Portable hand held reading unit with reading aid feature

• US 5,233,333 A
• Filed: 05/21/1990
• Issued: 08/03/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sherwin M. Borsuk
• Original Assignee: Sherwin M. Borsuk
• Inventors: Borsuk, Sherwin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SARAS, STEVEN J
• Application Number:
  US07/526,456
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 340/715, 340/716, 340/717, 340/718, 340/711, 340/712, 340/706, 340/731, 340/724, 340/748, 340/749, 340/799, 340/728, 434/307, 434/112, 434/308, 434/317, 364/705.06, 364/709.13, 364/708, 364/709.12
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/008 using visual presentation of the information for the partially sighted
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/222 Control of the character-code memory
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

A hand held portable reading unit having a screen capable of presenting characters in variable font sizes is provided for readers, such as the visually impaired, allowing them to read characters in a font size most comfortable to them. The reader effects font size changes by depressing a font size select button, in turn activating a counter incremented the number of times the button has been depressed to generate the corresponding size font desired. The incremented counter may be used to address a particular place in memory where bit-mapped characters of different font sizes are stored or may be used as a scalar inputted into a character scaling algorithm to generate a desired character font size. The stored textual data may further be presented in useable form to the blind wherein an audible processor is utilized to convert the stored character code into audible signals inputted into a speaker.

Claims

1. A portable hand held reading unit for presenting textual data in readable form on a display screen, said unit comprising:

a housing having a display screen for displaying data in the form of characters thereon;

memory means for storing said data as computer usable code;

external storage media means for providing said unit with said data inputted and stored in said memory means;

interfacing means for allowing a user to select a different font size for the data displayed on said screen;

variable font size means for displaying said data as characters on said screen in selectively different font sizes in response to instructions issued by a user through said interface means, said variable font size means further including a character shape altering means offering a selection of different character sizes in excess of two;

said character shape altering means includes a plurality of storage locations in which are respectively stored differently sized bit mapped characters;

each of said plurality of memory locations in which differently sized bit mapped characters are stored being selectively accessed when instructed by said interface means to do so;

control means linked with said interface means, said memory means and with said display means for causing said characters to be displayed on said display screen in different font sizes according to the instructions directed to it by said interface means;

said interfacing means including a font changing display means for operating a switch means linked to a counter means incremented each time said font changing display means is activated;

said control means utilizing said counter means to identify the one of said plurality of separate memory locations corresponding to the desired font size being selected; and

wherein said control means utilizes the value in said counter means to drive said variable font size means for changing the font sizes of the characters displayed on said display screen incrementally in response to said font changing display means being touched by the user in succession to increment the counter means a given number of times until a character size comfortable to the reader is shown.

2. A portable hand held unit as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said external storage media means is insertable into an opening formed in said housing.

3. A hand held reading unit device as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that said external storage media means is a transferable erasable and programmable read-only memory device (EPROM) capable of being readily inserted into a slot formed in said housing.

4. A hand held reading unit as defined in claim 3 further characterized in that said data is in the form of encoded characters of text taken from a book or a periodical.

5. A portable hand held reading unit as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said memory means includes a volatile memory in which are stored character codes of the data inputted from said external storage media means;

and

wherein said unit further includes a rechargeable battery providing a continuous non-interrupted power source to said volatile memory while the unit is not in use.

6. A portable hand held reading unit as defined in claim 5 further characterized in that said housing includes a pivotal cover overlaying said screen and said unit is formed such that it provides a user with a look and feel of a book;

said cover being connected with a power-up switch for automatically powering up said screen and said control means when said cover is opened.

7. A portable hand held reading unit as defined in claim 2 further characterized in that said external storage media means is a mass storage data base in the form a personal computer, said personal computer being connected to a graphic scanner and a telephone modem;

and

wherein said reading unit and said personal computer being connected to one another by a serial communication port having an interface operating therebetween.

8. A portable hand held reading unit as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said interface means includes font size select buttons, a digital keypad and scrolling arrows connected with said control means through an encoder.

9. A portable hand held reading unit as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said switch is connected to an encoder and a signal is sent to said control means when said button is depressed.

10. A portable, hand held reading unit as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said switch is connected to an encoder and a signal is sent to said control means when said button is depressed.

11. A portable hand held reading unit as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said unit further includes an audio processor in which data from said memory means is transformed into audio output signals driving a speaker carried by said housing.

12. A method for displaying data in character form on a screen of a portable hand held reading unit, said method comprising:

providing in said unit memory means for storing textual data in character form;

inputting into said memory means textual data in character code form from an external memory source if no textual data already resides in said memory means when the unit is initially turned on;

providing means in said unit for loading data into said memory means from either a separate mass storage data base or from a storage source insertable into said unit;

providing external interfacing means and operatively connecting said interfacing means with said font size altering means, said interfacing means including a font changing display means for operating a switch means linked to a counter means incremented each time said font changing display means is activated;

providing means for altering the font size of said characters encoded and stored in said memory means, said font size altering means further including means for providing a selection of different character sizes in excess of two;

providing a plurality of storage locations in which are respectively stored differently sized bit mapped characters, each of said plurality of memory locations being selectively accessed when instructed by said interface means to do so;

utilizing said interfacing means to instruct said character altering means to change the font size of said characters to the next character size by issuing a command or a series of commands through said interfacing means to effect incrementing of said counter means as a result of the reader touching the font changing display means a given number of times so as to identify the one of said plurality of separate memory locations which corresponds to the desired character size displayed that is comfortable to the reader.

13. A method as defined in claim 12 further characterized in that said interfacing means is provided with a font size select button;

and

depressing said select button to change the character size to the next incremental font size.

14. A method as defined in claim 13 further characterized in that said step of inputting data from said external memory source further includes the step of determining whether a mass media storage device is connected to said unit prior to requesting data from a transportable memory device inserted into said unit.

15. A method as defined in claim 14 further characterized by providing a speech synthesis program and accessing said speech synthesis program to translate said textual data stored in said memory means into signals for presenting said data audibly after said textual data is inputted into said memory means.

16. A method as defined in claim 13 further characterized by first displaying the textual data last displayed during the previous use of said reading unit if said textual data resides in said memory means when the unit is first turned.