WO2001015009A2 - Internet access having voice input and output - Google Patents

Abstract

A universal internet access is made possible by a method and a converter (4) for enabling the interactive use of internet contents (12 to 14, 17) using acoustic voice input (16) and acoustic voice output (19) via a telephone (1) of a terminal user (20) that is suited for voice telephony. Said converter comprises an internet protocol voice converter system (6,5,7,9,10) for generating voice signals (19) which are provided for output to the terminal user (20), are based on digital internet protocol data sequences (17), and which are to be output (15,1) in acoustic form to the terminal user. The converter also comprises a voice internet protocol converter system (8,5,7,9,10) for generating digital internet data sequences (17) which are to be sent over the internet and which are based on voice signals (16) that are acoustically input via the telephone (1) of a terminal user (20).

Description

Internet phone

description

The invention relates to methods and devices for enabling the interactive use of (in particular graphic) Internet content by acoustic

Voice input and acoustic voice output via a telephone of a terminal user suitable for voice telephony.

The Internet, which emerged from a military project, has so far required an analog or digital telephone connection, a converter in the form of a modem and suitable hardware and software for use via the fixed network in order to be used. In the meantime, there are also projects (http://www.wapforum.org/) to use specially designed websites for end device users with only mobile phones without additional hardware and software (such as conventional PCs and Internet software and modems) to make the Internet more universal in discussion.

The object of the present invention is to create an Internet access that is as universal as possible and efficient and as independent as possible of hardware, software or other end devices of a terminal user. The object is achieved in each case by the subject matter of the independent claims.

The invention allows any terminal user with access to any telephone to use Internet content, including graphic Internet pages (HTML or XML). A modification of Internet pages is not necessary for this. Since any landline or mobile phone according to the analog or digital standard is suitable for this, with appropriate training of the converter or method according to the invention, almost every potential end user of the civilized world can be provided with Internet access without the need to purchase hardware and / or software.

ERSÄΓZBLÄΓΓ (RULE 26) Further features and advantages result from the claims and the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing. The only drawing shows

Fig. 1 as a block diagram structure and arrangement of an inventive

Converter for performing the method according to the invention

Figure 1 shows several telephones 1, 2, 3, which can be used by a terminal user for purely acoustic use of the Internet. The telephones can be any analog or digital telephones for landlines and / or

Act cellular communications

The converter 4 according to the invention comprises the components 5 to 10. Between the telephones 1 to 3 and the converter 4, there is a connection suitable for the transmission of signals (telecommunications communication useful information, etc.). As a rule, this becomes a telephone connection via landline lines (or alternatively mobile radio links and additional ones Landline lines) The converter 4 can, for example, be arranged in a suitable position in a network of a telephone network operator. The telephones 1 to 3 can connect to the converter 4 via lines 15, for example, by dialing a specific telephone number, which is assigned to the converter. The billing can For example, via a telephone billing, as in Internet-by-call applications, for example by measuring the time in the converter 4 with a time measuring device and transmitting the service times and possibly also the times to a billing device in the network of a telecommunications network operator

The converter 4 is used in a simplified manner to analyze voice input acoustically input by an internet user 20 into a telephone 1 (which was transmitted electronically, optically, etc. to the converter 4 via the line 15) and based on this to the internet 11 (via an internet access 10 , 16 of the converter 4) and Internet service

To transmit providers for Internet content 12 to 14 and vice versa from the Internet content service provider (provider of content on the Internet) 12 to 14 Internet protocol data sequences 17 converted (4) via a telephone line 15 to the telephone 1 one Terminal user 20 (adapt reference numeral 20 above) for acoustic output 19 to be transmitted to terminal user 20 Interactive use of Internet content via a telephone enables interactive use, for example, in a query of Internet protocol data sequences, including flight plans, timetables, weather data, traffic jam information, etc., booking of any processes, such as rental cars, flights, shopping for any products or services, payments with various Internet payment

Include protocols etc individually or in combination.

For this purpose, the converter 4 comprises an Internet protocol / language conversion device (comprising 5, 7, 6, 9, 10) for generating, based on the Internet protocol data sequences 17, intended for the output 19 to the terminal user 20

Speech signals 19 The Internet protocol language conversion device 6, 5, 7, 9, 10 comprises a speech device (TTS 6 = Text to speech converter = text to speech part), which is based on Internet protocol data sequences 7 directly (1 1 or with a table etc) or indirectly (due to actions of the parser 9 based on Internet protocol data sequences 17) voice signals 19 are generated, which include To be output via a telephone line 15 and a telephone 1 to a terminal user. Here, the texts to be output (which are converted from text to speech via TTS) are created by a parser 9 based on an analysis of Internet protocol data sequences 17. Here, the parser 9 may take into account which data are made available by the server 12 to 14 and / or how they are made available, insofar as he knows the servers or pages of the servers 12 to 14 Instructions are given in the Internet protocol data sequences 17 for analysis.

In the opposite direction from the speaking terminal user 20 via his acoustic voice inputs 16, the telephone 1 and the telephone line 15, possibly AD converter or digital-digital format converter 5, the converter 4 to the Internet 11 and via this further to Internet service providers 12 to 14, the conversion is carried out by means of components 8, 5, 7, 9, 10 of the converter 4 comprising voice-internet protocol conversion device. This includes a speech recognition device (ASR 8), which automatically transmits speech signals 16, which are transmitted in analog or digital form via the telephone 1 and the telephone line 15 to the converter 4 (and, if appropriate, AD converted or converted in terms of their format in FIG. 5) the parser 9 implements suitable digital signals. In the simplest case, for example, a query "yes or no" from a provider 12 (via the Internet 11 and the converter 4 to the end user) 20) on the terminal input 16 of an acoustic "yes" or acoustic "no" this is converted into a text-based yes or text-based no. The speech signals 19 converted by the ASR into text can be analyzed by the parser 9, parser 9 performing the last queries (yes / no etc) can be considered for analysis.

Various audio tools 7 are available for analysis, which, for example, can take into account different speakers (through speaker files that have been learned for a speaker, etc.) in the analysis and speech 16.

The invention relates to a converter 4 and a method described above and can be implemented in the form of a program and / or hardware, but is neither characterized nor limited to the implementation as a program alone.

Claims

claims 1 converter (4) to enable the interactive use of Internet content (12 to 14 17) by acoustic voice input (16) and acoustic voice output (19) via a telephone (1) of a terminal user suitable for voice telephony (20), with an Internet protocol language conversion device (6,5,7,9,10) for generating digital Internet protocol data sequences (17) which are intended for output to the terminal user (20) the End device users to output acoustic signals (15.1) (19) and with a voice-to-internet protocol converting device (8,5,7,9,10) for generating digital internet data sequences (17) to be sent over the internet based on the telephone (1) of a terminal user (20) acoustically input voice signals (16) Transducer according to claim 1, characterized in that the Iπtemet-Sprach-Wandeleinπchtung (8,5,7,9,10) a speech device (TTS 6) contains the Internet protocol data sequences directly or indirectly according to instructions in the form of text output to the speech device (6) by the parser (9) voice signals (19) for acoustic output on the phone (1) of a terminal user (20) can generate Converter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the Iπternet protocol data sequences (17) for generating acoustically output speech signals are interpreted by an interpretation device (parser 9) with regard to their content and on the basis of the interpretation Result this interpretation on the phone (1) of the end user (20) acoustic voice signals (19) are generated Converter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that (15, 1) voice signals (19) to be output acoustically on the telephone (1) of a terminal user (20) are transmitted analogously by the converter (4) to the telephone (1) via a telephone network and the converter (4) a digital analog conversion device (CTI 5) for converting digital speech signals generated with the converter into analog speech signals and an analog-digital conversion device (also CTI 5) for converting analog speech signals (16) into digital speech signals for the converter (8,9,7) 5 converter according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the from the terminal user (20) sent to the converter and / or from the converter to the Eπdgerätnutzer (20) in electrical form voice signals are digitally transmitted via a digital telephone line (15) , 6. Converter according to claim 5, characterized in that it has a conversion device (DTI 5) for converting the digital data format on the telephone line (15) into a digital data format to be processed further in the converter (4) and vice versa. 7 converter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it contains an action device (parser 9), which is based on the Internet protocol data sequences (17) coming from the Internet carry out a communication with the terminal user (20) and / or over the Internet (1 1) comprehensive actions. 8 converter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the voice Internet protocol conversion device (8,5,7,9,10) for generating internet protocol data sequences based on voice signals acoustically input by the end user (20) ( 17) one Contains speech recognition device (ASR 8) for converting speech-representing speech signals into text data. 9. Converter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is arranged in whole or in part in the telephone network of a fixed network operator 10. Converter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is designed to analyze from the Internet (11) for the terminal user (20) incoming Internet protocol data sequences (17), which according to the graphical representation on terminal user screens a predetermined standard, in particular HTML and / or XML, are provided. 11 converter according to one of the preceding claims, that the Internet protocol data sequences (17) to be analyzed, which it contains, contain control sequences and / or query sequences, in particular under JAVA. 2 Methods for enabling the interactive use of Internet content by acoustic voice input and acoustic voice output via a telephone of a terminal user suitable for voice telephony; wherein with an Iπternetprotokoll speech conversion device, based on from a telephone (1) to a converter (4) transmitted electrically or optically Speechignaleπ Internet protocol data sequences (17) are generated; whereby with a speech-internet protocol conversion device, based on internet (11) coming to a telephone (1) directed to a telephone (1) generated on the telephone (1) of a terminal device, acoustically outputable speech signals are used and sent to the telephone (1) of a terminal user (20) are transmitted.