Method and system for enabling a blind computer user to locate icons in a graphical user interface
First Claim
1. A method of providing the user of a computer system, including a display screen, a pointing device for manually positioning a pointer on said screen, a left speaker, and a right speaker, with audio information regarding the position of said pointer on said screen, wherein said screen has displayed thereon a background and at least one row of spaced apart icons, said method comprising the steps of:
- generating a first sound from at least one of said speakers whenever said pointer is located on said background; and
generating a second sound from at least one of said speakers whenever said pointer is located on said row.
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Abstract
Disclosed is a computer audio interface adapted to enable blind or visually impaired users to locate icons positioned in rows in the background of a graphical user interface. Whenever the pointer of the interface is positioned on the background, the system produces a distinctive tone. Whenever the pointer is positioned in an icon row that is occupied by one or more icons, the system produces a distinctive chord. Whenever the pointer is positioned in the background and not in an occupied row, the system produces stereo effects that give the user information as to the relative left/right position of the pointer. Whenever the pointer is positioned in an occupied row, the amplitude of the left and right stereo channels is controlled such that whenever the pointer is to the left of the leftmost icon, substantially all of the volume is produced by the left speaker and whenever the pointer is to the right of the rightmost icon, substantially all of the the volume is produced by the right speaker. Whenever the pointer is located between the leftmost and rightmost icons, the volume is balanced substantially equally between the two speakers.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of providing the user of a computer system, including a display screen, a pointing device for manually positioning a pointer on said screen, a left speaker, and a right speaker, with audio information regarding the position of said pointer on said screen, wherein said screen has displayed thereon a background and at least one row of spaced apart icons, said method comprising the steps of:
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generating a first sound from at least one of said speakers whenever said pointer is located on said background; and generating a second sound from at least one of said speakers whenever said pointer is located on said row. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Apparatus for providing the user of a computer system, including a display screen and a pointing device for manually positioning a pointer on said screen, with audio information regarding the position of said pointer on said screen, wherein said screen has displayed thereon a background and at least one row of spaced apart icons, said apparatus comprising:
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a left speaker and a right speaker; means for generating a first sound from at least one of said speakers whenever said pointer is located on said background; and means for generating a second sound from at least one of said speakers whenever said pointer is located on said row. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification