Method and Apparatus for Voice-Controlled Graphical User Interface Pointing Device

• US 20080074387A1
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sound View Innovations, LLC (Sound View Innovation Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Sound View Innovations, LLC (Sound View Innovation Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Gehlot, Narayan, Lawrence, Victor
• Application Number:
  US11/948,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20080074387A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

A pointing device is provided for use in computing devices comprising a printed circuit board, a tracking device adapted to generate a tracking signal in response to a user vocal input and relay the tracking signal to the printed circuit board, and a selection device adapted to generate a selection signal in response to a user manipulation and relay the selection signal to the printed circuit board.

Claims

1. A pointing device for use in computing devices comprising:

a printed circuit board;

a tracking device adapted to generate a tracking signal in response to a user vocal input and relay the tracking signal to the printed circuit board; and

a selection device adapted to generate a selection signal in response to a user manipulation and relay the selection signal to the printed circuit board.

2. The pointing device of claim 1, wherein the tracking device comprises:

at least one sensor adapted to sense and record a user'"'"'s vocal cord movements; and

at least one delimiter adapted to filter extraneous audible input to the at least one sensor.

3. The pointing device of claim 2, wherein the at least one delimiter is adapted to activate at least one of start or stop sensor recording.

4. The pointing device of claim 2, wherein the tracking device further comprises:

a voice box converter coupled to the at least one sensor and adapted to convert the vocal cord movements to a text output; and

a keyword database coupled to the voice box converter and adapted to index the text output received from the voice box converter.

5. The pointing device of claim 4, wherein the keyword database further comprises:

a desktop icon database adapted to map desktop icon keywords to desktop screen positions; and

a menu search tree adapted to map menu keywords to desktop screen positions.

6. The pointing device of claim 5, wherein the desktop icon database comprises a hash table.

7. The pointing device of claim 1, wherein the selection device is adapted to relay a default selection signal to the printed circuit board in the event that there is no selection signal generated by a user following the generation of a tracking signal.

8. A pointing device for use in computing devices comprising:

a printed circuit board;

a tracking device adapted to generate a tracking signal in response to a user'"'"'s vocal input and relay said signal to the printed circuit board; and

a selection device adapted to generate a selection signal in response to a user manipulation and relay the selection signal to the printed circuit board,

wherein the tracking device comprises;

at least one sensor adapted to sense and record a user'"'"'s vocal cord movements;

at least one delimiter adapted to filter extraneous audible input to the at least one sensor;

a voice box converter coupled to the at least one sensor and adapted to convert the vocal cord movements to a text output; and

a keyword database coupled to the voice box converter and adapted to index the text output received from the voice box converter.

9. A pointing device for use in computing devices comprising:

a printed circuit board;

means for converting a user'"'"'s vocal input into a tracking signal and relaying the tracking signal to the printed circuit board; and

means for generating a selection signal and relaying the selection signal to the printed circuit board.

10. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a printed circuit board adapted to send and receive pointer location and command information to and from the processor;

a tracking device adapted to generate a tracking signal in response to a user'"'"'s vocal input and relay said signal to the printed circuit board; and

a selection device adapted to generate a selection signal in response to a user manipulation and relay the selection signal to the printed circuit board.