, a set of headphones and a microphone for recording messages are attached to the PC. The basis for such a .0o..i connection is the so-called TAPI. This stands for Telephone Application Programming Interface. This interface is a uniform interface for telecommunications programs.

Applications under TAPI with random hardware, such as modems, ISDN-cards or PABXs work together. A broad choice is also available for the telephone technology.

This includes analogue telephone technology, as well as ISDN or ATM.

TAPI therefore offers a uniform programming interface which always supplies a RA, uniform user platform, independent of the communications hardware and transmission 004031956 mode, e.g. ISDN or GSM. TAPI also allows the mixed transmission of data and speech and includes an integrated fax/data/voice switch to differentiate incoming calls.

This so-called Internet telephony, which allows a reasonably priced, but somewhat poor quality connection to be established to other connections, will in future be equipped with so-called voice gateways. The called partner will then no longer need his own Internet link for his PC (taken from: "Der PC als Telefon" [The PC as Telephone], "Funkschau 12/96", pages 24-31).

Further state of the art solutions describe how a personal computer can be converted into a feature telephone. The reasons for using the CTI's are as follows: By using computer aided telephony, the customer is able to offer an improved service. With such an application, a personal computer, in the following called PC, is converted into a feature telephone by using certain interfaces and software (excerpt from: "Der Pesonal Computer als Komforttelefon" [The Personal Computer as a Feature S Telephone]; "Funkschau 14/96", pages 74-81).

15 The previously described state of the art solutions use certain interfaces and software to convert a PC into a feature telephone. The prerequisites for this are that a PC of a certain capacity is available, as well as an interface to a telephone network. For this purpose, a personal computer must always be available, or an additional terminal must be available. Such a solution offers a great number of performance features and is user 20 friendly in its actual application, but such a solution requires a lot of space to set up a PC, there is no chance of moving away from the location while "making a call", a program must be started for receiving messages, which in turn requires a certain basic knowledge.

For a professional application in the office environment, work is simplified by means of such a PC in combination with the feature telephone, but in a home, or private environment, it is rather the opposite, an impractical solution.

Summary of the invention It is the task of the present invention to create a terminal which enables a user in a private environment to receive and also to send messages of different formats.

004031956 According to the invention, this object is attained by providing telephone-style communication device for the transmission and reception of messages of different signal formats via a information transmission network, the apparatus including: a controller, mediating the interoperation of at least a network interface unit, user output peripherals, user input peripherals, message converter means and a graphical user interface; the network interface having a network side and an apparatus side, the interface converting network compatible signals received at its network side to device compatible signals at its device side, and converting apparatus compatible signals received at its device side to network compatible signals at its network side; two or more user output peripherals for outputting messages of different formats to a user; two or more user input peripherals for inputting messages of different formats from a user; S: .i 15 the message converter means for converting a message in any of a first set of user formats to a selected one or more of a second set of user formats chosen by the So user; oo wherein the message converter means includes a text-to-speech converter, whose output is applied to a speaker or loudspeaker; 20 wherein the message converter means includes a voice-to-text converter, the output being applied to a monitor; the graphical user interface enabling a user to initiate a chosen mode of operation to provide speech or text output.

It is advantageous hereby, that the user of such a device can receive messages of different formats and also send messages of different formats. Messages of different formats are here understood as being, for example, a message from the Intemrnet, e.g. an email, or a voice message. The user can therefore advantageously switch between text messages or voice messages, which he can listen to, or look at in any form he wishes. It is ,004031956 4 also advantageous that a PC does not need to be installed for such an application, where complicated software must be started, to be able to make a phone call. A similar function can be carried out in a simple manner with such a device.

In a particular embodiment, the transmitted voice messages or the transmitted text messages are stored in their allocated memories, ready to be reviewed later or changed into a different format. This increases the flexibility of the system in an advantageous manner.

Brief description of the drawings The invention is explained in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, whose single figure is a block diagram of the apparatus embodying the invention.

Detailed description of the embodiments :o A device TER for the playback of messages of different formats, transmitted via an information transmission network NN, includes an interface S for matching the device 15 TER to the information network NN. Here, the information transmission network NN is, for example, the integrated services digital network ISDN. The interface S is, for example, connected with a further interface circuit 4 by means of a telephone wire 3, said circuit containing, for example, a modem. This device TER also includes a switching i. circuit 5, which is used for the voltage supply of interface S. This can be, for example, a 20 simple battery. A connection between the information transmission network NN and the micro-controller jC is established via the interface S and the interface circuit 4. The a= micro-controller jtC includes an integrated ROM memory. Further memory components .=oo.i MEM 1, MEM 2, designed as non-volatile memory elements, e.g. type Eprom or Flashooooi Eprom, are connected to this micro-controller. In one embodiment, MEM1 is used for the storage of voice messages, while MEM2 is used to store text messages.

The previously described interface switching circuit 4 for matching the messages of the information transmission system to the micro-controller RiC is in the following designated as a modem. This modem mainly serves the purpose of establishing a connection to the Internet or to the world wide web. This modem is therefore able, for S004031956 example, to process different speeds. The modem is able to handle, e.g. 28.000 bit/sec.

Another possibility of the modem is to provide an ISDN type digital interface.

Furthermore, the device TER for the playback of transmitted messages of different formats includes a network transfer unit NET, for matching the transmitted messages of different formats to the device.

Furthermore, the device TER for playback includes a voice recognition unit REC to recognise a spoken voice message. Configured with this is a unit for the conversion of the spoken voice message into a text. The device TER for the playback of transmitted messages furthermore includes a speech generation unit SYN to generate speech from a message in text format. This is accompanied by a unit for converting the text message into speech. A loudspeaker L is arranged to output as speech the so generated voice message. A monitor MON is arranged for the display of text.

As messages are also to be spoken and recorded via this device TER for playback, which are in turn sent to a further subscriber via the information transmission network, a S:i 15 microphone M is also provided.

In further configurations of the devices TER for playback, for example, a socalled touch monitor TC can be provided for input purposes. In other configurations it is also possible to provide means NAV, with which it is possible to move a cursor around a menu displayed on the monitor. To activate such a device TER, an infrared receiver INF S 20 can be provided to initiate and terminate functions.

The device TER for playing back messages of different formats transmitted via an information transmission network NN is used for transmitting, e.g. emails or voice messages. A so-called information distribution network is provided as transmission S" network for emails. This can be, for example, an information distribution network of the Internet type, but it can also be expanded to an information distribution network according to the world wide web (www) format.

With the aforementioned additional means of device TER for messages of different format it must also be said, that the device can be designed as a feature telephone and should also offer the user all performance features of a feature telephone.

004031956 This can mean that performance features of a feature telephone can also be provided by means of a card, such as, for example, a PCMCIA card. For this purpose, a facility PCMCIA for inserting the card is provided in the device.

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Claims

1. A telephone-style communication device for the transmission and reception of messages of different signal formats via a information transmission network, the apparatus including: a controller, mediating the interoperation of at least a network interface unit, user output peripherals, user input peripherals, message converter means and a graphical user interface; the network interface having a network side and an apparatus side, the interface converting network compatible signals received at its network side to device compatible signals at its device side, and converting apparatus compatible signals received at its device side to network compatible signals at its network side; two or more user output peripherals for outputting messages of different formats to a user; .two or more user input peripherals for inputting messages of different a. 15 formats from a user; •O the message converter means for converting a message in any of a first set o o:of user formats to a selected one or more of a second set of user formats chosen by the user; .wherein the message converter means includes a text-to-speech converter, whose output is applied to a speaker or loudspeaker; o wherein the message converter means includes a voice-to-text converter, the output being applied to a monitor; "the graphical user interface enabling a user to initiate a chosen mode of operation to provide speech or text output.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the network compatible signals include email messages and voice messages. 004031956 8

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, including a first memory for storing voice messages from the network, and a second memory for storing text messages from the network.

4. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the graphical user interface means includes a cursor control means. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the graphical user interface means includes a touch-screen. Dated this 7th day of March 2002 ALCATEL by its attorneys Freehills Carter Smith Beadle S 0 SO