San Jose – Aug 12, 2003 – InternetSpeech, InternetSpeech, a premier voice Internet technology provider based in San Jose, California, today announced that it has received its first patent on its Voice Internet technology, netECHO®, entitled “System and Method for Audio-Only Internet Browsing Using a Standard Telephone”, U.S. Patent No. 6,606,611 issued on August 12, 2003.
The patent has 31 claims. The key concept contributed by the patent is: A system for browsing the Internet comprising a telephone and an Audio/Voice Internet Service provider coupled to the telephone and providing bi-directional voice communication with a user of the telephone, wherein a voice command from a user of the telephone is converted to an Internet address for accessing and retrieving textual content from the World Wide Web (WWW) pages corresponding to such Internet address, and at least portions of such textual content is converted to an aural response to the user.
“This is an important recognition of our key invention of Voice/Audio Internet technology which offers true Internet access through a simple telephone and the users own voice, without using a computer,” said Dr. Emdad Khan, founder, president and CEO of InternetSpeech. “We have filed this patent in other major countries and recently also received approval from Taiwan. InternetSpeech has filed more patents covering other major parts of Voice Internet. This is a very good news not just for InternetSpeech and its investors but also for our partners as they now can be more excited to provide the service worldwide”.
Developed and deployed in the U.S. in 2000, netECHO empowers users by enabling them to navigate the Internet and listen to information from any web site, using simple voice commands and any telephone. netECHO’s patented technology provides content from any Web site in real-time, going beyond traditional voice portal features like news, weather, stock quotes and horoscopes. Customers can also search any word(s) using favorite search engines like Google, Altavista and MSN.
InternetSpeech’s voice Internet service is ideal for a variety of market segments, including:
- Mobile business professionals who need access to data while out of the office;
- Senior citizens who have difficulty in using computers or viewing small screens or using a phone key pad;
- Those with disabilities, particularly the visually-impaired;
- People who don’t own a computer, or who don’t have one readily available; and
- WAP or other small screen-based phone users who want to hear real Internet content versus reading limited, pre-packaged online information on a tiny screen
InternetSpeech is committed to adding features critical to its users. Future versions will support Internet radio, on page searches, shopping and form filling among many others.
netECHO also supports business applications. The innovative technology instantly automates the voice-enabling process, making web-based content accessible in real-time in an interactive audio format for customers who call from any phone. Depending on the site’s content, customers can hear company news, as well as product and pricing information, check their order or account status, purchase products, obtain product support, and more, by using their own voice.
Unlike other methods of voice-enabling (e.g. VoiceXML) that require extensive re-writing of Web content, voice-enabling with netECHO happens on the fly, without any re-coding, significantly saving costs and development time.
For additional information on InternetSpeech and netECHO, consumers, ISPs and businesses can call 408-360-7730.
About InternetSpeech:
InternetSpeech is the leader in voice Internet technology. Its voice browser, netECHO, provides businesses and consumers complete anytime, anywhere voice-based telephone access to the Internet. The company’s patented technology can be bundled with other products such as traditional computer-based Internet access, locations-based services, or visual micro browsers. InternetSpeech also offers business software that automates the process of voice-enabling a company’s Web site and applications in any language, furthering the development of a globally connected voice Internet. InternetSpeech, a privately held company headquartered in San Jose, Calif., launched netECHO in November 2000. For more information about InternetSpeech, visit www.internetspeech.com, or call 408-532-8460.
netECHO® is a registered trademark of InternetSpeech.
Google® is a registered trademark of Google Inc.
Altavista® is a registered trademark of AltaVista Company.
MSN® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
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