Methods for using a speech to obtain additional information

Abstract

An item of information ( 212 ) is transmitted to a distal computer ( 220 ), translated to a different sense modality and/or language ( 222 ), and in substantially real time, and the translation ( 222 ) is transmitted back to the location ( 211 ) from which the item was sent. The device sending the item is preferably a wireless device, and more preferably a cellular or other telephone ( 210 ). The device receiving the translation is also preferably a wireless device, and more preferably a cellular or other telephone, and may advantageously be the same device as the sending device. The item of information ( 212 ) preferably comprises a sentence of human of speech having at least ten words, and the translation is a written expression of the sentence. All of the steps of transmitting the item of information, executing the program code, and transmitting the translated information preferably occurs in less than 60 seconds of elapsed time.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A system comprising software operable in cooperation with a mobile phone, within which is contained electronics configurable by the software to:
 receive, by the mobile phone, human understandable speech;   transmit, by the mobile phone, the speech to a service distal from the mobile phone;   receive, by the mobile phone, an address related to a target device from the service, wherein the target device is distal from the service and the service uses the transmitted speech to return the address to the mobile phone and the service returns the address without contacting the target device;   contact, by the mobile phone, the target device based at least in part on the received address;   receive, by the mobile phone, a translation of the speech from the service, wherein the translation of the speech has a different sense modality from that of the speech; and   transmit, by the mobile phone, the received translation to the received address of the target device,   wherein the address includes information to identify the target device.