Method for reading input character data to output a voice sound in real time in a portable terminal

• US 20060129402A1
• Filed: 07/12/2005
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Woong-Gyu
• Application Number:
  US11/179,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20060129402A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A method for reading input character data to output a voice sound in real time in a portable terminal. A character input is monitored, and a voice sound corresponding to input character data is output whenever the character input is performed in a preset minimum reading unit. A user can conveniently enter character data without the need for visual verification of the character data using a screen of a display unit.

Claims

1. A method for reading input character data to output a voice sound in real time in a portable terminal, comprising:

monitoring a character input; and

outputting a voice sound corresponding to the input character data when character input is performed in a preset minimum reading unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the minimum reading unit is preset according to a character input method and language adopted in the portable terminal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the minimum reading unit is a syllable or a word.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein outputting the voice sound step comprises:

retrieving voice data corresponding to the character data of the minimum reading unit from a voice data table stored in the portable terminal, the voice data table including language-by-language character codes and voice data mapped thereto; and

reproducing the retrieved voice data to output the voice sound through a speaker.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein outputting the voice sound step comprises:

converting the character data of the minimum reading unit into the voice sound to output the voice sound using a text-to-speech (TTS) function.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring step comprises:

checking for a grammatical error in the input character data; and

outputting an error sound if a grammatical error is detected.