Sign language interpretation system and a sign language interpretation method

• US 20060234193A1
• Filed: 09/16/2003
• Published: 10/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ginganet Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ginganet Corporation
• Inventors: Sahashi, Nozomu
• Application Number:
  US10/527,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20060234193A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/112
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A sign language interpretation system has a function to interconnect a deaf-mute person terminal, a non-deaf-mute person terminal, and a sign language interpreter terminal, and a function to synthesize a video/audio signal received from each terminal and to transmit a synthesized signal to each terminal in order to provide a videophone conversation service via sign language interpretation between the deaf-mute person and the non-deaf-mute person. A controller includes a sign language interpreter registration table in which the selection information and terminal number of a sign language interpreter as well as an availability flag are registered. An available sign language interpreter satisfying the selection conditions specified by a caller is selected by way of a call from the deaf-mute person or non-deaf-mute person. The terminal for sign language interpreters and the calling terminal are called and automatically interconnected.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A sign language interpretation system which interconnects a videophone terminal for deaf-mute persons used by a deaf-mute person capable of using sign language, a videophone terminal for non-deaf-mute persons used by a non-deaf-mute person incapable of using sign language, and a videophone terminal for sign language interpreters used by a sign language interpreter in order to provide sign language interpretation in a conversation between a deaf-mute person and a non-deaf-mute person over a videophone, said sign language interpretation system comprising:

communications means individually equipped with a line interface for deaf-mute persons to which a deaf-mute person terminal is to be connected, a line interface for non-deaf-mute persons to which a non-deaf-mute person terminal is to be connected, and a line interface for sign language interpreters to which a sign language interpreter terminal is to be connected, said communications means includes a function to simultaneously perform;

a function to synthesize at least a video from said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons and a video from said line interface for sign language interpreters and transmit the resulting video to said line interface for deaf-mute persons;

a function to transmit at least a video from said line interface for deaf-mute persons and an audio from said line interface for sign language interpreters to said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons; and

a function to transmit at least a video from said line interface for deaf-mute persons and an audio from said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons to said line interface for sign language interpreters; and

connection means equipped with a sign language interpreter registration table in which the terminal number of a sign language interpreter is registered, said connection means including;

a function to accept a call to said line interface for deaf-mute persons or said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons and connect the calling terminal;

a function to prompt said calling terminal to enter the terminal number of the called terminals;

a function to extract the terminal number of a sign language interpreter from said sign language interpreter registration table;

a function to call and connect the sign language interpreter terminal by using said extracted terminal number of the sign language interpreter from said line interface for sign language interpreters; and

a function to call and connect the called terminal by using said acquired called terminal number, from said line interface for the non-deaf-mute person terminal in case said calling terminal is connected to the line interface for deaf-mute persons, or from said line interface for the deaf-mute person terminal in case said calling terminal is connected to the line interface for non-deaf-mute persons.

12. The sign language interpretation system according to claim 11, wherein selection information for selecting a sign language interpreter is registered in said sign language interpreter registration table;

and

said connection means includes a function to acquire the conditions for selecting a sign language interpreter from said calling terminal and a function to extract the terminal number of a sign language interpreter who satisfies said extracted selection conditions from said sign language interpreter registration table.

13. The sign language interpretation system according to claim 11, wherein an availability flag to indicate whether a sign language interpreter is available is registered in the sign language interpreter registration table;

and

said connection means includes a function to extract the terminal number of an available sign language interpreter by referencing the availability flags in the sign language interpreter registration table.

14. The sign language interpretation system according to claim 11, wherein said connection means includes a function to generate text messages to be respectively transmitted to the deaf-mute person terminal, non-deaf-mute person terminal and sign language interpreter terminal;

and

said communications means includes a function to synthesize said respective messages generated onto videos to be transmitted to said line interface for deaf-mute persons, said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons and said line interface for sign language interpreters, respectively.

15. The sign language interpretation system according to claim 14, wherein said connection means includes a function to generate a voice message to be transmitted to said terminal for non-deaf-mute persons;

and

said communications means includes a function to synthesize said generated message onto an audio to be transmitted to said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons.

16. The sign language interpretation system according to claim 11, equipped with a term registration table for registering a term used during a videophone conversation, wherein said connection means includes a function to detect a push on a dial pad at a terminal by way of an audio from said line interface for deaf-mute persons or said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons or said line interface for sign language interpreters and to register a term corresponding to the number of the dial pad detected in said term registration table and that said communications means includes a function to detect a push on a dial pad at a terminal by way of an audio from said line interface for deaf-mute persons or said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons or said line interface for sign language interpreters during a videophone conversation and extract a term specified by said term registration table in association with the number of the dial pad detected to generate a telop, and a function to synthesize said generated telop onto a video to be transmitted to at least one of said line interface for deaf-mute persons, said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons and said line interface for sign language interpreters.

17. The sign language interpretation system according to claim 11, wherein said communications means includes a function to transmit a video obtained by synthesizing one of a video from said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons and a video from said line interface for sign language interpreters as a main window and the other as a sub window to said line interface for deaf-mute persons.

18. The sign language interpretation system according to claim 11, wherein said communications means includes a function to transmit a video obtained by synthesizing a video from said line interface for deaf-mute persons as a main window and a video from said line interface for sign language interpreters as a sub window to said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons.

19. The sign language interpretation system according to claim 11, wherein said communications means includes a function to transmit a video obtained by synthesizing a video from said line interface for deaf-mute persons and a video from said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons to said line interface for sign language interpreters.

20. The sign language interpretation system according to claim 11, wherein said communications means includes a function to detect a push on a dial pad at a terminal during a videophone conversation by way of an audio from said line interface for deaf-mute persons or said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons or said line interface for sign language interpreters and change a method for synthesizing a video and/or an audio to be transmitted to the line interface in association with the number of the dial pad detected.

21. A method for providing sign language interpretation in a conversation between a deaf-mute person and a non-deaf-mute person over a videophone, said method interconnecting a videophone terminal for deaf-mute persons used by a deaf-mute person capable of using sign language, a videophone terminal for non-deaf-mute persons used by a non-deaf-mute person incapable of using sign language, and a videophone terminal for a sign language interpreter used by the sign interpreter, said method individually equipped with a line interface for deaf-mute persons to which a deaf-mute person terminal is to be connected, a line interface for non-deaf-mute persons to which a non-deaf-mute person terminal is to be connected, and a line interface for sign language interpreters to which a sign language interpreter terminal is to be connected, said method comprising:

a step of simultaneously performing steps of;

synthesizing at least a video from said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons and a video from said line interface for sign language interpreters and transmitting the resulting video to said line interface for deaf-mute persons;

transmitting at least a video from said line interface for deaf-mute persons and an audio from said line interface for sign language interpreters to said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons; and

transmitting at least a video from said line interface for deaf-mute persons and an audio from said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons to said line interface for sign language interpreters; and

said method is equipped with a sign language interpreter registration table where the terminal number of a sign language interpreter is registered, said method including steps of;

accepting a call to said line interface for deaf-mute persons or said line interface for non-deaf-mute persons and connecting the calling terminal;

prompting said calling terminal to enter the terminal number of the called terminal;

extracting the terminal number of a sign language interpreter from said sign language interpreter registration table;

calling and connecting the sign language interpreter terminal by using said extracted terminal number of the sign language interpreter from said line interface for sign language interpreters; and

calling and connecting the called terminal by using said acquired called terminal number, from said line interface for the non-deaf-mute person terminal in case said calling terminal is connected to the line interface for deaf-mute persons, or from said line interface for the deaf-mute person terminal in case said calling terminal is connected to the line interface for non-deaf-mute persons.