Method of displaying web pages to enable user access to text information that the user has difficulty reading
First Claim
1. A method of translating an original web page to a text-to-speech enabled web page, the original web page being defined by source code including at least text designated for display, the method comprising:
- (a) parsing the text of the source code designated for display into one or more grammatical units;
(b) associating a tag with each of the grammatical units;
(c) associating an event handler with each of the tags, the event handler invokes text-to-speech software code; and
(d) reassembling the original web page source code with the associated tags and event handlers to form text-to-speech enabled web page source code, wherein when an event associated with an event handler occurs during user interaction with a display of a text-to-speech enabled web page, the text-to-speech software code causes the grammatical unit associated with the tag of the event handler to be automatically spoken.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Web pages and other text documents displayed on a computer are reformatted to allow a a user who has difficulty reading to navigate between and among such documents and to have such documents, or portions of them, read aloud by the computer using a text-to-speech engine in their original or translated form while preserving the original layout of the document. A “point-and-read” paradigm allows a user to cause the text to be read solely by moving a pointing device over graphical icons or text without requiring the user to click on anything in the document. Hyperlink navigation and other program functions are accomplished in a similar manner.
211 Citations
64 Claims
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1. A method of translating an original web page to a text-to-speech enabled web page, the original web page being defined by source code including at least text designated for display, the method comprising:
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(a) parsing the text of the source code designated for display into one or more grammatical units;
(b) associating a tag with each of the grammatical units;
(c) associating an event handler with each of the tags, the event handler invokes text-to-speech software code; and
(d) reassembling the original web page source code with the associated tags and event handlers to form text-to-speech enabled web page source code, wherein when an event associated with an event handler occurs during user interaction with a display of a text-to-speech enabled web page, the text-to-speech software code causes the grammatical unit associated with the tag of the event handler to be automatically spoken. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of translating an original document to a text-to-speech enabled document, the original document including at least text, the method comprising:
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(a) parsing the text of the original document into one or more grammatical units;
(b) associating a tag with each of the grammatical units;
(c) associating an event handler with each of the tags, the event handler invokes text-to-speech software code; and
(d) reassembling the original document with the associated tags and event handlers to form a text-to-speech enabled document, wherein when an event associated with an event handler occurs during user interaction with a display of a text-to-speech enabled document, the text-to-speech software code causes the grammatical unit associated with the tag of the event handler to be automatically spoken. - View Dependent Claims (11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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12. A clickless, text-to-speech enabled browser comprising:
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(a) a navigation toolbar having a plurality of button graphics, each button graphic including;
(i) a predefined active region;
(ii) an associated text message related to the command function of the button graphic; and
(iii) an event handler that invokes text-to-speech software code for automatically speaking the associated text message and then executing the command function associated with the button graphic; and
(b) a web page region which allows for the display of web pages.
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16. A method of allowing a user to interact with a web page displayed on a display device, wherein the web page includes one or more grammatical units, each grammatical unit being defined by an active region, the method comprising:
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(a) positioning a pointing device over an active region of a grammatical unit, the grammatical unit being automatically highlighted whenever the pointing device is over the active region; and
(b) automatically loading the grammatical unit into a text-to-speech engine, the grammatical unit thereby being automatically spoken, wherein steps (a) and (b) occur sequentially and without requiring any further user manipulation of the pointing device or any other user interfaces associated with display device.
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22. A method of allowing a user to interact with a web page displayed on a display device, wherein the web page includes one or more links that have an associated text message, the method comprising:
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(a) positioning a pointing device over a link, the link being automatically highlighted whenever the pointing device is over the link;
(b) automatically loading the associated text message of the link into a text-to-speech engine, the associated text message thereby being automatically spoken; and
(c) automatically navigating to the address of the link, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) occur sequentially and without requiring any further user manipulation of the pointing device or any other user interfaces associated with display device. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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28. A method of allowing a user to interact with a navigation toolbar of a browser that displays web pages on a display device, the navigation toolbar having a plurality of button graphics, each button graphic including (i) a predefined active region, and (ii) an associated text message related to the command function of the button graphic, the method comprising:
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(a) positioning a pointing device over an active region of a button graphic, the button graphic being automatically highlighted whenever the pointing device is over the active region;
(b) automatically loading the associated text message of the button graphic into a text-to-speech engine, the associated text message thereby being automatically spoken; and
(c) automatically initiating the command function of the button graphic, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) occur sequentially and without requiring any further user manipulation of the pointing device or any other user interfaces associated with display device.
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33. An article of manufacture for translating an original web page to a text-to-speech enabled web page, the original web page being defined by source code including at least text designated for display, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
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(a) parsing the text of the source code designated for display into one or more grammatical units;
(b) associating a tag with each of the grammatical units;
(c) associating an event handler with each of the tags, the event handler invokes text-to-speech software code; and
(d) reassembling the original web page source code with the associated tags and event handlers to form text-to-speech enabled web page source code, wherein when an event associated with an event handler occurs during user interaction with a display of a text-to-speech enabled web page, the text-to-speech software code causes the grammatical unit associated with the tag of the event handler to be automatically spoken. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. An article of manufacture for translating an original document to a text-to-speech enabled document, the original document including at least text, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
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(a) parsing the text of the original document into one or more grammatical units;
(b) associating a tag with each of the grammatical units;
(c) associating an event handler with each of the tags, the event handler invokes text-to-speech software code; and
(d) reassembling the original document with the associated tags and event handlers to form a text-to-speech enabled document, wherein when an event associated with an event handler occurs during user interaction with a display of a text-to-speech enabled document, the text-to-speech software code causes the grammatical unit associated with the tag of the event handler to be automatically spoken. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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44. An article of manufacture for providing a clickless, text-to-speech enabled browser, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
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(a) a navigation toolbar having a plurality of button graphics, each button graphic including;
(i) a predefined active region;
(ii) an associated text message related to the command function of the button graphic; and
(iii) an event handler that invokes text-to-speech software code for automatically speaking the associated text message and then executing the command function associated with the button graphic; and
(b) a web page region which allows for the display of web pages. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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48. An article of manufacture for allowing a user to interact with a web page displayed on a display device, wherein the web page includes one or more grammatical units, each grammatical unit being defined by an active region, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
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(a) positioning a pointing device over an active region of a grammatical unit, the grammatical unit being automatically highlighted whenever the pointing device is over the active region; and
(b) automatically loading the grammatical unit into a text-to-speech engine, the grammatical unit thereby being automatically spoken, wherein steps (a) and (b) occur sequentially and without requiring any further user manipulation of the pointing device or any other user interfaces associated with display device.
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54. An article of manufacture for allowing a user to interact with a web page displayed on a display device, wherein the web page includes one or more links that have an associated text message, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
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(a) positioning a pointing device over a link, the link being automatically highlighted whenever the pointing device is over the link;
(b) automatically loading the associated text message of the link into a text-to-speech engine, the associated text message thereby being automatically spoken; and
(c) automatically navigating to the address of the link, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) occur sequentially and without requiring any further user manipulation of the pointing device or any other user interfaces associated with display device. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. An article of manufacture for allowing a user to interact with a navigation toolbar of a browser that displays web pages on a display device, the navigation toolbar having a plurality of button graphics, each button graphic including (i) a predefined active region, and (ii) an associated text message related to the command function of the button graphic, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
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(a) positioning a pointing device over an active region of a button graphic, the button graphic being automatically highlighted whenever the pointing device is over the active region;
(b) automatically loading the associated text message of the button graphic into a text-to-speech engine, the associated text message thereby being automatically spoken; and
(c) automatically initiating the command function of the button graphic, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) occur sequentially and without requiring any further user manipulation of the pointing device or any other user interfaces associated with display device. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64)
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Specification