IP Library Granted Patent US 10,243,912
Granted Patent B2
US 10,243,912 · App. 15/000,168 · Granted Mar 26, 2019

Apparatus and method for providing messages in a social network

Inventors: Hisao Chang (Medina, MN); Bernard S. Renger (New Providence, NJ)
Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
H04L51/32G06F3/0481G09G5/377G10L15/22G10L15/26G10L17/00H04L12/1813H04L67/306H04M3/4936G10L15/28H04L51/10H04M2201/40H04M2201/60
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,243,912
App. No.
15/000,168
Granted
Mar 26, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server including a controller to receive audio signals and content identification information from a media processor, generate text representing a voice message based on the audio signals, determine an identity of media content based on the content identification information, generate an enhanced message having text and additional content where the additional content is obtained by the controller based on the identity of the media content, and transmit the enhanced message to the media processor for presentation on the display device, where the enhanced message is accessible by one or more communication devices that are associated with a social network and remote from the media processor. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims (41)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server comprising a processor, a voice message from a computing device;

identifying, by the server, media content using a time of receipt of the voice message and a library that includes scheduling information for the media content;

determining, by the server, a context of the voice message based on an identity of the media content;

obtaining, by the server, additional content, wherein the obtaining is based on the media content and on the context of the voice message;

generating, by the server, an enhanced message comprising the additional content; and

providing, by the server, access to the enhanced message via a communication device, thereby enhancing communication between users of the computing device and the communication device by providing the additional content based on the media content and on the context of the voice message.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication device and the computing device are associated with each other via a social network.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the enhanced message is posted on a social network website, wherein the additional content of the enhanced message improves a social function of the social network website.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device captures a portion of the media content being viewed at the time of receipt of the voice message, and wherein the identifying further comprises matching the captured portion of the media content with stored media content in the library.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the matching comprises using voice recognition, audio recognition, image recognition, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing further comprises providing the enhanced message to a social network, and wherein the communication device has access to the social network.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating text representing the voice message.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the generating comprises recognizing a word in the voice message based in part on the context of the voice message.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the generating comprises recognizing a word in the voice message based in part on a genre of the media content identified using the library.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the enhanced message further comprises the text representing the voice message.

11. A server comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a processor coupled with the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising:

receiving a voice message from a computing device of a first user of a communication network;

identifying media content using a time of receipt of the voice message and a library that includes scheduling information for the media content;

determining a context of the voice message based on an identity of the media content;

obtaining additional content, wherein the obtaining is based on the media content and on the context of the voice message;

generating an enhanced message comprising the additional content; and

providing the enhanced message to a communication device of a second user of the communication network, thereby enriching communication between users of the computing device and the communication device by providing the additional content.

12. The server of claim 11 , wherein the computing device captures a portion of the media content being viewed at the time of receipt of the voice message, and wherein the identifying further comprises matching the captured portion of the media content with stored media content in the library.

13. The server of claim 12 , wherein the matching comprises using voice recognition, audio recognition, image recognition, or a combination thereof.

14. The server of claim 11 , wherein the identifying further comprises correlating a channel being viewed by the first user with the time of receipt of the voice message.

15. The server of claim 11 , further comprising generating text representing the voice message, and wherein the enhanced message further comprises the text representing the voice message.

16. The server of claim 15 , wherein the generating comprises recognizing a word in the voice message based in part on the context of the voice message.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device comprising instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a voice message from a computing device of a first user of a communication network;

identifying media content using a time of receipt of the voice message and a library that includes scheduling information for the media content, wherein the identifying comprises matching a portion of the media content with stored media content in the library;

determining a context of the voice message based on an identity of the media content;

obtaining additional content, wherein the obtaining is based on the media content and on the context of the voice message;

generating text representing the voice message;

generating an enhanced message comprising the additional content and the text; and

providing the enhanced message to a communication device of a second user of the communication network, thereby improving communication between users of the computing device and the communication device by providing the additional content based on the context of the voice message in addition to the text of the voice message.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 17 , wherein the matching comprises using voice recognition, audio recognition, image recognition, or a combination thereof.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 17 , wherein the identifying further comprises correlating a channel being viewed by the first user with the time of receipt of the voice message.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 17 , wherein generating the text representing the voice message comprises recognizing a word in the voice message based in part on the context of the voice message.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 19, 2021
From: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
To: SERVICENOW, INC.
Reel/Frame 054953/0566 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 29, 2016
From: CHANG, HISAO; RENGER, BERNARD S.
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, LP
Reel/Frame 037616/0338 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 14533228 · Nov 5, 2014
Continuation 14256549 · Apr 18, 2014
Continuation 12848440 · Aug 2, 2010
Related Publication 20160134581A1 · May 12, 2016