Voice Message Segment Marking via DTMF and Voice Commands

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current voicemail/unified messaging systems lack the ability to perform actions on specific segments of voice messages, forcing users to either send entire messages, which may contain sensitive information, or manually rehash the message, leading to inefficiencies and potential misunderstandings.

Innovation Solution

A system that allows users to mark and manipulate voice message segments using voice modality commands, such as DTMF or voice prompts, enabling selective actions like saving, forwarding, or deleting specific parts of a message, without requiring graphical user interface operations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the entire voice message is forwarded to another user, then the complete information is transmitted, but sensitive or confidential information may be exposed to unauthorized users

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemessage integrityVSAvoidinformation security

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The voice message is divided into multiple segments, allowing the user to selectively forward only the desired portions while excluding sensitive information. The system enables marking specific time ranges within the message and performing actions on those marked segments independently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system extracts and isolates specific segments of the voice message that contain sensitive information, allowing these segments to be excluded from forwarding while the rest of the message can be shared. This extraction capability enables selective removal of unwanted portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the user manually rehashes the message to exclude sensitive information, then information security is improved, but time efficiency and accuracy deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation securityVSAvoidmessage processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The manual mechanical process of rehashing the message is replaced with an automated electronic system that uses voice commands and DTMF tones to mark and manipulate message segments. This substitution eliminates the need for manual listening and re-speaking of the message.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables users to independently mark and manipulate voice message segments using simple voice commands or DTMF tones during message playback, without requiring manual rehashing. The automated system handles the segmentation and filtering processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the user manually rehashes the message, then sensitive information is excluded, but message accuracy and completeness may deteriorate due to potential misunderstandings

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation securityVSAvoidmessage accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates precise digital copies and segments of the original voice message, allowing exact reproduction of desired portions without the distortion or omission that occurs during manual rehashing. The copied segments maintain the original audio quality and intent.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Ease of operation

If actions are performed on the entire voice message, then the operation is simple, but the ability to selectively manage different parts of the message is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperation simplicityVSAvoidmessage manipulation flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system transforms the static operation of treating the entire message as a single unit into a dynamic system where users can mark, segment, and manipulate different portions of the message independently while maintaining simple voice-based control commands.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS8358756B2Techniques for marking and manipulating voice message segments through a telephone user interface

Publication Date: 2013.01.22 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

In one embodiment, techniques for manipulating a voice message using a telephone user interface are provided. The telephone user interface receives a mark begin segment command from a telephonic device through a voice modality. The mark begin segment command indicates a beginning point for a voice message segment in the voice message. The telephone user interface then receives a mark end segment command from the telephonic device through the voice modality. The mark segment command indicates an ending point for the voice message segment in the voice message. An action command from the telephonic device is received and an action based on the action command for the voice message segment is performed. The voice message segment is a portion of the voice message determined based on the indicated beginning point of the voice message segment and the indicated ending point of the voice message segment in the voice message.