Patents by Inventor Kevin Colwell

Kevin Colwell has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7319740
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Publication number: 20070036282
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Publication date: February 15, 2007
    Inventors: Robert Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy Vitek, Kurt Gritner
  • Publication number: 20060039542
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Inventors: Robert Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Patent number: 7003082
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Publication number: 20050226394
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Inventors: Robert Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy Vitek
  • Patent number: 6934366
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy D. Vitek, Kurt M. Gritner
  • Patent number: 6885731
    Abstract: 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. In normal operation, when the assisted user dials a number, the captioned telephone dials the relay which in turn dials the other party to the call. Here a method for operating a captioned telephone is disclosed where the captioned telephone monitors the number being called by the assisted user and, if the user is dialing emergency services (9-1-1 in the U.S.), the call to the relay is terminated and a direct connection to emergency services is initiated. This method is intended to provide the quickest and most error-free connection of the user to emergency services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Christopher Engelke
  • Patent number: 6748053
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Publication number: 20040076269
    Abstract: 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. In normal operation, when the assisted user dials a number, the captioned telephone dials the relay which in turn dials the other party to the call. Here a method for operating a captioned telephone is disclosed where the captioned telephone monitors the number being called by the assisted user and, if the user is dialing emergency services (9-1-1 in the U.S.), the call to the relay is terminated and a direct connection to emergency services is initiated. This method is intended to provide the quickest and most error-free connection of the user to emergency services.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Publication date: April 22, 2004
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Christopher Engelke
  • Publication number: 20040028191
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2003
    Publication date: February 12, 2004
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Publication number: 20040013242
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Publication date: January 22, 2004
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Publication number: 20030198320
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2002
    Publication date: October 23, 2003
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy D. Vitek, Kurt M. Gritner
  • Patent number: 6603835
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Publication number: 20030125952
    Abstract: A communication system and format is described for use in assisted telephonic communications, intended to help users who are hearing impaired use the telephone system. A relay connects a hearing user with the assisted user. The relay creates a text message stream containing the words spoken by the hearing user. The relay then combines the digital characters of the text message with packets of digitized voice spoken by the hearing user and sends the combined digital data packets to the station of the assisted user. The station of the assisted user is capable of separating the voice from the text and displaying the text for reading by the assisted user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2003
    Publication date: July 3, 2003
    Inventors: Robert Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy Vitex, Jeffrey Havens, Kurt Grittner, Dean Hofstetter, Mathew McCulley
  • Publication number: 20030108165
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Patent number: 6549611
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Patent number: 6510206
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell
  • Patent number: 6504910
    Abstract: A communication system and format is described for use in assisted telephonic communications, intended to help users who are hearing impaired use the telephone system. A relay connects a hearing user with the assisted user. The relay creates a text message stream containing the words spoken by the hearing user. The relay then combines the digital characters of the text message with packets of digitized voice spoken by the hearing user and sends the combined digital data packets to the station of the assisted user. The station of the assisted user is capable of separating the voice from the text and displaying the text for reading by the assisted user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Inventors: Robert Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy Vitek, Jeffrey Havens, Kurt Grittner, Dean Hofstetter, Mathew McCulley
  • Patent number: D763219
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Ultratec, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy Vitek, Peter Kirschhoffer
  • Patent number: D772836
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Inventors: Robert M. Engelke, Kevin Colwell, Troy Vitek, Peter Kirschhoffer