chris jones
A TELEPHONE PROXY DEVICE | SKYPE ROBOT
This is NOT a text messaging idea. This is an automated voice response unit (VRU) that uses Microsoft SKYPE (VOIP app) to talk to annoying people with TTS technology while you secretly listen in the background. You activate various responses with DTMF tones but mostly the text is preselected by you BEFORE the call. "Honey I have to work late tonight... Don't wait up." Or to your brother-in-law Henry "Sorry Henry I got your message but I just don't have any money to loan you this week dude. Check back next week..."
INTRODUCTION
So a hardware/software project here would have to involve a website for you to click on 'canned' message buttons, or free-style field for for impromptu messages, a phone dialer, and a text to speech (TTS) synthesizer. Essentially all you have to do is enter their phone number or have it preset in the dialer program.
The dialer will dial their telephone number, start emitting a tone which means "standby for a message" (that's prearranged with them), then after let's say 5 seconds (allowing for telephone connection delay) it starts saying the message into the phone to the Luddite 3 times.
Now you may be wondering how the Luddite can respond back. You know anything too complicated it out of the question. You know the old saying about "teaching old dogs new tricks" don't you? Well after the third repetition (3 times the charm?) it allows the Luddite to speak into the receiver and say "Yes I got it and I will comply", "Huh? No I don't understand", or "Huh? Please repeat that?".
Well if they understand then you can terminate the connection without another word just by hanging up. Otherwise the system will have to stay connected and you will have to verbally say what it was you wanted (I know ugghh!).
USES SKYPE
Basically, the system is nothing more than SKYPE calling the called party (i.e. the Luddite) then calling you (i.e. conference call mode) from your PC at home which is also running a personal website on ASP (active server page) on let's say WWW.BRINKSTER.COM on the Internet (more on that later). The Luddite has no idea that it is a 3-way call and you are actually listening in the background (put your microphone on mute so they can't hear you breathing!).
SKYPE is a free download from Microsoft. Also Skype allows you to use the CALLTO:// URI command in JavaScript (i.e. window.open("callto://8605551212;8605551234";) their number is first. semi-colon, then yours is next. This will force a conference call. It can be terminated by either party hanging up, otherwise the call will stay connected for as long as both parties wish to talk.)
WHY ASP ON BRINKSTER?
Well ASP will allow other users to send messages to the website via Streaming Text function (which can be canned into a pre-defined HTML button). Your website at home is that server page but is using BRINKSTER as it's ASP host. Brinkster is one of the few hosts that does ASP serving for free.
Your website will continually (via a looped routine) be looking for streamed messages to react to as an event. On event, it will either ask for the Luddite's phone number and your phone number. However, that can all be pre-defined too to eliminate that step if the same people will be involved all the time. However, no one else can use the site except you if you do it that way,
TEXT-TO-SPEECH
After the event occurs, the website deletes the streamed text so it doesn't cause another triggered event and awaits a new event. But in the meantime the program opens a SKYPE conference call to both parties. It then uses pre-recorded WAV or MP3 files made using TTS Software* to deliver canned voice messages. Those pre-recorded messages could also be in your own voice using your PC's SOUNDRECORDER.exe. All WAV or MP3 files need to be saved on the ASP server not your home PC.
In the case of impromptu voice messages, all MS Windows OS's after XP come with builit-in TEXT-TO-SPEECH (TTS) software. You just need to leave it enabled when the website is running....
Read more »
Actually Martin, it is not really a text message function. It is actually a on-demand voice conference call system in where you don't need to actually talk into it to a person you really don't like talking to. But you have to because they require you to call them periodically or at least drive over to visit them.
You can't text them because they choose to not either have a cell phone, or know how to use text nor voice mail. Believe me there are LUDDITES still out there with old rotary dial phones today AND you still have to call them from time to time. Mostly they just ramble on for minutes about stuff you really don't care about but you don't want to be rude to them and hangup. You don't want to go by their homes nor do you want to write a postal letter in the 21st century!
So I came up with the idea to exploit SKYPE with a automated text-to-speech function playback. Yes you would be tricking them into thinking you are not really there. But you are listening in the background sending them canned messages by activating them with DTMF tones.
And I'm not just talking about Senior Citizens either. Yes they are included, but there are middle-aged Baby Boomer people in Washington DC (government) who are technophobes (LUDDITES) and can't/won't use a computer nor a sophisticated SmartPhone. I know that's pathetic but it is quite true. They hide the fact that they can't function with us so I think this gadget will help the busy geek person like us free up time talking to these benighted souls who basically chew up our precious time talking about pointless things that can wait for the weekend, T-Giving, Xmas, or whatever holiday we decompress with.
I hope I don't come off smug... :-)