Multi-image communications system
First Claim
1. A visual communication device for translating a natural language into visual images to be viewed by a human receiver comprising, in combination,video memory means for storing a plurality of predetermined video images at predetermined image addresses,video display means for displaying selected images from said video memory to said human receiver,image dictionary memory means for storing predetermined sets of said image addresses associated with respective ones of a predetermined set of natural language words and addressable to obtain the respective stored set of image addresses for a selected natural language word,input means for receiving selected natural language words, andcontrol means for repetitively obtaining individual ones of the selected natural language words from said input means, addressing said image dictionary memory means to obtain the respective sets of image addresses for the selected natural language words, and addressing said video memory means at the respective sets of image addresses to obtain images for display by said video display for viewing by said human receiver, so that the selected natural language words are automatically translated into a succession of visual images for viewing by said human receiver.
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Abstract
A device for automatic translation of natural language words into corresponding visual images has an addressable video disc memory storing a large number of images, an image dictionary memory for storing the video disc addresses for sets of images for respective natural language words along with information controlling the selection and display of the respective images, and a computer for addressing the image diictionary memory and interpreting the selection and display information. The translation device is advantageously used in an audio-visual presentation system which also includes a speech synthesizer and a multiple display synchronized to the pronunciation of the speech synthesizer. Preferably, the selection of images is responsive to viewer preferences and the context of the translated words, and redundancy of image presentation is eliminated by random or indexed selection.
110 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A visual communication device for translating a natural language into visual images to be viewed by a human receiver comprising, in combination,
video memory means for storing a plurality of predetermined video images at predetermined image addresses, video display means for displaying selected images from said video memory to said human receiver, image dictionary memory means for storing predetermined sets of said image addresses associated with respective ones of a predetermined set of natural language words and addressable to obtain the respective stored set of image addresses for a selected natural language word, input means for receiving selected natural language words, and control means for repetitively obtaining individual ones of the selected natural language words from said input means, addressing said image dictionary memory means to obtain the respective sets of image addresses for the selected natural language words, and addressing said video memory means at the respective sets of image addresses to obtain images for display by said video display for viewing by said human receiver, so that the selected natural language words are automatically translated into a succession of visual images for viewing by said human receiver.
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22. A multi-image communciations system for translating a sequence of natural language words into a corresponding audio-visual presentation directed to at least one human receiver, said system comprising, in combination,
input means for receiving said sequence of natural language words, speech synthesizer means for sequentially receiving said natural language words and pronouncing them, video memory means for storing a plurality of predetermined video images corresponding to a substantial portion of the natural language words used in said natural language, video display means for simultaneously displaying a plurality of selected ones of said video images, image dictionary memory means for storing for each word in said substantial portion of the natural language words the set of addresses in said video memory means of corresponding ones of said video images and for storing display rules for respective ones of said video images, said display rules specifying particular methods by which their respective images are displayed by said video display means, and control means for obtaining individual ones of said natural language words received by said input means, addressing said image dictionary means to obtain the respective sets of image addresses for the selected natural language words and their respective display rules, addressing said video memory means at the respective sets of image addresses to obtain images for display by said video display, and controlling the video display in accordance with the respective display rules so that said sequence of natural language words is translated in real time to a corresponding audio visual presentation.
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41. A multi-image communciations system for translating a sequence of natural language words into a corresponding audio-visual presentation directed to at least one human receiver, said system comprising, in combination,
input means for receiving said sequence of natural language words, speech synthesizer means for sequentially receiving said natural language words and pronouncing them and including a text buffer storing a plurality of sequential ones of said natural language words, video memory means for storing a plurality of predetermined video images corresponding to a substantial portion of the natural language words used in said natural language, video display means for simultaneously displaying a plurality of selected ones of said video images, image dictionary memory means for storing for each word in said substantial portion of the natural language words the set of addresses in said video memory means of corresponding ones of said video images, for storing display rules for respective ones of said images for specifying particular methods by which their respective images are displayed by said video display means, for storing context rules for specifying particular methods by which respective images are selected for display for some of the words in said substantial portion of the natural language words in response to the words currently stored in said text buffer, and for storing viewer preference descriptions for specifying whether respective images meet predetermined viewer preferences, means for receiving viewer preferences, image selector means for obtaining individual ones of said natural language words received by said input means, addressing said image dictionary memory means to obtain the respective sets of image addresses for the selected natural language words and their associated display and context rules and viewer preference descriptions, applying said context rules and said viewer preference descriptions to select image addresses of respective images in said video memory means for display by said video display means, and display rule processor for applying said display rules and controlling said video display to display the respective video images from said video memory means in accordance with said display rules.
Specification