Information processing apparatus and information processing method

• US 20040098261A1
• Filed: 10/20/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aizawa, Michio, Kaneko, Kazue
• Application Number:
  US10/687,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20040098261A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/258
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

The information processing apparatus includes a manipulation procedure database 104 in which manipulation procedures selectable by a user are described hierarchically. Then, the information processing apparatus judges a manipulation procedure selected by the user, and if a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than the judged manipulation procedure exists, synthesizes voice information on the manipulation procedure of the lower hierarchy in a voice synthesizing processing unit 105 using a dictionary for voice synthesizing 106, and outputs the voice information from a voice output unit 107. In addition, if a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than the judged manipulation procedure does not exist, the information processing apparatus transitions to a manipulation procedure which is a manipulation procedure of a top hierarchy and is different form a manipulation procedure of a top hierarchy of the manipulation procedure, and voice information of the top hierarchy to which the information processing apparatus has transitioned is outputted.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a manipulation procedure database in which manipulation procedures selectable by a user are described hierarchically;

judging unit which judges a manipulation procedure selected by the user;

first voice output unit which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged by said judging unit exists, outputs voice information on said manipulation procedure of the lower hierarchy;

transition unit with which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged by said judging unit does not exist, a manipulation transitions to a manipulation procedure of a top hierarchy which is different from a manipulation procedure of a top hierarchy of said manipulation procedure; and

second voice output unit which outputs voice information on said manipulation procedure of the top hierarchy to which the manipulation has transitioned.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising re-selection unit which, in a hierarchy in which the user has selected a manipulation procedure, re-selects a manipulation procedure in the hierarchy.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising default setting unit which, in the case in which the manipulation transitions to a higher hierarchy without selecting any manipulation procedure in a predetermined hierarchy, sets a default manipulation procedure in the predetermined hierarchy.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising voice re-output unit which, during voice output of voice information on said manipulation procedure, outputs voice again from voice information on a manipulation procedure immediately before said manipulation procedure for which voice information is being outputted presently.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising state transition unit which, during voice output of voice information on said manipulation procedure, stops the voice output of the voice information to return said manipulation procedure to a state immediately before the voice output.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, in the case in which an instruction to transition to a higher hierarchy is issued during voice output of voice information on said manipulation procedure, the information processing apparatus stops the voice output of the voice information and sets a default manipulation procedure to transition to the higher hierarchy.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein voice information on said manipulation procedure is a manipulation procedure name selectable by the user.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality buttons which are associated with different manipulation procedures, respectively, and correspond to a plurality of fingers of the user; and

reception unit which receives information on which of said plurality of buttons is depressed by the user,

wherein said judging unit judges a manipulation procedure corresponding to the depressed button for which information is received by said reception unit.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein said plurality of buttons can be operated with positions of the plurality of fingers fixed, respectively.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein said plurality of buttons are allocated to a part of a ten key.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said predetermined processing apparatus is a copying machine and said manipulation procedure is a setting function for a copying manipulation selectable by the user in the copying machine.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein voice information on said manipulation procedure in a predetermined hierarchy is outputted repeatedly as voice until selection of said manipulation procedure and transition of a hierarchy is performed.

7. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a manipulation procedure database in which manipulation procedures selectable by a user are described hierarchically;

voice output unit which outputs information on a manipulation procedure selectable by the user as voice;

judging unit which judges a manipulation procedure selected by the user while said voice output unit is outputting voice;

transition unit with which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged by said judging unit exists, a manipulation transitions to the lower hierarchy; and

default setting unit which sets a default manipulation procedure in a predetermined hierarchy.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein, in the case in which a default manipulation procedure is selected in a top hierarchy, said default setting unit sets manipulation procedures in all hierarchies to the default manipulation procedure.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising deciding unit which decides said manipulation procedure,

wherein, in the case in which said manipulation procedure is decided without outputting voice information on said manipulation procedure in a predetermined hierarchy, said default setting unit sets a default manipulation procedure in the hierarchy, and the transition unit returns the hierarchy to a hierarchy immediately higher in order than the hierarchy.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein, in the case in which an instruction to transition to a different hierarchy is issued during output of voice information on a manipulation procedure in a predetermined hierarchy, said voice output unit skips said manipulation procedure, for which voice is being outputted presently, and outputs voice information on a manipulation procedure of the different hierarchy as voice and, in the case in which an instruction to return to a preceding manipulation procedure is issued during output of voice information on said manipulation procedure in the predetermined hierarchy, said voice output unit outputs voice again from voice information on a manipulation procedure immediately preceding said manipulation procedure for which voice is being outputted presently.

17. An information processing method in an information processing apparatus which is connectable to a manipulation procedure database in which manipulation procedures selectable by a user are described hierarchically, said information processing method comprising:

a judgment step of judging a manipulation procedure selected by the user;

a first voice output step of, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged in said judgment step exists, outputting voice information on said manipulation procedure of the lower hierarchy;

a transition step with which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged in said judgment step does not exist, a manipulation transitions to a manipulation procedure of a top hierarchy which is different from a manipulation procedure of a top hierarchy of said manipulation procedure; and

a second voice output step of outputting voice information on said manipulation procedure of the top hierarchy to which the manipulation has transitioned.

18. An information processing method in an information processing apparatus which is connectable to a manipulation procedure database in which manipulation procedures selectable by a user are described hierarchically, said information processing method comprising:

a voice output step of outputting information on-a manipulation procedure selectable by the user as voice;

a judgment step of judging a manipulation procedure selected by the user while said voice output unit is outputting voice;

a transition step with which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged in the judgment step exists, a manipulation transitions to the lower hierarchy; and

a default setting step of setting a default manipulation procedure in a predetermined hierarchy.

19. A program for causing a computer, which is connectable to a manipulation procedure database in which manipulation procedures selectable by a user are described hierarchically, to execute:

a judgment procedure which judges a manipulation procedure selected by the user;

a first voice output procedure which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged by said judgment procedure exists, outputs voice information on said manipulation procedure of the lower hierarchy;

a transition procedure with which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged by said judgment procedure does not exist, a manipulation transitions to a manipulation procedure of a top hierarchy which is different from a manipulation procedure of a top hierarchy of said manipulation procedure; and

a second voice output procedure which outputs voice information on said manipulation procedure of the top hierarchy to which the manipulation has transitioned.

21. A computer readable recording medium having stored therein the program according to claim 19.

20. A program for causing a computer, which is connectable to a manipulation procedure database in which manipulation procedures selectable by a user are described hierarchically, to execute:

a voice output procedure which outputs information on a manipulation procedure selectable by the user as voice;

a judgment procedure which judges a manipulation procedure selected by the user while said voice output unit is outputting voice;

a transition procedure with which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged in the judgment step exists, a manipulation transitions to the lower hierarchy; and

a default setting procedure which sets a default manipulation procedure in a predetermined hierarchy.

22. A computer readable recording medium having stored therein the program according to claim 20.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a database in which manipulation procedures selectable by a user are described hierarchically;

judging unit which judges a manipulation procedure selected by the user from said database; and

voice output unit which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged by said judging unit exists, outputs voice information on said manipulation procedure of the lower hierarchy.

24. An information processing method comprising:

a judgment step of judging a manipulation procedure selected by a user from a database in which manipulation procedures selectable by the user are described hierarchically; and

a voice output step of, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged by said judging unit exists, outputting voice information on said manipulation procedure of the lower hierarchy.

25. A program for causing a computer to execute:

a judgment procedure which judges a manipulation procedure selected by a user from a database in which manipulation procedures selectable by the user are described hierarchically; and

a voice output procedure which, in the case in which a manipulation procedure of a hierarchy lower in order than said manipulation procedure judged by said judging unit exists, outputs voice information on said manipulation procedure of the lower hierarchy.

26. A computer readable recording medium having stored therein the program according to claim 25.