Tactile communication system
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- an input device, an output device, a processor to process the input received from the input device, to convert the input to a form suitable for output, and to output it on the output device;
in which the input device;
includes a first means which the user of the system operates to indicate vowels or vowel sounds, includes a separate second means which the user operates to indicate consonants or consonant sounds, where a particular unvoiced consonant is indicated by a certain operation of the second means, and the corresponding voiced consonant is indicated by combining the same operation of the second means with the operation of the first means indicating any vowel; and
in which possible forms of the output include;
a speech waveform as synthesised by the processor, for output through an audio output device;
characters for a one-handed serial tactile display device corresponding to the input device in having a third means to indicate vowels and a fourth means to indicate consonants, where a particular unvoiced consonant is indicated by a certain operation of the fourth means, and the corresponding voiced consonant is indicated by combining the same operation of the fourth means with the operation of the third means indicating any vowel;
a form for digital transmission to equipment local to another person, thence for output on the tactile display device or audio output device, for sensory reception of the communication by that person.
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Abstract
This invention concerns a system of communication including a tactile device for single-handed input of phonetic information and a corresponding tactile device for output of that information onto a single hand. The phonetic information input using the tactile input device can be output as synthesized speech, and the tactile output device can receive phonetic information obtained from a speech recognition engine. Thus the input device acts as a “talking hand”, and the output device acts as a “listening hand”. The phonemic information is suitable for tactile or speech output, either directly or indirectly, locally or remotely, via a transmission system such as a telephone network. The system involves a scheme in which the fingers are used for consonants and the thumb for vowels, with fingers and thumb used together for voiced consonants.
20 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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an input device, an output device, a processor to process the input received from the input device, to convert the input to a form suitable for output, and to output it on the output device;
in which the input device;
includes a first means which the user of the system operates to indicate vowels or vowel sounds, includes a separate second means which the user operates to indicate consonants or consonant sounds, where a particular unvoiced consonant is indicated by a certain operation of the second means, and the corresponding voiced consonant is indicated by combining the same operation of the second means with the operation of the first means indicating any vowel; and
in which possible forms of the output include;
a speech waveform as synthesised by the processor, for output through an audio output device;
characters for a one-handed serial tactile display device corresponding to the input device in having a third means to indicate vowels and a fourth means to indicate consonants, where a particular unvoiced consonant is indicated by a certain operation of the fourth means, and the corresponding voiced consonant is indicated by combining the same operation of the fourth means with the operation of the third means indicating any vowel;
a form for digital transmission to equipment local to another person, thence for output on the tactile display device or audio output device, for sensory reception of the communication by that person. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification