Electronic memory devices for the blind

• US 4,694,494 A
• Filed: 05/15/1984
• Issued: 09/15/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pathway Communications Limited 8A St Martin's Street Hereford England
• Original Assignee: Pathway Communications Ltd. (Spirit Health Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Woolfson, Louis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Gareth D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mills, John G.
• Application Number:
  US06/610,565
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 381/51, 381/52, 179/107, 340/825.19, 364/189, 364/419, 364/188, 364/709, 364/710, 364/146, 400/712, 400/61-63, 400/86, 400/87, 434/112-117, 434/230
• US Class Current: 704/260
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/007 using both tactile and audible presentation of the information

Abstract

The device basically comprises a Braille keyboard, a memory for storing text entered on the keyboard, a text editor and a speech synthesizer. Braille coded information entered by the user by means of the keyboard is stored in the memory. The stored text may be subsequently converted to sighted language coded information by a translator and played back through the speech synthesizer to enable the user to interactively edit the stored text by means of the text editor in response to the speech output. The edited text may be outputted in sighted language form to a printer or in Braille form to an embosser to obtain a hard copy, or alternatively can be supplied to a cassette unit for long-term storage. The device is compact and simple to use.

Claims

1. An electronic memory device for a blind person or person having impaired vision, said device comprising:

a Braille keyboard having a respective key for inputting each dot of a Braille character;

memory means for storing in coded form text which has been entered on the keyboard in Braille notation;

text transfer means for transferring text from the keyboard to the memory means;

text editing means controllable by way of the keyboard to enable text which has been entered on the keyboard and stored in the memory means to be edited by searching for a specified portion of text, by deleting characters from the text and by inserting characters into the text and to enable the edited text to be restored in the memory means;

a speech synthesizer for outputting speech in response to receipt of speech codes, and speech control means controllable by way of the keyboard for translating text from the memory means into speech codes and supplying said speech codes to the speech synthesizer, whereby text which has been entered on the keyboard and stored in the memory means may be interactively edited by a user by means of the text editing means in response to reproduction by the speech synthesizer of the text selected for editing by the text editing means.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the speech control means is controllable to effect reproduction of a single character within a word by the speech synthesizer.

3. A device according to claim 1, further comprising means controllable by way of the keyboard for inserting markers in the text entered into the memory means and means enabling the markers to be subsequently and rapidly accessed.

4. A device according to claim 1, including a translator for translating Braille coded text or other information entered into the device into sighted language coded information.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the translator is adapted to translate text or other information entered into the device in either grade 1 or grade 2 Braille form, at the option of the user, into sighted language coded information.

6. A device according to claim 1, including a printer interface for outputting sighted language coded information to drive a printer.

7. A device according to claim 6, including a printer connected to the printer interface.

8. A device according to claim 1, including a Braille interface for outputting Braille coded information to drive a Braille embosser.

9. A device according to claim 8, including a Braille embosser connected to the Braille interface.

10. A device according to claim 1, including a record interface enabling Braille coded and/or sighted language coded information to be received from or outputted to a cassette or disc unit.

11. A device according to claim 10, including a cassette or disc unit connected to the record interface.

12. A device according to claim 1, including a communication interface enabling each-way transfer of information between the device and a further device provided with a similar interface.