Tactile kinesthetic assistant

• US 20050041887A1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Thomas, Brent D., Thomas, Christine C.
• Application Number:
  US10/916,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20050041887A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B

Abstract

A tactile kinesthetic assistant is a device that allows a person to use the senses of sight, touch and hearing to gather information. Tactile kinesthetic assistants can be used, for example, to help a person retrieve information related to a specific word or phrase (e.g., a student learning to read), to allow a person to determine the status of a person or thing (e.g., a nurse retrieving medical records), to allow a person to obtain current information (e.g., a stock broker retrieving stock prices). In one embodiment, a tactile kinesthetic assistant includes a thimble and an ear piece. The thimble includes a scanner that allows the user to scan one or more words. The representations of the one or more words are used to retrieve information via a network and the retrieved information is provided to the user through an ear piece.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a scanner to scan one or more printed words and to generate an indication of the one or more printed words, wherein at least a portion of the scanner is attached to a clothing of a user; and

a networked electronic device to receive the indication of the one or more printed words, the networked electronic device to retrieve, via a network, information related to the one or more printed words.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the clothing comprises a belt.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the belt is worn near the waist of the user.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the networked electronic device comprises:

a receiver to receive the transmitted indication of the printed word; and

a transmitter to transmit the information related to the printed word.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an output device to output the information related to the one or more printed words.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the output device comprises an ear piece having a speaker to output audio information related to the printed word.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the audio information related to the printed word comprises at least one of:

a pronunciation, a definition, an exemplary use, a source of the audio information, and a source of additional information.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the output device comprises a visual display to display pictorial information related to the printed word.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the audio/video information related to the printed word comprises at least one of:

a representation related to the printed word, a source of the information, and a source of additional information.

10. A method comprising:

scanning a printed word with a scanner having at least a portion attached to a clothing of a user; and

retrieving information related to the printed word over a network.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the clothing comprises a belt.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the belt is worn near the waist of the user.

13. The method of claim 21 wherein outputting the information related to the printed word comprises playing audio information.

14. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

wherein outputting the information related to the printed word comprises displaying pictorial information.

21. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

outputting the information related to the printed word.

15. A machine-accessible medium having associated instructions that, when accessed, cause one or more electronic systems to:

scan a printed word with a scanner having at least a portion attached to a clothing of a user; and

retrieve information related to the printed word over a network.

16. The machine-accessible medium of claim 15 wherein the clothing comprises a belt.

17. The machine-accessible medium of claim 15 wherein the belt is worn near the waist of the user.

18. The machine-accessible medium of claim 20 wherein outputting the information related to the printed word comprises playing audio information.

19. The machine-accessible medium of claim 20 wherein outputting the information related to the printed word comprises displaying pictorial information.

20. The machine-accessible medium of claim 15 further comprising instructions that, when accessed, cause the one or more electronic systems to output the information related to the printed word.