Audio playback unit and method of providing information pertaining to an automobile for sale to prospective purchasers

• US 5,802,100 A
• Filed: 02/09/1995
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Donald S. Pine, Marmon Pine
• Original Assignee: Donald S. Pine, Marmon Pine
• Inventors: Pine, Marmon, Pine, Donald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US08/387,491
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 395/2.79, 434/373, 369/27, 379/88, 379/71, 379/67
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/06 Elementary speech units used in speech synthesisers; Concatenation rules

Abstract

The present invention discloses an audio playback unit and method for assembling and providing information pertaining to an automobile for sale to prospective purchasers. Both non-replaceable and replaceable memories are utilized to provide the information. An automated method selects and organizes speech elements, which may originate either in the non-replaceable or replaceable memory, to be spoken by the playback unit.

Claims

1. An audio playback unit placed in or around an automobile for sale for providing information pertaining to said automobile for sale to prospective purchasers comprising:

a microprocessor;

a replaceable semiconductor memory containing element numbers, said memory coupled to said microprocessor;

a second semiconductor memory containing speech elements;

a speech synthesizer coupled to said microprocessor, said speech synthesizer controlled by said microprocessor;

an audible output device, said output device coupled to said speech synthesizer;

a switch, said switch coupled to said microprocessor for activating said microprocessor;

a power supply coupled to said microprocessor, said power supply providing power to said microprocessor such that when said switch is activated, said microprocessor retrieves element numbers from said replaceable memory and, depending on said element numbers, constructs a message based on said speech elements located in said second memory, and transfers said message through said output device.

2. An audio playback unit according to claim 1 wherein said automobile for sale is a used or previously driven automobile.

3. An audio playback unit according to claim 1 wherein said replaceable memory comprises a touch memory.

4. An audio playback unit according to claim 1 wherein said replaceable memory further contains speech elements.

5. An audio playback unit according to claim 1 wherein said replaceable memory resists removal from said audio playback unit except with an insertion tool.

6. An audio playback unit according to claim 1 wherein said audible output device comprises a speaker.

7. An automatic playback unit according to claim 1 wherein said audible output device comprises a transducer.

8. An automatic playback unit according to claim 1 wherein said power supply comprises an automobile battery.

9. An automatic playback unit according to claim 1 wherein said power supply comprises a solar panel.

10. A method of providing information pertaining to an automobile for sale to a prospective purchaser comprising the steps of:

obtaining data pertaining to said automobile for sale;

converting said data into element numbers;

storing said element numbers into a replaceable semiconductor memory;

placing said memory device into an audio playback unit containing a second semiconductor memory containing speech elements;

retrieving said speech elements from said second memory based on the element numbers located in the replaceable memory;

constructing a message consisting of the speech elements from said second memory based on the element numbers located in the replaceable memory; and

transmitting said message to said prospective purchasers at the location of the automobile for sale.

11. The method of providing information according to claim 10 wherein said obtaining data pertaining to an automobile for sale comprises receiving information from an automobile seller pertaining said automobile for sale.

12. A method of providing information pertaining to an automobile for sale to a prospective purchaser comprising the steps of:

inserting a replaceable memory containing element numbers into an audio playback unit containing a microprocessor and a second memory containing speech elements such that when activated said microprocessor will construct a message based on the element numbers located in the replaceable memory and the speech elements located in the second memory; and

placing said audio playback unit containing said replaceable memory and said second memory in or near said automobile for sale such that when activated said message will be transmitted through an output device.

13. The method of providing information according to claim 12 further comprising the step of activating a switch on said audio playback unit such that said audio playback unit will construct a message based on the element numbers located in the replaceable memory and the speech elements located in the second memory, and transmit said message to said prospective purchaser.