Patents Assigned to Ultratec, Inc.
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Patent number: 7881441Abstract: Text captioned telephony, in which a telephone conversation is accompanied by text captions to aid in hard-of-hearing users, is implemented without the use of specialized text captioned telephone terminals by using a combination of an Internet appliance such as a computer and a telephone or by generalized voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) telephones.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2006Date of Patent: February 1, 2011Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin R. Colwell, Troy D. Vitek, Kurt M. Gritner
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Patent number: 7660398Abstract: Captioned telephone are devices intended to provide text captions to persons needing assistance with telephone communications. Captioned telephones provide text by using the services of a relay interposed between the assisted user and the hearing user, the relay providing the captioning for the assisted user. While captioned telephone service can be delivered over a single telephone line, if the assisted user has two telephone lines available for the captioning service, additional features and advantages are possible in the delivery of captioned telephone service to the user.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2005Date of Patent: February 9, 2010Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin R. Colwell, Troy D. Vitek
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Patent number: 7555104Abstract: A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between hearing users and users who need or desire assistance in understanding voice communications. To overcome the speed limitations inherent in typing, the call assistant at the relay does not type most words but, instead, re-voices the words spoken by the hearing user into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The text stream created by the computer and the voice of the hearing user are both sent to the assisted user so that the assisted user can be supplied with a visual text stream to supplement the voice communications. A time delay in the transmission of the voice of the hearing user through the relay is of assistance to the assisted user in comprehending the communications session.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2006Date of Patent: June 30, 2009Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventor: Robert M. Engelke
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Publication number: 20080152093Abstract: A method of and system for operating a captioned telephone service, the method comprising the steps of providing words spoken by a remote user to a relay, at the relay, a call assistant listening to the words spoken by the remote user and re-voicing the words into a computer with voice recognition software trained to the voice of the call assistant to create a text stream of the words spoken by the remote user and presenting the text stream to an assisted user via a display.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2007Publication date: June 26, 2008Applicant: ULTRATEC, INC.Inventors: Robert M. Engleke, Kevin R. Colwell
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Patent number: 7319740Abstract: An arrangement for providing captioned telephone service is provided which permits persons who are hard of hearing to receive captioning of their telephone communications as they need it. A personal interpreter/captioned telephone device can dial a relay on a second telephone line while the assisted user if conversing with a hearing user over a first telephone line. The second telephone line connects to a relay which provides voice to text translation service and returns a text stream to the captioned telephone device.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2005Date of Patent: January 15, 2008Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
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Patent number: 7006604Abstract: A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between hearing users and users who need or desire assistance in understanding voice communications. To overcome the speed limitations inherent in typing, the call assistant at the relay does not type most words but, instead, re-voices the words spoken by the hearing user into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The text stream created by the computer and the voice of the hearing user are both sent to the assisted user so that the assisted user can be supplied with a visual text stream to supplement the voice communications. A time delay in the transmission of the voice of the hearing user through the relay is of assistance to the assisted user in comprehending the communications session.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2003Date of Patent: February 28, 2006Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventor: Robert M. Engelke
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Patent number: 7003082Abstract: An arrangement for providing captioned telephone service is provided which permits persons who are hard of hearing to receive captioning of their telephone communications as they need it. A personal interpreter/captioned telephone device can dial a relay on a second telephone line while the assisted user if conversing with a hearing user over a first telephone line. The second telephone line connects to a relay which provides voice to text translation service and returns a text stream to the captioned telephone device.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2003Date of Patent: February 21, 2006Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
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Patent number: 6934366Abstract: A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between hearing users and users who need or desire assistance in understanding voice communications. To overcome the speed limitations inherent in typing, the call assistant at the relay does not type most words but, instead, re-voices the words spoken by the hearing user into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The text stream created by the computer and the voice of the hearing user are both sent to the assisted user so that the assisted user can be supplied with a visual text stream to supplement the voice communications. A time delay in the transmission of the voice of the hearing user through the relay is of assistance in the assisted user comprehending the communications session.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2002Date of Patent: August 23, 2005Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy D. Vitek, Kurt M. Gritner
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Patent number: 6882707Abstract: A training method and apparatus to train a call assistant to operate a telephone relay system for the hearing impaired that uses a re-voicing technique to produce near real-time transcription of a telephone conversation for display on a caption telephone or other device. The invention simulates an actual relay call as realistically as possible and produces a report on the skill of the particular call assistant being trained.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2001Date of Patent: April 19, 2005Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M Engelke, Kevin R. Colwell, Troy D. Vitek, Kurt M. Gritner, Jayne M. Turner, Pamela A. Frazier
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Patent number: 6603835Abstract: An arrangement for providing captioned telephone service is provided which permits persons who are hard of hearing to receive captioning of their telephone communications as they need it. A personal interpreter/captioned telephone device can dial a relay on a second telephone line while the assisted user if conversing with a hearing user over a first telephone line. The second telephone line connects to a relay which provides voice to text translation service and returns a text stream to the captioned telephone device.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2001Date of Patent: August 5, 2003Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
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Patent number: 6594346Abstract: A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between hearing users and users who need or desire assistance in understanding voice communications. To overcome the speed limitations inherent in typing, the call assistant at the relay does not type most words but, instead, re-voices the words spoken by the hearing user into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The text stream created by the computer and the voice of the hearing user are both sent to the assisted user so that the assisted user can be supplied with a visual text stream to supplement the voice communications. A time delay in the transmission of the voice of the hearing user through the relay is of assistance to the assisted user in comprehending the communications session.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2001Date of Patent: July 15, 2003Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventor: Robert M. Engelke
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Patent number: 6567503Abstract: An editing system for real-time remote transcription, such as may be used by deaf or hearing impaired individuals, displays transcribed text on a screen prior to transmission so that a human call assistant may identify words being held in a buffer by their spatial location on the screen to initiate a correction of those words either through speech or text entry.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2001Date of Patent: May 20, 2003Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin R. Colwell, Troy D. Vitek, Kurt M. Gritner, Jayne M. Turner, Pamela A. Frazier
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Patent number: 6549611Abstract: A system is described for assisting the hard of hearing in the use of the telephone, the system termed here text enhanced telephony or TET. The hard of hearing user uses a TET device or appliance which permits the user to speak and to hear the words spoken by the other party, the TET device also supplying to the user a text character stream of the words spoken by the other party. The TET system uses the system of voice-to-text relays, already in existence to assist the deaf community communicate with hearing persons over the telephone, to translate the spoken voice into a text stream. The TET relay and TET device are capable of separating voice and digital communications frequencies carrying text so that voice and a text communications stream of the words spoken by the voice can be carried over a common telephone line. The devices can also be capable of automated capabilities such that the devices can automatically configure a three-party relay call without the need for the user's instructions.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2001Date of Patent: April 15, 2003Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
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Patent number: 6510206Abstract: A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between deaf people and hearing people. To overcome the speed limitations inherent in typing, the call assistant at the relay does not type most words but, instead, re-voices the words spoken by the hearing person into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The conversation-type flow of communications achieved by this type of relay enables the design of a new class of interpreters for the deaf.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2001Date of Patent: January 21, 2003Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
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Patent number: 6493426Abstract: A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between hearing users and users who need or desire assistance in understanding voice communications. To overcome the speed limitations inherent in typing, the call assistant at the relay does not type most words but, instead, re-voices the words spoken by the hearing user into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The text stream created by the computer and the voice of the hearing user are both sent to the assisted user so that the assisted user can be supplied with a visual text stream to supplement the voice communications. A time delay in the transmission of the voice of the hearing user through the relay is of assistance in the assisted user comprehending the communications session.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2001Date of Patent: December 10, 2002Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy D. Vitek, Kurt M. Gritner
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Patent number: 6307921Abstract: A system is described for assisting the hard of hearing in the use of the telephone, the system termed here text enhanced telephony or TET. The hard of hearing user uses a TET device or appliance which permits the user to speak and to hear the words spoken by the other party, the TET device also supplying to the user a text character stream of the words spoken by the other party. The TET system uses the system of voice-to-text relays, already in existence to assist the deaf community communicate with hearing persons over the telephone, to translate the spoken voice into a text stream. The TET relay and TET device are capable of separating voice and digital communications frequencies carrying text so that voice and a text communications stream of the words spoken by the voice can be carried over a common telephone line. The devices can also be capable of automated capabilities such that the devices can automatically configure a three-party relay call without the need for the user's instructions.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2000Date of Patent: October 23, 2001Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
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Patent number: 6233314Abstract: A relay is described to facilitate communication through the telephone system between deaf people and hearing people. To overcome the speed limitations inherent in typing, the call assistant at the relay does not type most words but, instead, re-voices the words spoken by the hearing person into a computer operating a voice recognition software package trained to the voice of that call assistant. The conversation-type flow of communications achieved by this type of relay enables the design of a new class of interpreters for the deaf.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 1999Date of Patent: May 15, 2001Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventor: Robert M. Engelke
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Patent number: 6075841Abstract: A system is described for assisting the hard of hearing in the use of the telephone, in which an in-line text display is inserted in the telephone line before a standard telephone. The in-line display blocks text related digital communications signals to the standard telephone and decodes the text related digital signals to display on a built in display screen.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 1997Date of Patent: June 13, 2000Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin A. Colwell, Ronald W. Schultz, Troy Vitek
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Patent number: 6075842Abstract: A system is described for assisting the hard of hearing in the use of the telephone, the system termed here text enhanced telephony or TET. The hard of hearing user uses a TET device or appliance which permits the user to speak and to hear the words spoken by the other party, the TET device also supplying to the user a text character stream of the words spoken by the other party. The TET system uses the system of voice-to-text relays, already in existence to assist the deaf community communicate with hearing persons over the telephone, to translate the spoken voice into a text stream. The TET relay and TET device are capable of separating voice and digital communications frequencies carrying text so that voice and a text communications stream of the words spoken by the voice can be carried over a common telephone line. The devices can also be capable of automated capabilities such that the devices can automatically configure a three-party relay call without the need for the user's instructions.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 1998Date of Patent: June 13, 2000Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
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Patent number: 5978654Abstract: A low cost alphanumeric paging entry and page receiving device for entering alphanumeric messages remotely from a telephone and receiving pages via radio frequency signals. The device is designed so that both page reception and alphanumeric page entry can be provided using substantially the same hardware. The entry functionality uses simplex communications, using a system of Baudot tones to send page messages to a paging system for transmission to other similar devices.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 1995Date of Patent: November 2, 1999Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.Inventors: Kevin Colwell, Robert M. Engelke