Device Independent Text Captioned Telephone Service

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating communicating between a hearing user and a hard of hearing user that incorporates a device including at least one communication component configured to enable the appliance to communicate with a relay, a display, and a processor. The processor is configured to enable the hard of hearing user to establish an association between an appliance and a mobile device used by the hard of hearing user. The mobile device is configured to communicate with the hearing user's device, receive text originating at the relay, the text corresponding to a transcript of the hearing user's voice signal originating at the hearing user's device, and cause text captions corresponding to the received text to be displayed on the display.

1 . A communication system, comprising:
 an appliance including a display configured to display text captions corresponding to voice communications between a mobile wireless device and a hearing user's device that is located remotely from the appliance to enable a hard of hearing user using the mobile wireless device to participate in communication sessions with a hearing user using the hearing user's device, wherein the appliance has a specific appliance network address and the mobile wireless device is associated with a specific device address that is different than the appliance network address and wherein the appliance is independent of the mobile wireless device, the appliance comprising:   at least one communication component configured to enable the appliance to communicate with a relay;   a display; and   a processor operably coupled to the at least one communication component and the display, the processor configured to:   enable the hard of hearing user to establish an association between the appliance and the mobile device;   while the mobile device is used by the hard of hearing user to communicate with the hearing user's device, receive text originating at the relay, the text corresponding to a transcript of the hearing user's voice signal originating at the hearing user's device, wherein the text signal is received from the relay; and   cause text captions corresponding to the received text to be displayed on the display.   
     
     
         2 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor of the appliance is configured to establish an association with the mobile device responsive to a user input to the appliance. 
     
     
         3 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the appliance further comprises a sync button, and wherein the processor of the appliance is further configured to establish communication with the mobile device responsive to a detection of a user selecting the sync button. 
     
     
         4 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one communication component comprises a wireless transceiver. 
     
     
         5 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the device address is a telephone number. 
     
     
         6 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the appliance further comprises an input device configured to detect a selection of a button, wherein the processor of the appliance is configured to establish communication with the mobile device responsive to the selection of the button. 
     
     
         7 . The communication system of  claim 1 , further comprising the relay, wherein the relay is configured to:
 receive the hearing user's voice signal; and   transmit the text comprising the text transcript corresponding to the hearing user's voice signal directly to the appliance.   
     
     
         8 . The communication system of  claim 1 , further comprising the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is configured to:
 receive the hearing user's voice signal from the hearing user's device.   
     
     
         9 . The communication system of  claim 1  wherein the mobile device is a cellular device. 
     
     
         10 . The communication system of  claim 1  wherein the processor is further configured to disable captioning without disconnecting a call between the mobile device and the hearing user's device. 
     
     
         11 . The communication system of  claim 7  wherein the association between the appliance and the mobile device is established at the relay. 
     
     
         12 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the appliance processor is configured to establish an association with the mobile device responsive to the hard of hearing user providing an indication via at least one of the mobile device and the appliance. 
     
     
         13 . The communication system of  claim 1  wherein the mobile device is usable to facilitate a phone call independent of the appliance. 
     
     
         14 . The communication system of  claim 1  wherein the appliance receives the text signal directly from the relay. 
     
     
         15 . The communication system of  claim 1  wherein the association is a temporary association and wherein the mobile device can be associated with any of several different appliances to facilitate communication. 
     
     
         16 . The communication system of  claim 1  wherein the association is a temporary association and wherein the appliance can be associated with any of a plurality of wireless mobile devices to facilitate communication. 
     
     
         17 . The communication system of  claim 1  further including the relay and wherein the hearing user's voice signal is received at the relay directly from the hearing user's device. 
     
     
         18 . A method to facilitate communication between a hard of hearing user using both a computer device and a wireless mobile phone device that is independent of the computer device and a hearing user using a hearing user's device, the computer device including a display, the method comprising the steps of:
 without physically connecting the wireless mobile phone device to the computer device, associating the mobile device and the computer device;   establishing a communication link between the wireless mobile phone device and the hearing user's device for voice communications;   receiving text communications corresponding to the hearing user's voice signal from a relay at the computer device; and   presenting text captions corresponding to the text communications via the display.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the hearing user's voice signal is transmitted to the relay without passing through the computer device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the hearing user's device provides the hearing use's voice signal directly to the relay. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the text communications are transmitted directly to the computer device. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18  wherein each of the wireless mobile phone device and the computing device is associated with a different address on at least one network. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the wireless mobile phone device is associated with a phone number and the computer device is associated with an IP address. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the step of associating includes using at least one of the wireless mobile phone device and the computer device to link to the relay and to provide information identifying the other of the computing device and the mobile device. 
     
     
         25 . A method to facilitate communication between a hard of hearing user using a computer device and a wireless mobile phone device that is independent of the computer device and a hearing user using a hearing user's device, the computer device including a display, the method comprising the steps of:
 without physically connecting the wireless mobile phone device to the computer device, associating the wireless mobile phone device and the computer device;   establishing a communication link between the wireless mobile phone device and the hearing user's device for voice communications in which hearing user's voice signals are received at the wireless mobile phone device and hard of hearing user's voice signals are received at the hearing user's device;   receiving the hearing user's voice signal at a relay;   receiving text communications at the computer device that are generated by the relay where the text communications comprise transcription of the hearing user's voice signal initially transmitted by the hearing user's device; and   presenting the text communications as captions on the display for viewing by the hard of hearing user.   
     
     
         26 . A communication system to facilitate communication between a hearing user using a hearing user's device and a hard of hearing user using both a mobile device and an appliance wherein each of the mobile device and the appliance are addressable via different addresses, the system comprising:
 a relay including a processor configured to perform the steps of:   (i) receiving an indication from the hard of hearing user that the appliance should be associated with the mobile device;   (ii) upon receiving the indication, associating the mobile device and the appliance;   (iii) while a voice communication including voice signals is progressing between the hard of hearing user using the mobile device and a hearing user using the hearing user's device, receiving at least the hearing user's voice signal at the relay;   (iv) converting the hearing user's voice signal to text; and   (v) transmitting the text to the appliance that is associated with the mobile device.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26  wherein the step of transmitting the text to the appliance includes transmitting the text directly to the appliance. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 26  wherein the hearing user's voice signal is received at the relay from a device other than the appliance. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 26  wherein the mobile device is a cellular communication device. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 26  wherein the relay is further configured to perform the steps of, while a voice communication is ongoing between the hard of hearing user and the hearing user, receiving an indication that captioning should cease and ceasing transmission of the text to the appliance while the voice communication continues. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising the mobile device, wherein the mobile device is configured to:
 receive the hearing user's voice signal from the hearing user's device; and   broadcast the hearing user's voice signal to the assisted user.   
     
     
         32 . The communication system of  claim 5  wherein the step of establishing an association includes presenting a virtual button on the appliance display selectable to initiate captioning and sensing selection of the button. 
     
     
         33 . The communication system of  claim 32  wherein the step of establishing an association further includes presenting a data entry field on the appliance display and receiving data identifying a specific phone call to be associated with. 
     
     
         34 . The communication system of  claim 33  wherein the data entry field is a PIN number field and wherein the data identifying a specific phone call includes a PIN number associated with the phone call. 
     
     
         35 . The communication system of  claim 32  wherein the virtual button is presented via a graphical user interface displayed on the appliance display.