Adaptable communication techniques for electronic devices
Improved approaches for users of electronic devices to communicate with one another are disclosed. The electronic devices have audio and/or textual output capabilities. The improved approaches can enable users to communicate in different ways depending on device configuration, user preferences, prior history, etc. In one embodiment, the communication between users is achieved by short audio or textual messages.
1. A method for facilitating communication amongst users of mobile electronic devices having displays and configured to support wireless communication, including voice and text communications, the method comprising:
receiving, at a recipient mobile electronic device, an incoming voice call for a recipient user, the incoming voice call being initiated by a sending user using a sender mobile electronic device;
displaying, on a display of the recipient mobile electronic device, at least an indication of the incoming voice call;
receiving, at the recipient mobile electronic device, a recipient user input in response to the displaying of the indication of the incoming voice call;
displaying, after the recipient user input is received and in response to the recipient user input, at least a predetermined text message on the display of the recipient mobile electronic device;
answering, after the recipient user input is received and in response to the recipient user input, the incoming voice call to establish a voice channel between the recipient mobile electronic device and the sender mobile electronic device without the recipient user perceiving that the incoming voice call has been answered;
obtaining, at the recipient mobile electronic device, a predetermined audio message having the same message content as the predetermined text message;
causing, after the answering of the incoming voice call, the predetermined audio message to be provided from the recipient mobile electronic device to the sender mobile electronic device in an audio manner over the voice channel so that the sending user is able to receive the predetermined audio message, the predetermined audio message being provided over the voice channel to the sender mobile electronic device having the same message content as the predetermined text message that is displayed by the displaying of the predetermined text message on the display of the recipient mobile electronic device; and
causing, after the answering of the incoming voice call, at least a reply message to be provided from the recipient mobile electronic device to the sender mobile electronic device upon determining that the sending user is deemed an undesired caller, the sending user being able to receive the reply message via the sender mobile electronic device, and the reply message instructing the sending user to not call again or to remove the recipient user's information;
configuring a voice characteristic to be used by the recipient mobile electronic device, the voice characteristic being used for predetermined audio messages by the recipient mobile electronic device;
enabling the user of the recipient mobile electronic device to change the voice characteristic being used for predetermined audio messages by the recipient mobile electronic device;
wherein the predetermined audio message being provided over the voice channel to the sender mobile electronic device presents the predetermined audio message using the voice characteristic used by the recipient mobile electronic device.
2. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:
closing the incoming voice call after the predetermined audio message has been provided to the sender mobile electronic device.
3. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:
permitting the recipient user to interact with the recipient mobile electronic device to decline the incoming voice call from the sending user.
4. A method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the voice characteristic is based on at least one of a voice, tone, pace, or accent.
5. A method as recited in claim 4 , wherein the voice of the voice characteristic includes at least a male or female voice.
6. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least computer program code for facilitating communication amongst users of mobile electronic devices having displays and configured to support wireless communication, including voice and text communications, the computer readable medium comprising:
computer program code for receiving, at a recipient mobile electronic device, an incoming voice call for a recipient user, the incoming voice call being initiated by a sending user using a sender mobile electronic device;
computer program code for displaying, on a display of the recipient mobile electronic device, at least an indication of the incoming voice call;
computer program code for receiving, at the recipient mobile electronic device, a recipient user input in response to the displaying of the indication of the incoming voice call;
computer program code for displaying, in response to the recipient user input, at least predetermined text on the display of the recipient mobile electronic device;
computer program code for answering, in response to the recipient user input, the incoming voice call via a voice channel between the recipient mobile electronic device and the sender mobile electronic device without accepting voice input from the recipient user;
computer program code for obtaining a predetermined audio message having the same message content as the predetermined text message;
computer program code for causing, after the answering of the incoming voice call, the predetermined audio message to be provided from the recipient mobile electronic device to the sender mobile electronic device in an audio manner over the voice channel so that the sending user is able to receive the predetermined audio message, the predetermined audio message being provided over the voice channel to the sender mobile electronic device having the same message content as the predetermined text message that is displayed by the computer program code for displaying of the predetermined text message on the display of the recipient mobile electronic device;
computer program code for causing, after the answering of the incoming voice call, at least a reply message to be provided from the recipient mobile electronic device to the sender mobile electronic device upon determining that the sending user is deemed an undesired caller, the sending user being able to receive the reply message via the sender mobile electronic device;
computer program code for configuring a voice characteristic to be used by the recipient mobile electronic device, the voice characteristic being used for predetermined audio messages by the recipient mobile electronic device; and
computer program code for enabling the user of the recipient mobile electronic device to change the voice characteristic being used for predetermined audio messages by the recipient mobile electronic device,
wherein the predetermined audio message being provided over the voice channel to the sender mobile electronic device presents the predetermined audio message using the voice characteristic used by the recipient mobile electronic device.
7. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 6 , wherein the computer readable medium comprises:
computer program code for closing the incoming voice call after the predetermined audio message has been provided to the sender mobile electronic device.
8. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 6 , wherein the computer readable medium comprises:
computer program code for permitting the recipient user to interact with the recipient mobile electronic device to decline the incoming voice call from the sending user.
9. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 6 , wherein the computer readable medium comprises:
computer program code for determining whether the recipient user interacts with the recipient mobile electronic device to decline the incoming voice call from the sending user; and
computer program code for closing the incoming voice call that has been answered after the predetermined audio message has been provided to the sender mobile electronic device, provided that it has been determined that the recipient user has declined the incoming voice call from the sending user.
10. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 6 , wherein the sender mobile electronic device is a mobile phone, and the recipient mobile electronic device is a mobile phone.
11. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 6 , wherein the voice characteristic is based on at least one of a voice, tone, pace, or accent.
12. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 11 , wherein the voice of the voice characteristic includes at least a male or female voice.
13. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 6 , wherein the computer readable medium comprises:
computer program code for receiving, via the voice channel, an incoming audio message from the sender mobile electronic device;
computer program code for converting the incoming audio message into an incoming text message; and
computer program code for presenting the incoming text message on the display of the recipient mobile electronic device.
14. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 13 , wherein the recipient mobile electronic device is a mobile phone.
15. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 6 , wherein the reply message instructing the sending user to not call again or to remove the recipient user's information.
16. A method for facilitating communication amongst users of mobile electronic devices having displays and configured to support wireless communication, including voice and text communications, the method comprising:
receiving, at a recipient mobile electronic device, an incoming voice call for a recipient user, the incoming voice call being initiated by a sending user using a sender mobile electronic device;
displaying, on a display of the recipient mobile electronic device, at least an indication of the incoming voice call;
receiving, at the recipient mobile electronic device, a recipient user input in response to the displaying of the indication of the incoming voice call;
displaying, after the recipient user input is received, at least a predetermined text message on the display of the recipient mobile electronic device;
answering, after the recipient user input is received, the incoming voice call to establish a voice channel between the recipient mobile electronic device and the sender mobile electronic device without the recipient user perceiving that the incoming voice call has been answered;
obtaining, at the recipient mobile electronic device, a predetermined audio message having the same message content as the predetermined text message; and
causing, after the answering of the incoming voice call, the predetermined audio message to be provided from the recipient mobile electronic device to the sender mobile electronic device in an audio manner over the voice channel so that the sending user is able to receive the predetermined audio message, the predetermined audio message being provided over the voice channel to the sender mobile electronic device having the same message content as the predetermined text message that is displayed by the displaying of the predetermined text message on the display of the recipient mobile electronic device;
configuring a voice characteristic for predetermined audio messages to be used by the recipient mobile electronic device for voice outputs; and
enabling the user of the recipient mobile electronic device to change the voice characteristic used by the recipient mobile electronic device for voice outputs,
wherein the predetermined audio message being provided over the voice channel to the sender mobile electronic device presents the predetermined audio message using the voice characteristic used by the recipient mobile electronic device for voice outputs.
17. A method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the voice characteristic is based on at least one of a voice, tone, pace, or accent.
18. A method as recited in claim 17 , wherein the voice of the voice characteristic includes at least a male or female voice.
19. A method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the method comprises:
determining whether the recipient user interacts with the recipient mobile electronic device to decline the incoming voice call from the sending user.
20. A method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the recipient mobile electronic device is a mobile phone.