System and Method for Voice Networking

Abstract

A system and method for voice based social networking is disclosed. The system receives a voice message (and frequently an image) and ultimately delivers it to one or multiple users, placing it within an ongoing context of conversations. The voice and image may be recorded by various devices and the data transmitted in a variety of formats. An alternative implementation places some system functionality in a mobile device such as a smartphone or wearable device, with the remaining functionality resident in system servers attached to the internet. The system can apply rules to select and limit the voice data flowing to each user; rules prioritize the messages using context information such as user interest and user state. An image is fused to the voice message to form a comment. Additional image or voice annotation (or both) identifying the sender may be attached to the comment. Fused image(s) and voice annotation allow the user to quickly deduce the context of the comment. The system provides the means to deliver a seamless flow of a conversation without requiring user interaction to hear individual comments. Multiple conversations or parts of conversations (or both) are blended into the users acoustic channel without requiring user interaction at the level of individual comments. Advertising may also be integrated. The resulting information flow is translated into formats acceptable to the user's receiving device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.