Voice communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11765114-B2
Application number	US-202017079216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2020
Priority date	May 16, 2017
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

Audio inputs are detected at an electronic device and translated into electronic communications for playback at an external electronic device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a display;
a touch-sensitive surface;
one or more processors; and
memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
while the device is connected to a first communication channel associated with a first external device of a first contact and not connected to a second communication channel associated with a second external device of a second contact:
concurrently displaying a first affordance including a representation of the first contact and a second affordance including a representation of the second contact;
detecting a touch input on the second affordance;
in response to detecting the touch input on the second affordance, terminating a communication session with first external device over the first communication channel and connecting to the second communication channel; and

displaying a visual indication indicating that the device has terminated the communication session with the first external device and is connected to the second communication channel.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
concurrently displaying the first affordance and the second affordance in response to receiving a first user request to enter a channel-switch mode, wherein the first affordance is displayed at a first position on the display and the second affordance is displayed at a second position relative to the first position on the display.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
subsequent to receiving a first data signal including first voice data at the first communication channel from the first contact, causing audio output of the first voice data;
displaying a first talk affordance for communicating with the first contact through the first communication channel;
in response to detecting activation of the first talk affordance:
capturing first voice input at a microphone; and
sending, through the first communication channel, first outgoing data signal including first outgoing voice data corresponding to the captured first voice input.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
while the device is connected to the second communication channel and not connected to the first communication channel, displaying:
a second talk affordance for communicating data through the second communication channel.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
subsequent to receiving a second data signal including second voice data at the second communication channel from the second contact, causing audio output of the second voice data; and
in response to detecting activation of the second talk affordance:
capturing second voice input at a microphone; and
sending, through the second communication channel, second outgoing data signal including second outgoing voice data corresponding to the captured second voice input.

6. The electronic device of claim 2 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
in response to detecting the touch input on the second affordance, exiting the channel-switch mode; and
while the device is connected to the second communication channel and not connected to the first communication channel, in response to receiving a second user request to re-enter the channel-switch mode, concurrently displaying the second affordance at the first position and the first affordance at the second position.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
while concurrently displaying the first affordance and the second affordance in response to receiving the second user request, displaying a second visual indication that the device is connected to the second communication channel and not connected to the first communication channel wherein the second visual indication is distinct from the visual indication.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
while concurrently displaying the first affordance and the second affordance in response to receiving the second user request, in response to detecting a user intent to stay connected to the second communication channel, exiting the channel-switch mode and removing display of the first affordance.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
in response to detecting the user intent, replacing display of the second visual indication with the visual indication.

10. The electronic device of claim 2 , the one or more programs including instructions for:
while the device is connected to the second communication channel and not connected to the first communication channel:
concurrently displaying the first affordance and the second affordance with an add affordance at a third position relative to the first position and the second position on the display;
detecting a second touch input on the add affordance;
subsequent to detecting the second touch input on the add affordance, displaying a contact list including a third contact; and
in response to detecting selection of the third contact, disconnecting from the second communication channel and connecting to a third communication channel corresponding to a third external device associated with the third contact.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface, the one or more programs including instructions for:
while the device is connected to a first communication channel associated with a first external device of a first contact and not connected to a second communication channel associated with a second external device of a second contact:
concurrently displaying a first affordance including a representation of the first contact and a second affordance including a representation of the second contact;
detecting a touch input on the second affordance;
in response to detecting the touch input on the second affordance, terminating a communication session with first external device over the first communication channel and connecting to the second communication channel; and

displaying a visual indication indicating that the device has terminated the communication session with the first external device and is connected to the second communication channel.

12. A method, comprising:
at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface:
while the device is connected to a first communication channel associated with a first external device of a first contact and not connected to a second communication channel associated with a second external device of a second contact:
concurrently displaying a first affordance including a representation of the first contact and a second affordance including a representation of the second contact;
detecting a touch input on the second affordance;
in response to detecting the touch input on the second affordance, terminating a communication session with first external device over the first communication channel and connecting to the second communication channel; and

displaying a visual indication indicating that the device has terminated the communication session with the first external device and is connected to the second communication channel.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the one or more programs inc

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Jon Tiffany S
• Anzures Freddy Allen
• Lemay Stephen O
• Sundstrom Matthew J

Classifications

• G06F1/163 Primary

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• H04L51/10 Primary

  Multimedia information · CPC title

• G06F1/1643

  the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads (details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615) · CPC title

• G06F1/169

  the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033) · CPC title

• G06F1/3209

  Monitoring remote activity, e.g. over telephone lines or network connections · CPC title