System and method for training users with audible answers to spoken questions

• US 20050064374A1
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Radmila Solutions LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Spector, Donald
• Granted Patent: US 8,202,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/169
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 17/006 with audible presentation of the material to be studied audio and audio-visual teaching apparatus in general G09B5/04, G09B5/06

Abstract

A phonics training system provides immediate, audible and virtual answers to questions regarding various images such as objects, animals and people, posed by a user when the user views such images on a video display terminal of the system. The system can provide virtual answers to questions without the need for an instruction or teacher and includes a computer having a video output terminal and an electronic library containing common answers to basic questions. This system can also include an artificial intelligence system.

Claims

1. A virtual learning system comprising:

a) an image creation means for creating an image on a display in response to at least one audible signal from a user comprising;

i) a computer;

ii) a display means in communication with said computer;

iii) an image library in a form of a database in communication with said computer, wherein said image library includes stored images of objects including an image of an object which can be presented in response to said at least one audible signal; and

iv) at least one database in communication with said computer, wherein said at least one database includes information relating to stored phonetic sounds of words that identify said objects in said image library; and

letters of an alphabet that spell words, partial words, or phonetic associated with said objects in said library;

v) voice recognition means in communication with said computer, for receiving a sound pattern from the user, and for recognizing a sound pattern of the user speaking into said voice recognition means wherein an output of said voice recognition means is digitized and wherein said computer then acts to scan said database to find at least one corresponding phonetic sound digitally stored therein, and when a match is found, said letters representing a word or sound in said database and an image in said image library associated with said word or sound are then presented on said display means;

vi) voice learning means, in communication with said voice recognition means, wherein said voice learning means is programmable to recognize otherwise unrecognizable sounds and relate these sounds to recognizable words stored in said database; and

b) an electronic answer database in communication with said computer, which includes digitally stored answers to commonly asked inquiries resulting from an observation of images stored in said image library; and

wherein said voice recognition means recognizes distinct words and a sequence pattern of at least one audible inquiry, thereby prompting said computer to scan said electronic database to find a plurality of answers most closely related to said at least one audible inquiry, and wherein a match is formed as a sequential list of said plurality of answers wherein said computer presents at least one answer taken from said plurality of answers to said user.

2. The virtual learning system of claim 1, wherein said answer is presented audibly by the computer.

3. The virtual learning system of claim 1, wherein said answer is presented visually by the computer on said display means which is in the form of a screen.

4. The virtual learning system of claim 1, wherein a virtual image of a human appears on said display means and is synchronized with the presentation of said answer.

7. The virtual learning system as in claim 1, wherein said voice learning means includes a user modification means to allow a user to match recorded unrecognizable sounds with recognizable words.

8. The virtual learning system as in claim 7, further comprising means for allowing a user to create a profile so that each user profile can be associated with a particular instruction set directed towards each user.

9. The virtual learning system as in claim 4, further comprising a means for customizing said virtual image of said human.

10. The virtual learning system as in claim 9, wherein said virtual image customization means includes a means for customizing a visual appearance of said virtual image.

11. The virtual learning system as in claim 9, wherein said customization means includes a means for customizing an audio or voice output for said virtual image.

12. The virtual learning system as in claim 9, wherein said customization means includes a means for customizing a personality profile for said virtual image.

5. The virtual learning system of claim 20, wherein said human is a teacher.

6. The virtual learning system of claim 21, wherein said teacher appears in a classroom setting.