Reading Alerts and Skim-Reading System

• US 20060080310A1
• Filed: 10/12/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freedom Scientific Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Freedom Scientific Incorporated
• Inventors: Gordon, Glen, Damery, Eric, Stephen, Joseph K., Ocampo, Ralph E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,366,447 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information

Abstract

A screen reader software product including a pattern store containing at least one user-definable array of keywords relating to a subject of interest and skim reading module adapted to apply the at least one array of keywords to a target document whereby only portions of the target document matching the at least one array of keywords are output by the screen reader software to an end user.

Claims

1. A screen reader software product comprising:

a pattern store containing at least one user-definable array of keywords relating to a subject of interest; and

a skim reading module adapted to apply the at least one array of keywords to a target document whereby only portions of the target document matching the at least one array of keywords are output by the screen reader software to an end user.

2. The software product of claim 1 wherein the pattern store is populated by historical collections of keyword arrays.

3. The software product of claim 1 wherein the target document and at least one array of keywords are associated together in the pattern store.

4. The software product of claim 1 further comprising a Boolean tag on each keyword instructing the screen reader software to include portions of the target document matching the keyword or exclude portions of the target document matching the keyword responsive to the state of the Boolean tag.

5. The software product of claim 1 further comprising a Boolean tag on each array of keywords instructing the screen reader software to include portions of the target document matching the array of keywords or exclude portions of the target document matching the array of keywords responsive to the state of the Boolean tag.

6. The software product of claim 1 further comprising an expression parser communicatively coupled to the reading module whereby keyword logic may be embedded into the at least one array.

7. The software product of claim 1 further comprising an output configuration module, the output configuration module adapted to modify a predetermined scope of the portions of the target document matching the at least one array of keywords.

8. The software product of claim 7 wherein the predetermined scope of the portions of the target document are selected from the group consisting of characters, words, lines, sentences, paragraphs, pages, page breaks, and section breaks.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of prompting the user responsive to the concurrence.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the prompt precedes the output of a portion of the text of the target document.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the prompt instructs the user about the nature of the concurrence.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the prompt follows the output of a portion of the text of the target document.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the prompt requests an action from the user responsive to the nature of the concurrence.

9. A screen reader software product comprising:

an error checking module, a screen reading module communicatively coupled to the error checking module, and an error skimming mode whereby upon activation of the error skimming mode, the screen reader software skips content deemed error-free and only outputs content flagged by the error checking module as containing an error.

10. A method of controlling the output of a computer utilizing a screen reader function to enable a document to be skimmed for display information comprising the steps of:

providing a target document to be skimmed;

providing one or more text rules;

scanning the target document for concurrence between the display information of the target document and the one or more text rules; and

outputting a portion of the text of the target document responsive to the concurrence in a user-appropriate format.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the text rule comprises one or more elements.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the elements are specified by a user.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the elements are selected from the group consisting of keywords, punctuation and alphanumeric strings.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the element further comprises a Boolean tag wherein concurrence between text in the target document and the element of the text rule instructs the computer to include or exclude portions of the target document responsive to the state of the Boolean tag.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the screen reader function is provided by a screen reader program.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the screen reader program is selected from the group consisting of JAWS®

, Microsoft®

Speech and Window-Eyes™

.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the text rule comprises a Boolean tag wherein concurrence between text in the target document and the text rule instructs the computer to include or exclude portions of the target document responsive to the state of the Boolean tag.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the portion of the text of the target document that is output responsive to concurrences is customizable based upon user preferences.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein the user-appropriate format is selected from the group consisting of a speech synthesizer, a refreshable Braille display and a viewer.