VOICE OUTPUT DEVICE, INFORMATION INPUT DEVICE, FILE SELECTION DEVICE, TELEPHONE SET, AND PROGRAM AND RECORDING MEDIUM OF THE SAME

• US 20130298027A1
• Filed: 06/30/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: ASAKAWA, Chieko, IFUKUBE, Tohru, INO, Shuichi, TAKAGI, Hironobu
• Granted Patent: US 9,349,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/007 using both tactile and audible presentation of the information

Abstract

A device, computer program and method for outputting linguistic information. The voice output device, for example, includes an output information acquisition unit acquiring linguistic information and attribute information. Attribute information includes an attribute added to each linguistic element included in the linguistic information. A tactile pattern storage unit stores a predetermined tactile pattern corresponding to each linguistic element. A tactile pattern acquisition unit acquires the tactile pattern from the tactile pattern storage unit. A voice output unit reads aloud the linguistic elements and a tactile pattern output unit outputs, in parallel with reading aloud each linguistic element, the tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to the linguistic element, thereby allowing a user to sense the tactile pattern by the sense of touch.

Claims

1. An information input device which displays an entry screen including a plurality of entry fields and allows a user to input information in each of the entry fields, the information input device comprising:

an entry screen display unit configured to display said entry screen and said plurality of entry fields;

an entry field information generation unit configured to generate, when said user selects one of said entry fields, attribute information, said attribute information includes an attribute to identify whether input in the selected entry field is required;

a tactile pattern storage unit configured to store a predetermined tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute to identify whether input in the entry field of interest is required;

a tactile pattern acquisition unit configured to acquire said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to said one entry field selected by said user from said tactile pattern storing unit; and

a tactile pattern output unit configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to the selected entry field to allow the user of the information input device to sense by the sense of touch whether input in the selected entry field is required.

2. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein said tactile pattern output unit includes:

a plurality of tactile pins configured to be placed in proximity with said user; and

a tactile pin drive unit configured to drive each of said plurality of tactile pins in any one of a direction that the tactile pin is brought into contact with said user and a direction that the tactile pin is moved away from the user to allow said plurality of tactile pins to output said tactile pattern.

3. The information input device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a voice output speed change unit configured to change a reading speed of said voice output unit based on an instruction of said user; and

in parallel with reading aloud consecutive linguistic elements to which a same attribute is added, said tactile pattern output unit is configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to the consecutive linguistic elements at a regular speed for a number of times, the number of times being inversely proportional to said reading speed, the regular speed being independent of said reading speed.

4. The information input device according to claim 1, further comprising:

linguistic information including said plurality of linguistic elements displayed on a screen of a display device used by said user;

as the attribute of each of a plurality of linguistic elements included in said linguistic information, said attribute information includes a background color at a position of the screen of said display device where the linguistic element of interest is displayed;

said tactile pattern storage unit configured to store a tactile pattern corresponding to each of background colors at positions where linguistic elements are displayed; and

for each of said plurality of linguistic elements, said tactile pattern output unit outputs a tactile pattern corresponding to the background color at a position of the screen of said display device where the linguistic element of interest is displayed as said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to the linguistic element of interest.

5. The information input device according to claim 4, wherein

said attribute information includes a character size which is added to each of said plurality of linguistic elements included in said linguistic information and with which the linguistic element of interest is to be displayed, as the attribute of the linguistic element of interest;

said tactile pattern storage unit stores a tactile pattern corresponding to each of character sizes; and

for each of said plurality of linguistic elements, as said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to the character or phrase of interest, said tactile pattern acquisition unit is configured to acquire a tactile pattern corresponding to the linguistic element from said tactile pattern storage unit.

6. The information input device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a most-frequent attribute search unit configured to search for a most-frequent attribute which is an attribute added to the largest number of linguistic elements among said plurality of linguistic elements included in said linguistic information;

wherein

in parallel with reading aloud each of a plurality of linguistic elements, said tactile pattern output unit is configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to an attribute added to the linguistic element of interest when the attribute is not the most-frequent attribute and stops outputting the tactile pattern when the attribute added to the linguistic element is said most-frequent attribute.

7. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein

said attribute information includes at least one attribute of bold, italic, and underline display in the case of displaying each of said plurality of linguistic elements, which is added to the linguistic element of interest;

and

in parallel with the reading aloud each of said plurality of linguistic elements, said tactile pattern output unit is configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to at least one attribute of bold, italic, and underline display added to the linguistic element of interest.

8. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein

said attribute information includes an attribute which is added to each of said plurality of linguistic elements and identifies that the linguistic element of interest is a line'"'"'s first character in list display, the list display including a plurality of items each having part of said plurality of linguistic elements;

and

in parallel with the reading aloud each of said plurality of linguistic elements, said tactile pattern output unit is configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute which is added to the linguistic element of interest and identify that the linguistic element is the line'"'"'s first character.

9. The information input device according to claim 1, wherein

said output information acquisition unit is configured to acquire said linguistic and attribute information generated by said entry field information generation unit;

said tactile pattern storage unit is configured to store a tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute identifying that input in the entry field is required;

said tactile pattern acquisition unit is configured to acquire said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to said one entry field selected by said user from said tactile pattern storage unit;

said voice output unit is configured to read aloud the name of the selected entry field included in said linguistic information; and

in parallel with reading aloud the name of the selected entry field, said tactile pattern output unit is configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to the selected entry field to allow the user of the voice output device to sense by the sense of touch whether input in the entry field of interest is required.

10. The information input device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a file identification information display unit configured to display pieces of file identification information including a file name for each of a plurality of files stored in the storage device;

a file information generation unit configured to generate, when said user selects one of the pieces of file identification information, said linguistic information including a phrase indicating a name of a file corresponding to the selected piece of file identification information and said attribute information including a file attribute of the file corresponding to the selected piece of file identification information;

wherein

said output information acquisition unit is configured to acquire said linguistic and attribute information generated by said file information generation unit;

said tactile pattern storing unit is configured to store a tactile pattern corresponding to said file attribute;

said tactile pattern acquisition unit is configured to acquire from said tactile pattern storage unit said tactile pattern corresponding to said file attribute of the file corresponding to the selected piece of file identification information selected by said user;

said voice output unit is configured to read aloud the file name included in said linguistic information; and

in parallel with the reading aloud the name of the file, said tactile pattern output unit is configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to said file attribute of the file corresponding to the selected piece of file identification information to allow the user of the voice output device to sense the file attribute of the file corresponding to the selected piece of file identification information by the sense of touch.

11. A file selection device for allowing a user to select a file from a plurality of files, comprising:

a file information generation unit configured to generate, when the user selects a piece of file identification information identifying a file, attribute information including a file attribute of the file corresponding to the selected piece of file identification information;

a tactile pattern storage unit configured to store a tactile pattern corresponding to said file attribute;

a tactile pattern acquisition unit configured to acquire said tactile pattern corresponding to said file attribute of the file corresponding to said piece of file identification information selected by the user from said tactile pattern storage unit; and

a tactile pattern output unit configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to the file attribute of the file corresponding to said file identification information selected by said user to allow the user of the file selection device to sense the file attribute of the file corresponding to the selected piece of file identification information by the sense of touch.

12. A telephone set comprising:

a tactile pattern notification instruction input unit configured to allow a user to input a tactile pattern notification instruction to notify a party of a predetermined tactile pattern by the sense of touch;

a tactile pattern notification instruction transmitter configured to transmit, when the user inputs said tactile pattern notification instruction during voice communication, a tactile pattern notification request to a telephone set used by said party; and

a tactile pattern output unit configured to output, when a tactile pattern notification request requesting to notify the user of said tactile pattern by the sense of touch is received from the telephone set of said party during voice communication, said tactile pattern to allow said user to sense the tactile pattern by the sense of touch.

13. A computer program product embodied in a tangible media comprising:

computer readable program codes coupled to the tangible media for causing a computer to function as an information input device which displays an entry screen including a plurality of entry fields and allows a user to input information in each of the entry fields, the computer readable program codes including;

an entry screen display module configured to display said entry screen which includes said plurality of entry fields;

an entry field information generation module configured to generate, when said user selects one of said plurality of entry fields, attribute information which includes an attribute to identify whether input in the selected entry field is required;

a tactile pattern storage module configured to store a predetermined tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute to identify whether input in the entry field of interest is required;

a tactile pattern acquisition module configured to acquire said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to said one entry field selected by said user from said tactile pattern storing module; and

a tactile pattern output module configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to the attribute added to the selected entry field to allow the user of the computer program product to sense by the sense of touch whether input in the selected entry field is required.

14. A computer program product embodied in a tangible media comprising:

computer readable program codes coupled to the tangible media for causing a computer to function as a file selection device causing a user to select a file from a plurality of files, the computer readable program codes including;

a file information generation module configured to generate, when the user selects a piece of file identification information identifying a file, attribute information including a file attribute of the file corresponding to the selected piece of file identification information;

a tactile pattern storage module configured to store a tactile pattern corresponding to said file attribute; and

a tactile pattern acquisition module configured to acquire said tactile pattern corresponding to said file attribute of the file corresponding to said piece of file identification information selected by the user from said tactile pattern storage module;

a tactile pattern output module configured to output said tactile pattern corresponding to the file attribute of the file corresponding to said file identification information selected by said user to allow the user of the computer program product to sense the file attribute of the file corresponding to the selected piece of file identification information by the sense of touch.