AUDIO REPRODUCING METHOD, CHARACTER CODE USING DEVICE, DISTRIBUTION SERVICE SYSTEM, AND CHARACTER CODE MANAGEMENT METHOD

• US 20090063152A1
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Munakata, Tadahiko
• Application Number:
  US11/911,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063152A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A character code is associated with sound as well as character or sign so as to enhance expressiveness on the Internet or in electronic mail. Sound data is recorded in the character code using device in association with the character code. The user can reproduce an intended sound in the same way as he or she displays a character on the character code using device, whereby the user can enhance his or her expressiveness on the Internet or in electronic mail, for example.

Claims

1. An audio reproducing method comprising associating a character code with a character or sign and a sound or voice, wherein the associated sound or voice is reproduced upon display of the character or sign associated with the same character code.

3. The audio reproducing method according to claim 1, comprising associating a character or sign with one or more character codes associated with sound or voice, and associating the same character or sign with a character codes associated with no sound or voice, and reproducing or not reproducing the sound or voice upon display of the same character or sign depending on the character code.

2. An audio reproducing method comprising newly associating an unused character code with a character or sign and also with a sound or voice, and reproducing the sound or voice upon display of the character or sign associated with the same character code.

4. An audio reproducing method comprising associating a character code with no character or sign but with a sound or voice alone, and reproducing the sound or voice associated with the character code without displaying any character or sign.

5. A character code using device comprising:

a) character code recording means for recording a character code and a character or sign or a sound or voice associated with the character code;

b) character code reception means for receiving the character code via a communication device;

c) call-up means for calling up the character or sign or the sound or voice associated with the character code received by the character code reception means, based on the recorded content in the character code recording means;

d) display means for displaying the character or sign called up by the call-up means; and

e) voice output means for outputting the sound or voice called up by the call-up means.

6. The character code using device according to claim 5, further comprising:

f) registration means for entering and recording the character or sign, or the sound or voice, in the character code recording means.

7. The character code using device according to claim 5, further comprising communication means.

8. An audio reproducing method comprising scrolling a displayed content comprising a plurality of characters or signs vertically or horizontally, designating a line or column containing a desired display content portion, and reproducing a sound or voice associated with a character code in the designated line or column.

9. The audio reproducing method according to claim 8, comprising reproducing the sound or voice associated with the first one alone of a plurality of character codes associated with sound or voice in the designated line or column.

10. An audio reproducing method comprising changing the mode of display for a character or sign corresponding to a character code associated with sound or voice, and reproducing the sound or voice upon designation of the character or sign by a user operation.

11. An audio reproducing method comprising designating a character or sign on a character by character basis, wherein if a designated character or sign corresponds to a a character code associated with a sound or voice, the sound or voice is reproduced.

12. An audio reproducing method comprising displaying a character sequence consisting of a plurality of characters or signs within a display area defined by lines or columns containing a predetermined number of display characters, scrolling the character sequence within the display area to display the entire sentence, and reproducing a sound or voice associated with a character code upon the character code reaching a predetermined position in the displayed portion.

13. An audio reproducing method comprising allocating a certain time duration to each character or sign in a character sequence, displaying the character sequence, waiting for a duration of time corresponding to the sum of the time durations allocated to the individual characters or signs located before a character code associated with sound or voice, and then reproducing the sound or voice.

14. An audio reproducing method comprising automatically reproducing a sound or voice associated with a character code when the character code is used at a designated location.

15. An audio reproducing method comprising reading characters or signs out one by one, and reproducing a sound or voice associated with a character code corresponding to a character or sign as the character or sign is read out.

16. A distribution service system for associating a character code with which a character or sign alone is associated, or a character code with which neither character or sign nor sound or voice is associated, with a sound or voice subsequently, and transmitting the corresponding sound or voice data alone to a character code using device.

17. A distribution service system for associating a character code with which sound or voice alone is associated, or a character code with which neither character or sign nor sound or voice is associated, with a character or sign subsequently, and transmitting the corresponding character or sign data alone to a character code using device.

18. A distribution service system for associating a character code with which neither character or sign nor sound or voice is associated with both character or sign and sound or voice subsequently, and transmitting the corresponding data to a character code using device.

19. A character code management method comprising associating a character code with character or sign and sound or voice.

21. The character code management method according to claim 19 or 20, comprising providing a single character or sign with two character codes, one a character code with which sound or voice is associated and the other a character code with which no sound or voice is associated.

20. A character code management method comprising associating a character code with which no character or sign is associated with a new character or sign and sound or voice.

22. A character code management method comprising associating a character code with sound or voice alone and no character or sign.