Radio telephone

ES 2 394 092 T3

DESCRIPTION

Walky talky

The present invention relates to a radiotelephone. In particular, the invention relates to a radiotelephone comprising a set of headphones and a microphone attachable to the head, with a switch operable by the user.

Radiotelephones are known to work with headphone and microphone assemblies that can be plugged into the handset of the radiotelephone to provide the ability to speak hands-free. For example, the NOKIA® 8110 portable cell phone from Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd. can be operated using the NOKIA HDXK-8 headset and microphone set. This set of headphones and microphone is shown in Figure 1 and comprises an ear-attachable speaker 10, an in-line microphone 11, a conductor 12, a clip 13 for attaching the conductor 12 to an item of clothing, and a connector 14 for plug it into a socket on adapter 15. Adapter 15 has a connector 16 for connecting the headset and microphone set to the system connector of a NOKIA 8110 telephone.

Japanese patent application 05091584 published on April 9, 1993 disclosed a unified cassette player and portable radiotelephone comprising a handset (1) that can function by carrying out a telephone call by dialing a telephone number and that can work by ending the call and a set of headphones and microphone that has a microphone (13) and an element (11) applicable to the ear, as well as a manually operable hook button (15) that enables the user to end the call.

The present invention is defined in the independent claims.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, an improved user interface is provided for a radiotelephone incorporating a headset and microphone assembly.

A portable telephone in accordance with various embodiments of the invention may have the advantage that it allows the user to select telephone numbers to dial using the switch and an element applicable to the ear of the headset and microphone assembly without having to view a screen and / or operate a keypad on the handset of the radiotelephone. The user can thus conveniently select and dial telephone numbers using the headset and microphone set even when another part of the radiotelephone is out of range or not easily accessible. Furthermore, a radiotelephone according to the invention may allow the user to select the telephone number and initiate a call in situations where the conventional use of a handset would be inconvenient, for example walking on a busy street.

A radiotelephone, in accordance with the invention, can avoid the conventional keypad and / or screen typically found in handheld radiotelephone equipment. Instead, keyboard and / or display functions can be achieved through the headset and microphone set.

Ideally, the radiotelephone comprises a main body part and the selection means can be located on this main body part.

The set of headphones and microphone may comprise a conductor for coupling said set to the main part of the body. Ideally, the switch is disposed on this lead of the headphone / microphone assembly by the lead providing the electrical coupling between the switch and the selection means.

Preferably, the conductor can be disassembled from the main part of the body. This can allow the headphone and microphone assembly to be unplugged from the main body part by storing them when they are not needed.

Preferably the switch is a push button. This can provide the advantage of allowing the user to discreetly and / or repeatedly activate the switch. Other forms of the switch could also be used such as a rocker switch or a slide switch.

Suitably, the headset and microphone assembly further comprises a microphone preferably positioned on said conductor that enables the user to carry out two-way communication with the headset and microphone assembly.

To achieve a comfortable and unobtrusive headphone / microphone set it is possible for the ear-attachable element to be an in-ear-type element.

Suitably, the main body part of the radiotelephone contains a transceiver and takes the form of a handset that separately comprises an ear-attachable part and the microphone.

ES 2 394 092 T3

Preferably, the selection means provides, via the ear-attachable element, recorded voice prompts associated with telephone numbers stored in the telephone. These voice prompts can be incorporated into the memory of the phone during manufacture and / or can be registered in a memory rewritten by the user.

Alternatively, the selection means may provide via the earpiece, synthetic voice indicators associated with telephone numbers stored in the telephone.

In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a state-of-the-art NOKIA HDXK-8 headset and microphone assembly;

Figure 2 is a view of a portable radiotelephone according to the invention with the headset and microphone assembly attached to the user's head;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the keyboard, microprocessor and main functional elements of the handset of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a flow chart showing how a telephone number can be selected using the button and microphone of the headphone and microphone assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a flow chart showing how a telephone number can be selected using the button, microphone, and ear-attachable element of the headphone / microphone assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a flow chart showing how a telephone number can be selected using the button and ear attachment of the headphone / microphone assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is another flow chart showing how a telephone number can be selected using the button and ear piece of the handset.

Figure 8 is a flow chart showing how a selected telephone number can be called and how the call can be terminated using the button on the headset and microphone set shown;

Figure 9 is a table showing the information stored in memory locations 1 to 4 of the handset of Figure 2;

Referring to Figure 2, a portable radiotelephone is shown comprising a telephone handset 30 and a headset and microphone set 40. The telephone handset 30 is a cellular portable telephone powered by a removable, rechargeable battery pack. 27. The handset 30 comprises an antenna 34 coupled to a transceiver unit, a microphone 32, a speaker 31, and all other features conventionally used in a cellular telephone. Referring also to FIG. 3, a microprocessor 100 is used to control all the basic functions of the handset and to control the keyboard, display, and headphone / microphone assembly functions. However, alternatively, telephone functions may be controlled by a master microcomputer, while keyboard, display, and headphone / microphone set functions are under the control of separate slave microcomputers coupled to communicate with the master microcomputer.

The user interface of the handset 30 comprises a display, for example a liquid crystal display 29 of a type known per se in this art, and a keyboard 28 on the front of the handset 30. The display is attached and regulated by the microprocessor 100 in the usual manner. The keyboard 28 essentially comprises two main sets of keys namely alphanumeric keys 28a associated with alphanumeric data especially for dialing telephone numbers, but also for entering alphanumeric data into the phone's memories, and a set of function keys 28b for activating various functions u default operations.

Keys 28a are arranged in four rows of three keys each. As is conventional for the set of number keys of a telephone, the top row comprises keys for numbers 1, 2 and 3 respectively, a second row down for numbers 4, 5 and 6 respectively, the next row down for numbers 7, 8 and 9 respectively, and the bottom row for *, 0 and # respectively. Some of these keys can also be associated with alphabet information, this being conventional too. Alphabetic rather than numeric data is selected, for example, by preceeding the alphanumeric key operations with another predetermined key operation, such as the "ABC" function key.

ES 2 394 092 T3

As is customary in cellular telephones, keys 28b include a "SEND" and "END" key to initiate and end a telephone call respectively. Another key specifically located in the upper left corner is an “ON / OFF” key to turn the phone on and off. Another of the function keys can be a menu or function key, marked for example "MENU" or "FUNCTION", or with an appropriate abbreviation. Pressing this key activates a series of predetermined menus, the corresponding instructions of which are stored in memory and can be viewed on screen 29 and selectively activated. The different menus can be selected by pressing the appropriate alphanumeric keys after pressing the “MENU” or “FUNCTION” key. The relevant menu is displayed to the user in the form of words or abbreviations on the display panel 29. For example, the user may be able to select the ringtone by appropriate selection from the menu. More sophisticated options may also be available through the menu. For example, the user may be able to activate the so-called "Automatic Redial" mode, that is, automatic redial, which repeats a call attempt if a telephone number is busy, or there is no answer. In accordance with the present invention, special menu means are provided to allow manual selection of various headphone and microphone set modes. Any predetermined sequence of key operations can be used to select respective menus that can display captions, such as “HEADSET DIALLING” (headphone / microphone set marking) or “HEADSET NUMER GENERATION” (ie set number generation). headphone and microphone on the display panel 29.

The set of headphones and microphone 40 shown in figure 2, includes two pieces 20 applicable to the ear and a microphone 21 arranged at the end of an arm. A conductor 22 connects the ear pieces 20 and the microphone 21 to a connector 24. A push button switch 33 is located along the conductor, which is conveniently arranged for activation by the user's thumb or other finger. Connector 24 plugs into a jack on the headphone / microphone assembly on the telephone handset 30, which in turn is electrically coupled via an appropriate interface 200 from the headphone / microphone assembly to the microprocessor 100. Lead 22 provides the coupling electrical connection between connector 24 and earpieces 20, microphone 21, and switch 23 of headphone / microphone assembly 40. As a consequence, when the headphone / microphone assembly 40 is plugged into the handset 30, the earpieces 20, the microphone 21, and the switch 33 become electrically coupled to a microprocessor 100. The headphone / microphone assembly 40 may be unplugged from handset 30 when not needed.

To assist the user in making new calls to telephone numbers for subsequent dialing, the handset 30 contains a non-volatile memory, such as an EEPROM memory 300 coupled to the microprocessor, which enables the user to store information on said telephone numbers on the radiotelephone 30. telephone. The EEPROM stores the information in a database format, each record containing information related to a particular telephone number. Other forms of non-volatile memory, for example flash memory or battery-backed RAM, could be used in place of EEPROM. Figure 9 is a table showing four registers or memory locations in the EEPROM memory of the handset. Each memory location contains a voice prompt, a name, and a phone number. The voice indicator is recorded as a sound waveform which is typically a sample of the user's voice received by microphone 32. This waveform can be reproduced by a speaker of the radiotelephone. The name and telephone number can be entered into the EEPROM memory by the user via alphanumeric keys 28a of the keyboard 28 in a conventional manner.

The radiotelephone provides a feature whereby the user can generate using the headset and microphone assembly the voice prompts, names and / or telephone number for subsequent storage in the EEPROM. This feature can be selected from the radiotelephone menus by the user who operates the keypad 28 in the usual manner. Following selection of this feature, the user presses the button 33 on the headset and microphone assembly and may be prompted by a sound or voice signal on the ear piece 20 to express the voice prompt into the microphone 21 of the manual equipment. The voice input is received by the microprocessor via the interface 200 of the headphone / microphone assembly, and is recorded as a voice prompt in the next available memory location in the EEPROM. Button 33 on the headphone / microphone head is then used to confirm voice prompt input. The user then enters the name and telephone number into the microphone 21 in a similar manner to complete the entry into the memory location. The microprocessor is conditioned with a speech recognition algorithm to decipher the name and telephone number from the voice waveforms, the name and the telephone number entered into the microphone 21. After completing the entry into the EEPROM through From a headset and microphone set, the radiotelephone can optionally reproduce input to the user automatically through earpiece 20 using a speech synthesizer. Other entries can also be entered in the EEPROM.

The radiotelephone also provides a feature whereby the user can generate a telephone number and then dial the telephone number using the headset and microphone assembly. With this feature selected on the handset, the user presses button 33 on the headset and microphone set and can be notified by a sound or voice signal on the headset and microphone set to voice the telephone number to be dialed. the user. The voice input of the user is then received by the microphone 21 and is processed using the microprocessor, duly conditioned with a

ES 2 394 092 T3 voice recognition algorithm for generating the telephone number in the radiotelephone. The telephone number generated by speech recognition can be reproduced to the user through the ear piece using a speech synthesizer. A long press on the button on the headset by the user is then used to initiate dialing of the generated phone number.

A radiotelephone can provide various methods for the user to select and then dial telephone numbers stored in the radiotelephone. Preferred methods for selecting a telephone number are shown in the flow charts of Figures 4-7. These methods generally rely on voice prompts and telephone numbers previously stored in the memory of the radiotelephone. The preferred method for dialing selected telephone numbers is shown in the flow chart of Figure 8. Each of the selection flow charts of Figures 4 to 7 proceed to the dialing flow chart of Figure 8 (see indicator A).

Referring to the selection flow chart of FIG. 4, the first step 41 requires the microprocessor to detect whether the button on the headphone / microphone assembly has been pressed. The first stage is common to all the flowcharts of Figures 4 to 7. In stage 42, the user expresses by voice into the microphone 21 the voice indicator associated with the telephone number that the user wishes to dial. In step 43, the microprocessor compares the user waveform input with all the voice tag waveforms stored in the EEPROM and selects the voice tag with the best waveform match. The telephone number stored in the same memory location as the best matching voice prompt is recalled from the EEPROM.

The preferred method for comparing user-entered waveforms and waveforms stored in EEPROM involves identifying or extracting unique characteristics associated with the waveforms. Comparison of these unique characteristics is then carried out to determine the best match waveforms. The unique or exclusive characteristics are chosen in such a way that they are substantially independent of the amplitude and length of the waveforms, allowing a reliable coupling of waveforms, even in the case where, for example, the user expresses a name by voice. silently or slowly. In speech recognition, the same unique characteristics of the input waveforms can be extracted to determine the words that have been expressed by speech.

Referring now to the selection flow chart of Figure 5, steps 51 and 52 are equivalent to steps 41 and 42 of the flow chart of Figure 4. In step 53, the microprocessor compares the input waveform by the user with all the waveforms of the voice prompts stored in the EEPROM, and selects the voice prompt that has the best waveform match. The best fitting voice prompt is output through the ear piece 20 of the headphone / microphone assembly. The user now has three options represented by steps 54 and 55. The first option for the user consists of not pressing the button on the set of headphones and microphone, so that the selection is excluded, see step 56. The second option for the user it is a short press of the button on the headphone / microphone assembly. This activates step 57, so that the microprocessor compares the waveform entered by the user with all the waveforms of the voice prompts stored in the EEPROM and selects the voice prompt that has the next best shape match. wave. The next best fit voice prompt is then output through the ear piece 20 of the headphone / microphone assembly, and the user again has three options represented by steps 54 and 55. The third option for the user is a long press on the button of the headset and microphone, so that step 58 is carried out, that is, the telephone number stored in the same memory location as the last emission of the indicator. voice is called again from EEPROM.

Referring now to the selection flow chart of Figure 6, step 61 is equivalent to steps 41 of the flow chart of Figure 4. In step 62, the microprocessor retrieves the voice prompt stored at the first location. memory in EEPROM, and outputs the first voice prompt through the ear piece of the headphone / microphone assembly. The user then has three options represented by steps 64 and 65. These options are equivalent to the user options represented by steps 54 and 55 in the selection flow diagram of Figure 5. However, when the user selects the second option, that is, a short press of the button on the headset and microphone, step 67 is activated, so that the microprocessor retrieves the voice indicator stored in the next memory location in the EEPROM, and outputs this voice prompt through the ear piece of the headphone / microphone assembly. The user then again has three options represented by steps 64 and 65. In this way, the user can sequentially scan the voice prompts until the desired indicator is emitted by the ear piece. When the desired voice prompt has been issued, the phone number stored in the same memory location as the last issued voice prompt can be recalled from the EEPROM by a long press of the button.

Referring now to the selection flow chart of Figure 7, steps 71 and 72 are equivalent to steps 61 and 62 of the flow chart of Figure 6. In step 73, the user can choose to accept the latter. voice prompt emitted by ear piece 20 upon pressing the button within the authorized time period, eg, two seconds. If the user does not choose to accept the last voice prompt

ES 2 394 092 T3 by pressing the button, then the flow chart goes to step 74, so that the microprocessor retrieves the voice indicator stored in the next memory location in the EEPROM and outputs the voice indicator through the ear piece of the headphone and microphone set. The process then returns to step 73, at which time the user can choose to accept the last voiced prompt as before by pressing the button. In this way, the voice prompts stored in the EEPROM are scanned automatically and sequentially by the microprocessor until the one desired by the user is accepted. When the user accepts a voice prompt, the telephone number stored in the same memory location as the voice prompt is recalled from the EEPROM by the microprocessor, see step 75. Optionally, the user can press the button for a long period of time in order to cancel the automatic scan of the voice prompts.

In the selection flow diagrams described above, a telephone number is typically recalled from EEPROM. Once this has been done, the telephone number can be dialed automatically by the radiotelephone, as shown by step 81 in the flow chart of Figure 8. Steps 82 and 83 show how the that a user can end the call by pressing the button on the headset and microphone set.

Considering the above description, it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention.