Playing of audio via voice calls initiated from visual navigation
Descriptions of audio contents available for playback via voice calls are displayed visually on a screen of a telephone handset (such as a cellular phone supporting Internet access, or a personal digital assistant supporting voice telephony). On selection of an audio content, the handset places a voice call to a computer that plays the audio content to the user (during the voice call). A data connection is used to retrieve description(s) for visual display, but this data connection is not used for retrieval of a file containing the audio content. Instead, a voice call is placed in the normal telephony manner, and the audio content is played by the computer that receives the voice call. The just-described method and system eliminates a prior art need for the user to navigate through a set of voice prompts to identify an audio content to be played, e.g. as required by an interactive voice response system. Instead, the user merely uses a display of the handset and the related input mechanism (such as touch screen or keypad) to navigate e.g. through a list of hits from a search engine, or through a number of categories and subcategories to identify an audio content. The combination of a conventional visual interface for navigation and a conventional audio interface for serving audio contents provides the benefits of both: the ease of navigation provided by web pages, and the quality of audio playback provided by the telephone handset.
1. A method of interfacing to a user, the method comprising:
using a data connection to receive a plurality of descriptions of audio contents;
receiving from the user a selection of a first description from among the plurality of descriptions;
automatically placing a voice call to play a first audio content described by the first description in response to the selection; and
returning to using the data connection to receive the descriptions of audio content in response to completion of the voice call.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein each audio content in the plurality is associated with a telephone number, the method further includes:
using the data connection to receive a telephone number, and dialing the telephone number during the placing of voice call.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone number is hereinafter “first telephone number”, the method further comprising, after termination of said voice call:
receiving a plurality of additional descriptions of additional audio contents; and
placing another voice call to a second telephone number, wherein said second telephone number is different from said first telephone number.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after termination of said voice call:
receiving a plurality of additional descriptions of additional audio contents; and
placing another voice call to said telephone number to play an additional audio content.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
dynamically assigning a different one of a plurality of predetermined phone numbers to each of a plurality of descriptions to be displayed as a group to the user for selection therein.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
using the selection of first description identified by the data connection to play the audio content during the voice call.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein:
each of the data connection and the voice call are respectively formed with a first logic and a second logic; and
the method includes the first logic providing information about the user to the second logic.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein:
the information being provided includes an identifier of an audio content currently described to the user.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:
receiving a plurality of calls from a corresponding plurality of users; and
matching the audio content to be played with a call, based on an identifier obtained from a wireless handset of the user.
10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
retrieving each of the audio contents from the Internet.
11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
visually displaying the descriptions on a monitor of a wireless handset.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising, prior to said using:
using the data connection to receive a plurality of categories;
visually displaying the categories on the monitor; and
requesting said plurality of descriptions in response to selection of a category in said plurality of categories;
wherein said plurality of descriptions are all classified under said category.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein:
the selected category is news;
each description is a news headline; and
each of the audio contents is a news report that provides details related to said news headline.
14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
using the data connection to receive a plurality of additional categories;
visually displaying the additional categories on the monitor; and
requesting said plurality of categories in response to selection of an additional category.
15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
terminating the voice call on completion of playing of the first audio content.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the data connection is suspended during the voice call.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein:
each description is different in content from another description.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein:
during the act of visually displaying, telephone numbers corresponding to the descriptions are not displayed.
19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
displaying a telephone number to be used in the voice call in response to the selection; and
performing said placing of voice call only after receiving a response from the user to dial the phone number being displayed.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein:
said receiving a response is one of; detecting pressing of a button, detecting touching of a monitor, and detecting a voice command.
21. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
using the data connection to receive a plurality of phone numbers for a corresponding plurality of descriptions.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein:
said phone numbers and said descriptions are received as portions of a single message.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein:
said descriptions are received in a first message; and
said phone numbers are received in a second message.
24. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting the selection over the data connection; and
receiving from the data connection a telephone number to be used during said placing of voice call.
25. The method of claim 1 wherein:
each of said acts of using data connection and placing voice call includes using a wireless medium.
26. The method of claim 1 wherein:
said voice call is not a Voice Over IP call.
27. A method of interfacing to a user, the method comprising:
using a data connection to receive a description of an audio content;
receiving from the user a command to play the audio content;
automatically placing a voice call to play the audio content in response to the command; and
returning to using the data connection to receive at least one of the group of: the description of the audio content and a description of another audio content, in response to completion of the voice call.
28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:
each of the data connection and the voice call are respectively formed with a first logic and a second logic; and
the method includes the first logic providing information about the user to the second logic.
29. The method of claim 29 wherein:
the information being provided includes an identifier of an audio content currently described to the user.
30. A method of interfacing to a user, the method comprising:
using a data connection to receive a number of descriptions of audio content;
displaying the descriptions to the user;
receiving from the user a command to play one of the audio contents described by the descriptions;
placing a voice call in response to the command;
playing said audio content to the user during the voice call; and
returning to using the data connection to receive the descriptions of audio content in response to completion of the voice call.
31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:
using an available telephone number to generate an instruction for said placing of voice call.
32. The method of claim 31 further comprising:
forming an association between said telephone number and said audio content; and
using said association on receipt of said voice call at said telephone number in identifying said audio content for said playing.
33. The method of claim 31 further comprising:
identifying the user on receipt of said voice call; and
using identity of the user on receipt of said voice call to identify said audio content for said playing.
34. The method of claim 30 further comprising:
displaying to the user a plurality of categories of audio contents; and
receiving from the user a selection of a category prior to said using of data connection.
35. The method of claim 34 wherein:
at least one of said categories relates to news; and
each description in said plurality identifies a news service.
36. The method of claim 34 further comprising:
displaying to the user a plurality of subcategories of audio contents; and
receiving from the user a selection of a subcategory prior to said using of data connection;
wherein each subcategory relates to a news service and each description relates to a headline of a news story.
37. A computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions to perform the method of claim 30 .
38. A signal encoded in a carrier medium and including instructions to perform the method of claim 30 .