Data processing system and method for customizing data processing system output for sense-impaired users

• US 6,192,341 B1
• Filed: 04/06/1998
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pickover, Clifford Alan, Winarski, Daniel James, Becker, Craig Henry, Wong, Tin-Lup, McLean, James Gordon, Glass, David Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Benson, Walter
• Application Number:
  US09/056,116
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 706/11, 345/33, 345/471, 345/145, 345/326, 345/475, 707/501, 707/513, 434/156, 434/185, 434/116, 704/275, 704/270, 704/271, 704/504, 704/225, 704/226
• US Class Current: 704/271
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B

Abstract

A data processing system and method for customizing a user output of a data processing system are disclosed. According to the method, a user preference for an audio or visual user output of a data processing system is determined. In response to determination of a user output having a first audio or visual frequency, the user output is mapped to a second audio or visual frequency in accordance with the user preference to obtain a customized user output. Thereafter, the customized user output is presented by the data processing system. In accordance with one embodiment, the user preference is determined by administering a test of the user'"'"'s visual or aural acuity.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing a data processing system to customize a user output of the data processing system, said method comprising the data processing system implemented steps of:

determining a user preference for an audio or visual user output of the data processing system;

in response to receiving a user output to be presented by the data processing system, automatically mapping a component of the user output characterized by a first audio or visual frequency range to a second audio or visual frequency range in accordance with said user preference to obtain a customized user output; and

presenting said customized user output utilizing the data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a user preference comprises testing at least one of a user'"'"'s visual and aural acuity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein testing at least one of a user'"'"'s visual and aural acuity comprises testing a user'"'"'s aural acuity in a plurality of audio frequency ranges.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein testing at least one of a user'"'"'s visual and aural acuity comprises testing a user'"'"'s ability to differentiate colors.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said first and said second frequency ranges comprise first and second audio frequency ranges, respectively, and wherein:

automatically mapping comprises automatically mapping said component of said user output to the second audio frequency range in response to said testing indicating that the user has moderate auditory impairment in said first audio frequency range; and

said method further comprises amplifying a second component of the user output characterized by a third audio frequency range to obtain a customized user output without said mapping in response to said testing indicating that the user has nominal audio impairment in the third audio frequency range.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a user preference comprises permitting a user to specify one or more mappings between frequency ranges.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting said customized user output comprises presenting said customized user output audibly if said user output comprises audio data and presenting said customized user output visually if said user out put comprises graphical data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said component of said user output is a first graphical component characterized by a first visual frequency range; and

said first graphical component is mapped to said second frequency range to obtain said customized user output only in response to a determination that a second graphical component of said user output that is to be presented in proximity to said first graphical component has a third visual frequency that is within a selected frequency interval of said first visual frequency range.

9. The method of claim 1, and further comprising generating said user output with a first program running in the data processing system, wherein mapping said user output comprises:

receiving said user output at a second program running in the data processing system; and

automatically mapping utilizing said second program to obtain said customized user output without modification of said first program.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said second program comprises a device driver and automatically mapping comprises automatically mapping utilizing said device driver.

11. A data processing system having customizable user output, said data processing system comprising:

means for determining a user preference for an audio or visual user output;

means, responsive to receipt of a user output to be presented by the data processing system, for automatically mapping a component of the user output characterized by a first audio or visual frequency range to a second audio or visual frequency range in accordance with said user preference to obtain a customized user output; and

means for presenting said customized user output.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein said means for determining a user preference comprises means for testing at least one of a user'"'"'s visual and aural acuity.

13. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein said means for testing at least one of a user'"'"'s visual and aural acuity comprises means for testing a user'"'"'s aural acuity in a plurality of audio frequency ranges.

14. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein said means for testing at least one of a user'"'"'s visual and aural acuity comprises means for testing a user'"'"'s ability to differentiate colors.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein:

said first and said second frequency ranges comprise first and second audio frequency ranges, respectively;

said means for mapping comprises means for mapping said component of said user output to the second audio frequency range in response to said testing indicating that the user has moderate auditory impairment in said first audio frequency range; and

said data processing system further comprises means for amplifying a second component of the user output characterized by a third audio frequency range to obtain a customized user output without said mapping in response to said testing indicating that the user has nominal audio impairment in the third audio frequency range.

16. The program product of claim 13, wherein:

said first and said second frequency ranges comprise first and second audio frequency ranges, respectively;

said instructions for causing the data processing system to map comprise instructions for causing the data processing system to map said component of the user output to the second audio frequency range in response to said testing indicating that the user has moderate auditory impairment in said first audio frequency range; and

said user output manager further comprises instructions for causing the data processing system to amplify a second component of the user output characterized by a third audio frequency range to obtain a customized user output without said mapping in response to said testing indicating that the user has nominal audio impairment in the third audio frequency range.

17. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein said means for determining a user preference comprises means for permitting a user to specify one or more mappings between frequency ranges.

18. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein said means for presenting said customized user output comprises means for presenting said customized user output audibly if said user output comp rises audio data and means for presenting said customized user output visually if said user output comprises graphical data.

19. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein:

said component of said user output is a first graphical component characterized by a first visual frequency range; and

said means for mapping comprises means for mapping said first graphical component to said second frequency range to obtain said customized user output only in response to a determination that a second graphical component of said user output that is to be presented in proximity to said first graphical component has a third visual frequency that is within a selected frequency interval of said first visual frequency range.

20. The data processing system of claim 11, and further comprising a first program running in the data processing system that generates said user output, wherein said means for mapping comprises:

a second program running in the data processing system that automatically maps said component of the user output to obtain said customized user output without modification of said first program.

21. The data processing system of claim 20, wherein said second program comprises a device driver.

22. A program product, comprising:

a user output manager encoded within a data processing system-usable medium, said user output manager including;

instructions for causing a data processing system to determine a user preference for an audio or visual user output; and

instructions, responsive to detecting a user output having component characterized by a first audio or visual frequency range, for causing the data processing system to automatically map the component of said user output to a second audio or visual frequency range in accordance with said user preference to obtain a customized user output for presentation by the data processing system.

23. The program product of claim 22, wherein said instructions for causing the data processing system to determine a user preference comprise instructions for causing the data processing system to test at least one of a user'"'"'s visual and aural acuity.

24. The program product of claim 23, wherein said instructions for causing the data processing system to test at least one of a user'"'"'s visual and aural acuity comprise instructions for causing the data processing system to test a user'"'"'s aural acuity in a plurality of audio frequency ranges.

25. The program product of claim 23, wherein said instructions for causing the data processing system to test at least one of a user'"'"'s visual and aural acuity comprise instructions for causing the data processing system to test a user'"'"'s ability to differentiate colors.

26. The program product of claim 22, wherein said instructions for causing the data processing system to determine a user preference comprise instructions for causing the data processing system to permit a user to specify one or more mappings between frequency ranges.

27. The program product of claim 22, said user output manager further comprising instructions for causing the data processing system to present said customized user output.

28. The program product of claim 27, said instructions for causing the data processing system to present said customized user output comprising instructions for causing the data processing system to present said customized user output audibly if said user output comprises audio data and causing the data processing system to presenting said customized user output visually if said user output comprises graphical data.

29. The program product of claim 22, wherein:

said component of said user output is a first graphical component characterized by a first visual frequency range; and

said instructions for causing the data processing system to map comprise instructions for causing the data processing system to map said first graphical component to said second frequency range to obtain said customized user output only in response to a determination that a second graphical component of said user output that is to be presented in proximity to said first graphical component has a third visual frequency that is within a selected frequency interval of said first visual frequency range.

30. The program product of claim 22, wherein said user output manager comprises a device driver.

31. A method of presenting output of a data processing system to a user, comprising:

utilizing the data processing system, determining auditory impairment of a user; and

in response to said determination, automatically customizing an auditory output presentation of said data processing system to adjust at least one of formant bandwidth and formant frequency.

32. A method of presenting output of a data processing system to a user, comprising:

utilizing the data processing system, determining a visual impairment of a user; and

in response to said determination, automatically customizing a visual output presentation of the data processing system to increase at least one of an intensity and saturation of at least a portion of said visual output presentation.