Document mode processing for portable reading machine enabling document navigation

• US 20060015342A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Federation of the Blind
• Original Assignee: KNFB Reader LLC
• Inventors: Gibson, Lucy, Albrecht, Paul, Kurzweil, Raymond C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,236,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/224 of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils

Abstract

Controlling a reading machine while reading a document to a user by receiving an image of a document, accessing a knowledge base that provides data that identifies sections in the document and processing user commands to select a section of the document. The reading machine applies text-to-speech to a text file that corresponds to the selected section of the document, to read the selected section of the document aloud to the user.

Claims

1. A computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for controlling a reading machine while reading a document to a user, the computer program product comprises instructions for causing the reading machine to:

receive an image of a document;

access a knowledge base that provides data that identifies sections in the document;

process user commands to select a section of the document; and

apply text-to-speech to a text file that corresponds to the selected section of the document, to read the selected section of the document aloud to the user.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the instructions comprise:

access a knowledge base that provides data that is specific to the type of document.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein accessing a knowledge base comprises:

classify the document according to spatial organization of the text in the document; and

retrieve data from the knowledge base that is associated with the classification of the document.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein accessing a knowledge base comprises:

classify the document according to key words or phrases in the document; and

retrieve data from the knowledge base that is associated with the classification of the document.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the instructions are configured to permit a user to select sections of documents that are books, memos, newspapers or journals.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising instructions to:

save data associated with reading a document whose sections were identified, the associated data being data retrieved from a knowledge base for the document and data produced or used while processing the document.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein user commands comprise:

read text, spell word, speak faster/slower, skip sentence or paragraph, and read named part of template.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein processing user commands includes

detect that the user command did not provide a user command;

and

select a default for the reading machine to select the document section.

9. A method for controlling a reading machine while reading a document to a user, the method comprising:

receiving an image of a document;

accessing a knowledge base that provides data that identifies sections in the document;

processing user commands to select a section of the document; and

applying text-to-speech to a text file that corresponds to the selected section of the document, to read the selected section of the document aloud to the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein accessing comprises:

accessing a knowledge base that provides data that is specific to the type of document.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein accessing a knowledge base comprises:

classifying the document according to spatial organization of the text in the document; and

retrieving data from the knowledge base that is associated with the classification of the document.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein accessing a knowledge base comprises:

classifying the document according to key words or phrases in the document; and

retrieving data from the knowledge base that is associated with the classification of the document.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the documents include books, memos, newspapers or journals.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

saving data associated with reading a document whose sections were identified, the associated data being data retrieved from a knowledge base for the document and data produced or used while processing the document.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein user commands comprise:

read text, spell word, speak faster/slower, skip sentence or paragraph, and read named part of template.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein processing user commands includes:

detecting that the user command did not provide a user command; and

selecting a default for the reading machine to select the document section.

17. An apparatus comprises:

a computing device;

an image input device; and

a computer readable medium storing a computer program product for controlling the apparatus while reading a document to a user, the computer program product comprises instructions for causing the apparatus to;

receive an image of a document;

access a knowledge base that provides data that identifies sections in the document;

process user commands to select a section of the document; and

apply text-to-speech to a text file that corresponds to the selected section of the document, to read the selected section of the document aloud to the user.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein instructions to access a knowledge base comprise instructions to:

classify the document according to spatial organization of the text in the document; and

retrieve data from the knowledge base that is associated with the classification of the document.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein instructions to access a knowledge base comprise instructions to:

classify the document according to key words or phrases in the document; and

retrieve data from the knowledge base that is associated with the classification of the document.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein instructions to access a knowledge base comprise instructions to:

save data associated with reading a document whose sections were identified, the associated data being data retrieved from a knowledge base for the document and data produced or used while processing the document.