Window control apparatus and method having function for controlling windows by means of voice-input

• US 5,974,384 A
• Filed: 01/19/1996
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Yasuda, Seigou
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M.
• Application Number:
  US08/589,181
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 395/2.84, 395/2.6, 395/2.79, 395/340, 395/344, 395/345, 395/343, 395/326, 395/2.61, 704/275, 704/251, 704/270, 704/246, 704/247, 345/340, 345/344, 345/345, 345/343, 345/326
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context

Abstract

A display unit displays at least a window from among a plurality of windows. A window switching unit switches a currently active window between windows among the plurality of windows in accordance with a corresponding voice-input, the voice-input comprising relationship command indicating a relationship between the currently active window and a window to be activated from the windows among the plurality of windows. The relationship command indicates a relationship concerning an arrangement of the plurality of windows, the relationship comprising a relationship between the currently active window and a window to be activated from the windows among the plurality of windows.

Claims

1. A window control apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying at least a window of a plurality of windows;

first voice-pattern dictionary means for storing a first group of voice patterns, each of said voice patterns in said first group representing a command used for switching active windows of said plurality of windows;

window switching means for comparing and associating a voice pattern entered by non-particular users with said first group of voice patterns so as to facilitate switching active windows in response to an input voice pattern of a non-particular user;

second voice-pattern dictionary means for storing a second group of voice patterns associated with particular users, each of said voice patterns in said second group representing a sub-command used for performing an executable operation associated with a currently active window; and

sub-command inputting means for comparing a voice pattern entered by a particular user with said second group of voice patterns so as to facilitate performance of the executable operation.

2. The window control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said command is a command which indicates a relationship concerning a spatial arrangement of said plurality of windows, said relationship comprising a relationship between the currently active window and another window to be activated from the windows among said plurality of windows.

3. The window control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said window switching means comprises:

keyboard means for switching the active window in accordance with a corresponding keyboard means input; and

voice-keyboard signal conversion means for converting a signal corresponding to the voice-input of the non-particular user into a signal corresponding to a keyboard means input relevant to the non-particular voice-input.

4. The window control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said window switching means comprises:

voice recognition means for recognizing the non-particular user voice-input to be a corresponding command by means of said first voice-pattern dictionary means.

5. The window control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sub-command inputting means comprises:

voice recognition means for recognizing the particular user voice-input to be the corresponding sub-command by means of said second voice-pattern dictionary means.

6. The window control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said window control apparatus further comprises:

voice recognition means for recognizing a user voice-input to be a word corresponding to said first voice-pattern dictionary means or said second voice-pattern dictionary means; and

wherein said voice recognition means, after said window switching means has switched the active window, recognizes the user voice-input to be words in said second voice-pattern dictionary means indicating sub-commands previously determined for the currently active window.

7. The window control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said window switching means comprises:

pointing-device means for switching the active window in accordance with a corresponding pointing-device means input; and

voice-pointing-device signal conversion means for converting a signal corresponding to the voice-input into a signal corresponding to a pointing-device input, said conversion being executed for the voice-input relevant a position of a mouse cursor displayed on a screen which position is controlled by operation of said pointing-device means.

8. A window control method comprising steps of:

a display step (a) displaying at least a window of a plurality of windows;

a window switching step (b) switching a currently active window between windows of said plurality of windows in accordance with a corresponding non-particular voice-input, said non-particular voice-input comprising a relationship command representing a relationship between a currently active window of said plurality of windows and a window of said plurality of windows to be subsequently activated, said window switching step (b) includes the step of;

(b1) using a first voice-pattern dictionary for storing a first group of voice patterns, each voice pattern of said first group of voice patterns being for use in converting the voice pattern of the voice-input into a word corresponding to said voice-input, said first group of voice patterns being used for converting voice patterns comprising any user'"'"'s voice; and

a sub-command inputting step (c) performing executable operations associated with a currently active window, said sub-command inputting step includes the step of;

(c1) using a second voice-pattern dictionary for storing a second group of voice patterns associated with particular users each voice pattern of said second group of voice patterns being for use in converting the voice pattern of the voice-input into a word corresponding to said voice-input, said second group of voice patterns being used for converting voice patterns comprising a particular user'"'"'s voice.

9. The window control method according to claim 8, wherein said relationship command represents a spatial arrangement between the currently active window of said plurality of windows and a window of said plurality of windows to be activated.

10. The window control method according to claim 8, wherein said window switching step (b) further comprises:

a keyboard step (b2) switching the active window in accordance with a corresponding keyboard input; and

a voice-keyboard signal conversion step (b3) converting a signal corresponding to the voice-input non-particular user into a signal corresponding to the keyboard input relevant to the non-particular voice-input.

11. The window control method according to claim 8, wherein said window switching step (b) further comprises:

a voice recognition step (b4) recognizing the non-particular user voice-input to be a word corresponding to said first voice-pattern dictionary.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein:

said window switching step (b) further comprises a step (b7) using a second voice-pattern dictionary for storing a second group of voice patterns, each voice pattern of said second group of voice patterns being for use in converting the voice pattern comprising the voice-input into a corresponding word, said second group of voice patterns being used for converting voice patterns comprising a particular user'"'"'s voice; and

said voice recognition step (b4) recognizes the voice-input to be the corresponding word by means of said second voice-pattern dictionary as well as said first voice-pattern dictionary.

13. The window control method according to claim 8, wherein said sub-command inputting step (c) further comprises:

a voice recognition step (c2) recognizing the particular voice-input to be a word corresponding to said second voice-pattern dictionary.

14. The window control method according to claim 8, wherein

said window control method further comprises a voice recognition step (d) recognizing a user voice-input to be a word corresponding to said first voice-patterns dictionary or said second voice-pattern dictionary;

wherein said voice recognition step (d), after said window switching step has switched the active window, recognizes the user voice-input to be words in said second voice-pattern dictionary means indicating sub-commands previously provided for the currently active window.

15. The window control method according to claim 8, wherein said window switching step (b) further comprises:

a pointing-device step (b5) switching the active window in accordance with a corresponding pointing-device input; and

a voice-pointing-device signal conversion step (b6) converting a signal corresponding to the voice-input into a signal corresponding to a pointing-device input, said conversion being executed for the voice-input relevant a position of a mouse cursor displayed on a screen which position is controlled by operations of said pointing-device step (b5).