Abstract: A method for maintaining contact information in a hearing impaired assisted user's communication device includes the steps of (a) providing a web site for altering assisted user contact information, (b) linking a proxy device to the web site, (c) receiving an identifier associated with the assisted user's device via the proxy device, (d) identifying an assisted user's device via the received identifier, (e) enabling the proxy device to be used to modify contact information for the assisted user associated with the received identifier, (f) starting a timer to time out a sync timeout period, (g) during the sync timeout period, receiving an indication via the assisted user's device confirming a desire to update the assisted user's contact information, (h) updating the assisted user's contact information, and (i) at the end of the timeout period, ceasing an indication that updated data is ready to be used from the assisted user's device.

Abstract: A method for maintaining contact information in a hearing impaired assisted user's communication device includes the steps of (a) providing a web site for altering assisted user contact information, (b) linking a proxy device to the web site, (c) receiving an identifier associated with the assisted user's device via the proxy device, (d) identifying an assisted user's device via the received identifier, (e) enabling the proxy device to be used to modify contact information for the assisted user associated with the received identifier, (f) starting a timer to time out a sync timeout period, (g) during the sync timeout period, receiving an indication via the assisted user's device confirming a desire to update the assisted user's contact information, (h) updating the assisted user's contact information, and (i) at the end of the timeout period, ceasing an indication that updated data is ready to be used from the assisted user's device.

Abstract: A captioning system includes an assisted user's communication system, including a display screen, a microphone, a speaker, an input device for specifying a calling number of a hearing user's communication device, and a processor linked to the display screen microphone, speaker and input device. The processor is programmed to perform the steps of: (i) upon entry of a calling number via the input device, scanning the calling number, (ii) identifying a type of the calling number; (iii) where the type is a first type, performing a first process to initiate a remote captioning service; and (iv) where the type is a second type, performing a second process to initiate a remote captioning service where the second process is different than the first process.

Abstract: A communication system and method for displaying text captions corresponding to voice communications between an assisted user's mobile wireless device and a separate hearing user's device includes at least one communication component configured to enable the appliance to communicate with a relay, a display, and a processor operably coupled to the at least one communication component and the display. The processor is configured to enable the assisted user to establish an association between the appliance and the mobile device, receive text originating at the relay, the text corresponding to a transcript of the hearing user's voice signal originating at the hearing user's device, and cause text captions corresponding to the received text to be displayed on the display.

Abstract: A method of operating a captioned telephone call in which an assisted user's (AU's) captioned device is connected by a first line to a hearing user's (HU's) device and by a second line to a relay providing captioning for a conversation is disclosed. The method includes capturing an AU's voice signal via a microphone, transmitting the voice signal from the captioned device to the HU's device on the first line, obtaining a combined voice signal including both users' voice signals from the first line at the captioned device, cancelling the AU's voice signal from the combined signal to generate an independent HU voice signal, broadcasting the HU's voice signal via a speaker, transmitting the independent HU's voice signal to the relay, receiving captions at the captioned device from the relay corresponding to the HU's voice signal, and presenting the captions as text on a display screen.

Abstract: A method to transcribe communications during a voice communication session between first and second devices includes obtaining an audio message originating at the first device. Upon initiating a captioning session, the message is provided to an automated speech recognition system to generate a first caption set for at least some of the message without any captioning assistance from a call assistant. The first caption set is made available to the second device for presentation on a display screen. In response to obtaining a first indication via the second device to change the captioning process, the audio message is provided to a second speech recognition system to generate a second caption set based on at least some of the message, where a call assistant performs error corrections to generate the second caption set. The second caption set then is made available to the second device for presentation on the display screen.

Abstract: A method and system to transcribe communications the method comprising the steps of obtaining an audio message originating at a first device during a voice communication session between the first device and a second device, providing the audio message to a first speech recognition system to generate a first transcript of the audio message, directing the first transcript to the second device, in response to obtaining an indication that indicates a quality of the first transcript is below a quality threshold, using a second speech recognition system to generate a second transcript based on the audio message while continuing to provide the audio data to the first speech recognition system to generate the first transcript and, in response to occurrence of an event that indicates the second transcript is to be directed to the second device, directing the second transcript to the second device instead of directing the first transcript.

Abstract: A method to transcribe communications includes obtaining an audio message from a first device during a voice communication session with a second device including a display screen, providing the message to a first speech recognition system to generate a first message transcript, providing the transcript to the second device for presentation on the screen, obtaining an indication that a transcript quality is below a threshold, providing, in response, the message to a second system to generate a second transcript while still providing it to the first system to generate the first transcript and providing the first transcript to the second device for presentation on the display screen, and in response to an event occurring that indicates the second transcript is to be provided to the second device instead of the first transcript, providing the second transcript to the second device for presentation on the screen instead of the first transcript.

Abstract: A hearing user's device for communicating with a hearing impaired assisted user using an assisted user's device that includes a speaker and a display screen for broadcasting a hearing user's voice signal and presenting captioned text associated with the hearing user's voice signal to the assisted user, respectively, the hearing user's device comprising a microphone for receiving the hearing user's voice signal as spoken by the hearing user, a display screen and a processor linked to the microphone and the display screen, the processor transmitting the hearing user's voice signal to the assisted users device, the processor presenting a quality indication of the captioned text presented to the assisted user via the assisted users device for consideration by the hearing user.

Abstract: A method and system to transcribe communications the method comprising the steps of obtaining an audio message originating at a first device during a voice communication session between the first device and a second device, providing the audio message to a first speech recognition system to generate a first transcript of the audio message, directing the first transcript to the second device, in response to obtaining an indication that indicates a quality of the first transcript is below a quality threshold, using a second speech recognition system to generate a second transcript based on the audio message while continuing to provide the audio data to the first speech recognition system to generate the first transcript and, in response to occurrence of an event that indicates the second transcript is to be directed to the second device, directing the second transcript to the second device instead of directing the first transcript.

Abstract: A call captioning system for captioning a hearing user's (HU's) voice signal during an ongoing call with an assisted user (AU) includes: an AU communication device with a display screen and a caption service activation feature, and a first processor programmed to, during an ongoing call, receive the HU's voice signal. Prior to activating the caption service via the activation feature, the processor uses an automated speech recognition (ASR) engine to generate HU voice signal captions, detect errors in the HU voice signal captions, use the errors to train the ASR software to the HU's voice signal to increase accuracy of the HU captions generated by the ASR engine; and store the trained ASR engine for subsequent use. Upon activating the caption service during the ongoing call, the processor uses the trained ASR engine to generate HU voice signal captions and present them to the AU via the display screen.

Abstract: A system and method for use with an assisted user's communication device that includes a display. The method includes providing a user communication device including a processor that is programmed to perform the step of, upon disconnection of an emergency call to a hearing user in which a captioning service has provided text transcription of voice messages from the hearing user, maintaining a link to the captioning service for a predetermined period of time. The processor also is programmed to perform the step of recognizing the call as an emergency call upon placement of the call, and the captioning service is automatically initiated upon the processor performing that recognition.

Abstract: A method and system for assessing captioning quality of a call assistant (CA) that transcribes a hearing user's (HU's) voice signal during a call with an assisted user (AU) into caption text, the method comprising the steps of receiving an HU voice signal at a relay, providing the HU voice signal to a first CA to transcribe into first caption text, providing the first caption text to a second CA for correction, the text corrected by the second CA being a true text caption and comparing the first caption text to the true text caption to identify a quality factor associated with the first caption text.

Abstract: A captioning system comprising a processor and a memory having stored thereon software such that, when the software is executed by the one or more processors, the system generates text captions from speech data, including at least the following, receiving, from a hearing user's (HU's) device, an HU's speech data, generating, at the one or more hardware processors, first text captions from the speech data using a speech recognition algorithm, automatically determining, at the one or more processors, whether the generated first text captions meet a first accuracy threshold and when the first text captions meet the first accuracy threshold, sending the first text captions to an assisted user's (AU's) device for display, when the first text captions do not meet the first accuracy threshold, generating, at the one or more processors, second text captions from the speech data based on user input to the speech recognition algorithm from a call assistant and sending the second text captions to the AU's device for dis

Abstract: A communication method to facilitate communication between first and second users that use first and second devices during a communication session, respectively, includes the steps of: obtaining a first voice signal from the first device during the communication session, using a first transcription process to generate a first caption text associated with the first voice signal, and automatically assessing an accuracy value indicating accuracy of the first caption text. When the accuracy value is below a threshold level, the method also includes obtaining a second voice signal during the communication session, using a second transcription process to generate a second caption text associated with the second voice signal, and presenting the second caption text via a display on a device that is used by the second user.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining a hearing user's (HU's) (first) voice signal including speech from a first device during a communication session between first and second devices, the session configured for verbal communication. The method also includes obtaining a first text string that is a transcription of the first voice signal via a first automatic speech recognition engine using the first voice signal, obtaining a second text string that is a transcription of the first voice signal via input obtained from a device associated with a call assistant, generating an output text string from the first and second text strings that includes one or more words from each of the first and second text strings, and providing the output text string as a transcription of the HU's voice signal for presentation during the session substantially concurrently with the presentation of the HU's voice signal by the second device.

Abstract: A method to transcribe communications includes the steps of obtaining a voice signal originating at a first device configured for verbal communication with a second device and providing the voice signal to an automated speech recognition system configured to transcribe the signal. Before determining a final transcription, the method obtains a first hypothesis transcription including one or more first words determined to be a transcription of at least a first portion of the voice signal and a second hypothesis transcription including a plurality of second words determined to be a transcription of at least a second portion of the voice signal that includes the first portion of the voice signal, determines one or more consistent words included in both hypothesis transcriptions, and in response, transmits the consistent words to the second device for presentation before the final transcription of the voice signal is provided to the second device.

Abstract: A method to transcribe communications includes the steps of obtaining a plurality of hypothesis transcriptions of a voice signal generated by a speech recognition system, determining consistent words that are included in at least first and second of the plurality of hypothesis transcriptions, in response to determining the consistent words, providing the consistent words to a device for presentation of the consistent words to an assisted user, and presenting the consistent words via a display screen on the device, wherein a rate of the presentation of the words on the display screen is variable.

Abstract: A communication system for communicating between a hearing user using a hearing user's communication device and an assisted user, the communication system comprising a relay that receives a hearing user's voice signal and converts that voice signal to text, a text to braille converter that receives the text generated at the relay and converts that text to braille data, a braille display device that is capable of generating braille messages that can be detected by an assisted user via touch and an assisted user's captioned device that receives the braille data and uses the braille data to drive the braille display device to generate braille messages for the assisted user to sense.

Abstract: A method of operating a captioned telephone call in which an assisted user is connected by a captioned telephone device that is connected both by a first line to a remote user and a second line to a relay providing captioning for a conversation, the method comprising the steps of: when a start of an incoming call is detected by the captioned telephone device on the first line, the captioned telephone device automatically calling the relay on the second line to initiate captioning service set up; the captioned telephone device passing spoken words received on the first line to the second line; and the relay then providing text captions of the spoken words back to the captioned telephone device on the second line.