Method and apparatus for recording voice and location information

• US 20040204851A1
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Fukuyasu, Akio
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00

Abstract

A recording apparatus for a navigation device allows a user to make a voice recording in association with a vehicle location. The current location of the vehicle is determined by a GPS sensor. The location of the vehicle at the time of the recording is indicated by a mark on a displayed map of the surroundings, and the time at which the recording was made is displayed. Also, if a telephone is connected to the navigation system, the navigation system records and stores calls. The location of the vehicle at the time of a call is displayed on a map with a mark. The navigation system plays the recording when the vehicle operator selects the mark.

Claims

1. An information recording apparatus comprising

current location determining means for determining a current geographic location;

voice input means for receiving a voice input; and

storage means for storing a recording of the voice input received by the voice input means and the current location determined by the current location determining means upon reception of the voice input in association with the voice input.

2. The information recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising communication means for conducting telephone calls, wherein the voice input received by the voice input means is a call conducted by the communication means.

3. The information recording apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

display means for displaying a predetermined map image from stored map data; and

display control means for displaying on the display means a map image that includes a visible mark representing the voice recording at a position on the map image that corresponds to the voice input.

4. The information recording apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising time information retrieval means for retrieving the current time, wherein the storage means stores data representing the time retrieved by the time retrieval means upon reception of a voice input by the voice input means, wherein the time data is stored in association with the corresponding voice input.

5. The information recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the recording is one of a plurality of recordings associated with respective voice inputs, and the display control means causes the display means to display a list of stored voice inputs, each of which may be chosen by the user for retrieval.

6. The information recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

announcement means; and

announcement control means for causing the announcement means to audibly play the recording stored by the storage means, which is associated with the visible mark on the display, when a command to select the mark is issued.

7. The information recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising time retrieval means for retrieving the current time, wherein the storage means stores data representing the time retrieved by the time retrieval means upon reception of a voice input by the voice input means, wherein the time data is stored in association with the corresponding voice input.

8. The information recording apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising:

announcement means; and

announcement control means for causing the announcement means to audibly play the recording stored by the storage means, which is associated with the visible mark on the display, when a command to select the mark is issued.

9. The information recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the announcement control means also causes the announcement means to announce the time associated with the voice input of the recording.

10. The information recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the display control means causes the display means to display the time of a voice input in conjunction with a map image that includes the location of the voice input and a mark representing the voice input.

11. The information recording apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising:

display means for displaying a predetermined map image from stored map data; and

display control means for displaying on the display means a map image that includes a visible mark representing the voice recording at a position on the map image that corresponds to the voice input.

12. The information recording apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising time retrieval means for retrieving the current time, wherein the storage means stores data representing the time retrieved by the time retrieval means upon reception of a voice input by the voice input means, wherein the time data is stored in association with the corresponding voice input.

13. The information recording apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

announcement means; and

announcement control means for causing the announcement means to audibly play the recording stored by the storage means, which is associated with the visible mark on the display, when a command to select the mark is issued.

14. The information recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the recording is one of a plurality of recordings associated with respective voice inputs, and the display control means causes the display means to display a list of stored voice inputs, each of which may be chosen by the user for retrieval.

15. The information recording apparatus according to claim 12 further comprising:

announcement means; and

announcement control means for causing the announcement means to audibly play the recording stored by the storage means, which is associated with the visible mark on the display, when a command to select the mark is issued.

16. The information recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the announcement control means also causes the announcement means to announce the time associated with the voice input of the recording.

17. The information recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the display control means causes the display means to display the time of a voice input in conjunction with a map image that includes the location of the voice input and a mark representing the voice input.

18. An information recording method comprising

determining a current geographic location;

recording voice information in association with the location; and

storing the voiced information in association with data representing the current location.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

displaying a predetermined map image from stored map data; and

displaying on the map image a visible mark representing the voiced information at a position on the map image that corresponds to the location at which the voice information was recorded.

20. The method according to claim 19 further comprising audibly playing the recording associated with the visible mark on the display when a command to select the mark is issued.