INFORMATION OUTPUT APPARATUS, INFORMATION OUTPUT METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20160283190A1
• Filed: 03/08/2016
• Published: 09/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: NAKAMURA, Huminobu
• Granted Patent: US 9,940,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

To perform information output suitable for the state of a user. A mobile terminal 1 includes an input unit 17, an output unit 18, a response generation unit 53, a position monitoring unit 52, and an output control unit 54. The input unit 17 receives voice input. The output unit 18 displays information, or outputs information by a method other than screen display. The position monitoring unit 52 detects the position of the mobile terminal 1 at the time of the voice input to the input unit 17. The output control unit 54 controls the output unit 18 to display a response to the voice input generated by the response generation unit 53 in the case where, at the time of the output of the response, the position monitoring unit 52 detects the position at the time of the voice input to the input unit 17, and controls the output unit 18 to output the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response, the position monitoring unit 52 detects a position other than the position at the time of the voice input to the input unit 17.

Claims

1. An information output apparatus comprising:

a voice input unit operable to receive voice input;

a first output unit operable to display information;

a second output unit operable to output information by other than screen display; and

a computing device operable to function as units comprising;

a detection unit operable to detect a position of the information output apparatus based on a time of the voice input to the voice input unit; and

a control unit operable to control the first output unit or the second output unit to output a response to the voice input, based on the position detected by the detection unit.

2. The information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is operable to detect the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit and the position at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, and

wherein the control unit is operable to control, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the first output unit or the second output unit to output the response to the voice input based on (i) the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit detected by the detection unit and (ii) the position at the time of the output of the response to the voice input detected by the detection unit.

3. The information output apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is operable to control the first output unit to display the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the detection unit detects the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit, and control the second output unit to output the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the detection unit detects a position other than the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit.

4. The information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is operable to detect the position before the voice input to the voice input unit, and

wherein the control unit is operable to control the second output unit to output the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the detection unit detects the position before the voice input.

5. The information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is operable to detect the position before and after the voice input to the voice input unit, and

wherein the control unit is operable to control the first output unit to display the response to the voice input in the case where the position detected by the detection unit changes before and after the voice input to the voice input unit, and control the second output unit to output the response to the voice input in the case where the position detected by the detection unit does not change before and after the voice input to the voice input unit.

6. The information output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second output unit is operable to output the response to the voice input by sound or vibration.

7. The information output apparatus according to claim 1, which is a wrist terminal worn on a user'"'"'s wrist.

8. An information output method executed in an information output apparatus that includes:

a voice input unit operable to receive voice input;

a first output unit operable to display information; and

a second output unit operable to output information by other than screen display, the information output method comprising;

detecting a position of the information output apparatus based on a time of the voice input to the voice input unit; and

controlling the first output unit or the second output unit to output a response to the voice input, based on the detected position.

9. The information output method according to claim 8, comprising:

detecting the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit and the position at the time of the output of the response to the voice input; and

controlling, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the first output unit or the second output unit to output the response to the voice input based on (i) the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit and (ii) the position at the time of the output of the response to the voice input.

10. The information output method according to claim 9, comprising

controlling the first output unit to display the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit is detected, and controlling the second output unit to output the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, a position other than the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit is detected.

11. The information output method according to claim 8, comprising:

detecting the position before the voice input to the voice input unit; and

controlling the second output unit to output the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the position before the voice input is detected.

12. The information output method according to claim 8, comprising:

detecting the position before and after the voice input to the voice input unit; and

controlling the first output unit to display the response to the voice input in the case where the detected position changes before and after the voice input to the voice input unit, and controlling the second output unit to output the response to the voice input in the case where the detected position does not change before and after the voice input to the voice input unit.

13. The information output method according to claim 8, wherein the second output unit is operable to output the response to the voice input by sound or vibration.

14. The information output method according to claim 8, wherein the information output apparatus is a wrist terminal worn on a user'"'"'s wrist.

15. A computer-readable medium in which a program is stored, the program causing a computer for controlling an information output apparatus including:

a voice input unit operable to receive voice input;

a first output unit operable to display information; and

a second output unit operable to output information by other than screen display, to function as;

a detection unit operable to detect a position of the information output apparatus based on a time of the voice input to the voice input unit; and

a control unit operable to control the first output unit or the second output unit to output a response to the voice input, based on the position detected by the detection unit.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the detection unit is operable to detect the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit and the position at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, and

wherein the control unit is operable to control, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the first output unit or the second output unit to output the response to the voice input based on (i) the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit detected by the detection unit and (ii) the position at the time of the output of the response to the voice input detected by the detection unit.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the control unit is operable to control the first output unit to display the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the detection unit detects the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit, and control the second output unit to output the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the detection unit detects a position other than the position at the time of the voice input to the voice input unit.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the detection unit is operable to detect the position before the voice input to the voice input unit, and

wherein the control unit is operable to control the second output unit to output the response to the voice input in the case where, at the time of the output of the response to the voice input, the detection unit detects the position before the voice input.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the detection unit is operable to detect the position before and after the voice input to the voice input unit, and

wherein the control unit is operable to control the first output unit to display the response to the voice input in the case where the position detected by the detection unit changes before and after the voice input to the voice input unit, and control the second output unit to output the response to the voice input in the case where the position detected by the detection unit does not change before and after the voice input to the voice input unit.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the second output unit is operable to output the response to the voice input by sound or vibration.