Electronic instrument for putting out information in the form of voice

• US 5,249,256 A
• Filed: 05/28/1992
• Issued: 09/28/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1978
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Cho, Mitsuo, Sado, Ichiro, Kishimoto, Juji, Sasaki, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Michael R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doerrler, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US07/888,432
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 381/51-53, 395/2
• US Class Current: 704/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/56 Natural language generation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/047 Architecture of speech synthesisers

Abstract

An electronic device comprises a first memory for storing a plurality of words which are to be displayed on a display coupled to the first memory and a second memory for storing a plurality of voice information codes each corresponding to a portion of a different one of the plurality of words stored in the first memory. The second memory also stores a specific code for distinguishing each of the plurality of voice information codes and stores each of the plurality of voice information codes and the specific code so that the voice information codes and the specific code are alternatively read out. The electronic device also comprises a converter connected to the second memory for converting the plurality of voice information codes stored in the second memory into audible sound, a detector connected to the second memory for detecting a specific code to produce a detecting signal, and an indicator arranged in parallel to the display and connected to the detector for indicating, in response to a detecting signal of the detector, the portion of the word displayed by the display which corresponds to the voice information code converted into an audible sound by the converter.

Claims

1. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a first memory for storing a plurality of words of alphanumeric characters which are to be displayed;

display means, capable of displaying a sentence by displaying a plurality of words of alphanumeric characters and coupled to said first memory, for displaying the plurality of words of alphanumeric characters stored in said first memory;

a second memory for storing a plurality of voice information codes representing the plurality of words of alphanumeric characters stored in said first memory, and for storing a specific code for distinguishing each of the plurality of voice information codes, wherein said second memory is adapted to store each voice information code of the words of alphanumeric characters in said first memory and specific codes so that a specific code is read out at least once after each reading-out of any of said voice information codes;

conversion means, connected to said second memory, for converting said plurality of voice information codes stored in said second memory into audible sounds of the plurality of words stored in said first memory;

detecting means, connected to said second memory, for detecting a specific code each time a specific code is read out of said second memory after reading-out of one of the voice information codes to be converted by said conversion means, and for producing a detecting signal in response to detecting the specific code; and

indicating means, arranged parallel to said display means and connected to said detecting means to receive detecting signals therefrom, for indicating a different alphanumeric character portion of the plurality of words displayed by said display means each time a detecting signal is received from said detecting means, each indicated alphanumeric character portion corresponding to the voice information code representing the indicated alphanumeric character portion and converted into an audible sound by said conversion means.

2. An electronic instrument according to claim 1, wherein said conversion means comprises a loudspeaker.

3. An electronic instrument according to claim 1, wherein said indicator means comprises an indicator element for indicating the portion of the word displayed by said display means which corresponds to the voice information code converted into an audible sound by said conversion means.

4. An electronic instrument according to claim 1, wherein said indicator means comprises counter means for counting the detecting signals to produce, in response to a count accumulated therein, a signal indicating the portion of the word which corresponds to the voice information code converted into an audible sound.

5. An electronic instrument according to claim 4, wherein said indicator means comprises an indicator element for indicating, in response to a count accumulated in said counter, the portion of the word which corresponds to the voice information code converted into the audible sound.

6. An electronic instrument, comprising:

a first memory for storing a plurality of words of alphanumeric characters which are to be displayed;

display means, capable of displaying a sentence by displaying a plurality of alphanumeric character words and coupled to said first memory, for displaying the plurality of alphanumeric character words stored in said first memory;

a second memory for storing a plurality of voice information codes representing the plurality of alphanumeric character words stored in said first memory, and for storing a specific code for distinguishing each of the plurality of voice information codes, wherein said second memory is adapted to store each voice information code of the alphanumeric character words in said first memory and specific codes so that both are read out with the specific code being read out at least once after each reading-out of any of the voice information codes;

conversion means, connected to said second memory, for converting said plurality of voice information codes stored in said second memory into audible sounds of the plurality of words stored in said first memory;

detecting means, connected to said second memory, for detecting a specific code each time a specific code is read-out of sad second memory after reading-out of any of the voice information codes to be converted by said conversion means and for producing a detecting signal in response to detecting the specific code;

counter means, connected to said detecting means, for counting the number of said detecting signals and outputting a signal each time a detecting signal is received; and

indicating means, arranged parallel to said display means and connected to said counter means to receive a signal therefrom, for indicating a different alphanumeric character portion of the plurality of words displayed by said display means each time a signal is received from said counter means, each indicated alphanumeric character portion corresponding to the voice information code representing the indicated alphanumeric character portion converted into an audible sound by said conversion means.

7. An electronic instrument according to claim 6, wherein said counter means is a Johnson counter.

8. A voice output display device comprising:

first memory means for storing a plurality of alphanumeric characters forming a group of words;

display means, coupled to the first memory means, for displaying the plurality of alphanumeric characters of the group of words stored in said first memory means;

second memory means for storing voice codes representing the alphanumeric characters of the group of words in said first memory means and specific codes distinguishing the voice codes, the voice codes and specific codes adapted to be outputted from said second memory means while the alphanumeric characters of the group of words are displayed with at least one specific code being outputted after the outputting of each voice code;

conversion means, coupled to said second memory means, for converting the voice codes outputted from the second memory means into sounds of the plurality of alphanumeric characters stored in said first memory means;

detecting means, coupled to said second memory means, for detecting the specific codes outputted from said second memory means each time a specific code is read out of said second memory means after reading-out of any voice code to be converted by said conversion means, and

indicating means, coupled to said detecting means and responsive to the detected specific codes, for indicating a different alphanumeric character of the displayed group of words each time said detecting detects a specific code, each indicated alphanumeric character portion of the displayed group of words corresponding to the voice code representing the indicated alphanumeric character portion being converted to sound.

9. An electronic instrument for indicating the portion of a plurality of words of alphanumeric characters stored in a first memory and displayed by display means that is output by conversion means for converting a plurality of voice information codes representing the plurality of displayed words, stored in a second memory also storing a specific code for distinguishing each of the plurality of voice information codes so that the specific code is read-out at least once after each reading-out of any of the voice information codes, into audible sounds of the plurality of words stored in the first memory, said instrument comprising:

detecting means, connected to the second memory, for detecting the specific code each time the specific code is read-out of the second memory after reading out of one of the voice information codes to be converted by the conversion means and for producing a detecting signal in response to detecting the specific code; and

indicating means, arranged parallel to the display means and connected to said detecting means to receive detecting signals therefrom, for indicating a different alphanumeric character portion of the plurality of words displayed by the display means each time a detecting signal is received from said detecting means, each indicated alphanumeric character portion corresponding to the voice information code representing the indicated alphanumeric character portion and converted into an audible sound by the conversion means.

10. An electronic instrument for indicating the portion of a plurality of words of alphanumeric characters stored in a first memory and displayed by display means that is output by conversion means for converting a plurality of voice information codes representing the plurality of displayed words, stored in a second memory also storing a specific code for distinguishing each of the plurality of voice information codes so that both are read out with the specific code being read out at least once after each reading out of any of the voice information codes, into audible sounds of the plurality of words stored in the first memory, said instrument comprising:

detecting means, connected to the second memory, for detecting the specific code each time the specific code is read out of said second memory after reading out of any of the voice information codes to be converted by the conversion means and for producing a detecting signal in response to detecting the specific code;

counter means, connected to said detecting means, for counting the number of the detecting signals and outputting a signal each time a detecting signal is received; and

indicating means, arranged parallel to the display means and connected to said counter means to receive a signal therefrom, for indicating a different alphanumeric character portion of the plurality of words displayed by the display means each time a signal is received from said counter means, each indicated alphanumeric character portion corresponding to the voice information code representing the indicated alphanumeric character portion converted into an audible sound by the conversion means.

11. An indicating device for indicating the portion of a group of words of a plurality of alphanumeric character stored in first memory means and displayed by display means that is output by conversion means for converting a plurality of voice codes representing the displayed group of words of the plurality of alphanumeric characters, stored in second memory means also storing specific codes distinguishing the voice codes so that the voice codes and specific codes are outputted from the second memory means while the alphanumeric characters of the group of words are displayed with at least one specific code being outputted after the outputting of each voice code, into sounds of the plurality of alphanumeric characters stored in the first memory means, said device comprising:

detecting means, coupled to the second memory means, for detecting the one specific codes outputted from the second memory each time the one specific code is read out of the second memory after reading out of any voice code to be converted by the conversion means; and

indicating means, coupled to said detecting means and responsive to the detected specific codes, for indicating a different alphanumeric character portion of the displayed group of words each time said detecting means detects the one specific code, each indicated alphanumeric character portion of the displayed group of words corresponding to the voice code representing the indicated alphanumeric character portion converted to sound by the conversion means.