GB2113043A

GB2113043A - Telephone dialling system

Info

Publication number: GB2113043A
Application number: GB08136500A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kevin G Neville
Original assignee: CITY COMPUTER CENTRE Ltd T
Current assignee: CITY COMPUTER CENTRE Ltd T
Priority date: 1981-12-03
Filing date: 1981-12-03
Publication date: 1983-07-27
Also published as: GB2113043B

Abstract

A computer-controlled telephone dialling system is provided that stores telephone numbers of selected subscribers in association with the voice patterns of the telephone user when speaking the names of those subscribers, and which generates at telephone dialing rate a pulse train representing the number of a subscriber whose identity is voiced into a microphone by the telephone user, which pulse train is applied to the telephone instrument cable connection to implement automatic dialling.

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to telephones This invention relates to telephones, and more particularly to automatic dialling facilities therefor.

At present, the telephone system is reasonably efficient and key-dialling telephones have been developed to a point where the limiting factor in the time taken to ring somebody is not the time occupied by the instrument's dialling process nor the exchange switchthrough time, but that taken by the human dialler to find the telephone number and punch it out correctly on the telephone keys.

An improvement would be a high-speed telephone book that can retrieve a number to be dialled in seconds.

However, it is an object of this invention to achieve a far greater improvement in telephone number retrieval and telephone dialling speeds than the mere use of a high-speed telephone book.

According to the present invention, a telephone dialling system comprises computer means adapted to store telephone numbers in association with voice patterns of the telephone user representing the names of the subscribers to whom the numbers belong, a microphone and voice recognition circuitry that compares the stored voice patterns with the voice patterns of names spoken into the microphone, and a switching circuit associated with the telephone cable to receive individual pulse trains generated by the computer means each pulse train representing a telephone number from store corresponding to a voice pattern that the voice recognition circuitry has recognised, said switching circuit generating in the telephone cable corresponding pulse trains at dialling rate.

A system can be readily assembled in this manner that will hold up to, say, 600 telephone numbers and subscribers' names, and will automatically dial the number corresponding to the name of a subscriber spoken into the microphone after a delay for voice recognition and number retrieval that is only a fraction of a second and therefore imperceptible to the human telephone user.

Apparatus for carrying the invention into effect will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

THE EQUIPMENT 1. Apple II 48K Video output Microcomputer (Fig.

1; 11) 2. 1 5.25" Disk Drive with controller board (Fig. 1; 12) 3. 1 9" monitor or T.V. screen (Fig. 1; 13) 4. 1 Heuristics 2000 speechlab (with microphone) (Fig. 2; 14) 5. 1 Dual-in-line-reed relay (RS components parts 349-399) (Fig. 3; 15) 6. 1 program disk (listing appended) The Apple equipment 11 is set up with the speechline 14 interface card plugged into slot 3 and the microphone plugged into the jack on the card. The coil 1 6 of the reed relay 1 5 is connected by two-core cable 1 7 to the speaker jumper on the Apple motherboard, as at 18. The connections are to pins 2 and 6 on the reed relay. The red cable 19 of the telephone four-core cable is interrupted and one end attached to pin 1 on the relay and the other to pin 14.This connects the relay switch contacts 20 into the telephone line 1 9. A jack will be available for fitting into a British Telecom jack receptor.

The 5.25" program disk supplied is placed into the disk drive 1 2 and the Apple microcomputer switched on. The program then runs in about 10 seconds explaining the procedure. After voice recognition and telephone number retrieval, dialling is done by the microcomputer sending a pulse train to its speaker outlet which switches the relay at the pulse rate necessary to dial.

However, before the equipment can be used for automatic dialling, it must be trained by loading in telephone numbers and the associated voice patterns representing the names of the subscribers, and the program provides the telephone user with this facility.

An optional varistor 21 may be connected across the telephone line 19 for anti-surge protection, and similarly a diode 22 may be connected across the lines 1 7 feeding the relay coil 1 6. While the equipment will normally operate from a mains electrical supply, battery back-up is preferably provided to keep the equipment functioning during periods of mains disconnection.

It will be understood that the foregoing example of particular apparatus for carrying the invention into effect represents one way of achieving the benefits of the invention using offthe-shelf components. Clearly, there are other ways of achieving the same results without departing from the scope of the invention; and, in particular, instead of employing the Apple microcomputer and associated components it is possible to use with the telephone instrument a purpose-built apparatus, based on a single microchip and preferably housed in a single box, to accomplish the same voice recognition, number retrieval and automatic dialling functions at considerably less expense and occupying much less space. Conversely, the functions of the system could be enlarged to provide various facilities useful in business, for example automatic dialling in succession, following a single voice command, of all subscribers falling into a particular category, as for instance debtors.

1. A telephone dialling system comprising computer means adapted to store telephone numbers in association with voice patterns of the telephone user representing the names of the subscribers to whom the numbers belong, a microphone and voice recognition circuitry that compares the stored voice patterns with the voice patterns of names spoken into the microphone, and a switching circuit associated with the telephone cable to receive individual pulse trains

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to telephones This invention relates to telephones, and more particularly to automatic dialling facilities therefor. At present, the telephone system is reasonably efficient and key-dialling telephones have been developed to a point where the limiting factor in the time taken to ring somebody is not the time occupied by the instrument's dialling process nor the exchange switchthrough time, but that taken by the human dialler to find the telephone number and punch it out correctly on the telephone keys. An improvement would be a high-speed telephone book that can retrieve a number to be dialled in seconds. However, it is an object of this invention to achieve a far greater improvement in telephone number retrieval and telephone dialling speeds than the mere use of a high-speed telephone book. According to the present invention, a telephone dialling system comprises computer means adapted to store telephone numbers in association with voice patterns of the telephone user representing the names of the subscribers to whom the numbers belong, a microphone and voice recognition circuitry that compares the stored voice patterns with the voice patterns of names spoken into the microphone, and a switching circuit associated with the telephone cable to receive individual pulse trains generated by the computer means each pulse train representing a telephone number from store corresponding to a voice pattern that the voice recognition circuitry has recognised, said switching circuit generating in the telephone cable corresponding pulse trains at dialling rate. A system can be readily assembled in this manner that will hold up to, say, 600 telephone numbers and subscribers' names, and will automatically dial the number corresponding to the name of a subscriber spoken into the microphone after a delay for voice recognition and number retrieval that is only a fraction of a second and therefore imperceptible to the human telephone user. Apparatus for carrying the invention into effect will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. THE EQUIPMENT 1. Apple II 48K Video output Microcomputer (Fig. 1; 11) 2. 1 5.25" Disk Drive with controller board (Fig. 1; 12) 3. 1 9" monitor or T.V. screen (Fig. 1; 13) 4. 1 Heuristics 2000 speechlab (with microphone) (Fig. 2; 14) 5. 1 Dual-in-line-reed relay (RS components parts 349-399) (Fig. 3; 15) 6. 1 program disk (listing appended) The Apple equipment 11 is set up with the speechline 14 interface card plugged into slot 3 and the microphone plugged into the jack on the card. The coil 1 6 of the reed relay 1 5 is connected by two-core cable 1 7 to the speaker jumper on the Apple motherboard, as at 18. The connections are to pins 2 and 6 on the reed relay. The red cable 19 of the telephone four-core cable is interrupted and one end attached to pin 1 on the relay and the other to pin 14.This connects the relay switch contacts 20 into the telephone line 1 9. A jack will be available for fitting into a British Telecom jack receptor. The 5.25" program disk supplied is placed into the disk drive 1 2 and the Apple microcomputer switched on. The program then runs in about 10 seconds explaining the procedure. After voice recognition and telephone number retrieval, dialling is done by the microcomputer sending a pulse train to its speaker outlet which switches the relay at the pulse rate necessary to dial. However, before the equipment can be used for automatic dialling, it must be trained by loading in telephone numbers and the associated voice patterns representing the names of the subscribers, and the program provides the telephone user with this facility. An optional varistor 21 may be connected across the telephone line 19 for anti-surge protection, and similarly a diode 22 may be connected across the lines 1 7 feeding the relay coil 1 6. While the equipment will normally operate from a mains electrical supply, battery back-up is preferably provided to keep the equipment functioning during periods of mains disconnection. It will be understood that the foregoing example of particular apparatus for carrying the invention into effect represents one way of achieving the benefits of the invention using offthe-shelf components. Clearly, there are other ways of achieving the same results without departing from the scope of the invention; and, in particular, instead of employing the Apple microcomputer and associated components it is possible to use with the telephone instrument a purpose-built apparatus, based on a single microchip and preferably housed in a single box, to accomplish the same voice recognition, number retrieval and automatic dialling functions at considerably less expense and occupying much less space.Conversely, the functions of the system could be enlarged to provide various facilities useful in business, for example automatic dialling in succession, following a single voice command, of all subscribers falling into a particular category, as for instance debtors. CLAIMS

1. A telephone dialling system comprising computer means adapted to store telephone numbers in association with voice patterns of the telephone user representing the names of the subscribers to whom the numbers belong, a microphone and voice recognition circuitry that compares the stored voice patterns with the voice patterns of names spoken into the microphone, and a switching circuit associated with the telephone cable to receive individual pulse trains generated by the computer means each pulse train representing a telephone number from store corresponding to a voice pattern that the voice recognition circuitry has recognised, said switching circuit generating in the telephone cable corresponding pulse trains at dialling rate.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the computer means comprises a microcomputer arranged to generate pulse trains representing telephone numbers at telephone dialling rate.

3. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the switching circuit comprises a reed relay with normally closed in-line contacts.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein a varistor is connected across the relay contacts for anti-surge protection.

5. A system according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein a diode is connected across the relay coil.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the computer means comprises a microchip associated with the telephone instrument.

7. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a visual display unit for monitoring the operation of the computer means.

8. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the computer means is arranged to generate in succession, in response to a single voice command, pulse trains corresponding to the telephone numbers of all those subscribers, whose numbers are in store, who fall into a particular category.

9. A telephone dialling system substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.