Touch screen for the vision-impaired

• US 6,384,743 B1
• Filed: 06/14/1999
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (University of Wisconsin System)
• Original Assignee: Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (University of Wisconsin System)
• Inventors: Vanderheiden, Gregg C.
• Primary Examiner(s): EDWARDS JR, TIMOTHY
• Application Number:
  US09/332,676
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 341/21, 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 340/825.19, 345/173, 434/112, 434/113
• US Class Current: 341/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/001 Teaching or communicating with blind persons G09B21/02 - G09B21/06 take precedence

Abstract

A touch screen system for the vision-impaired provides a speed list in which each of the virtual buttons on a screen are duplicated in a line along one edge of the screen to provide rapid access to the virtual buttons while taking advantage of their logical grouping among multiple screens to assist both vision-impaired and fill-sighted individuals.

Claims

1. A touch screen for the vision-impaired comprising:

(1) an electronic display screen having a display area;

(2) a touch panel commensurate with the display area and providing a coordinate output indicating a touch point in the display area;

(3) an electronic computer communicating with the electronic display screen, the touch panel and executing a stored program to;

(a) display a plurality of first virtual buttons on the display screen having arbitrary locations within the display area;

(b) respond to a touching of one of the plurality of first virtual buttons to execute a subroutine associated with the touched virtual button;

(c) generating a plurality of second virtual buttons having a one-to-one correspondence with the first plurality of virtual buttons but arranged on the display screen in a linear array; and

(d) respond to a touching of a given one of the plurality of second virtual buttons to execute a subroutine associated with a first virtual button corresponding to the given second virtual button.

2. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the electronic screen includes a frame extending around the display surface and providing a ridge along which a stylus may be drawn and wherein the plurality of second virtual buttons are arranged on the display screen adjacent and parallel to the ridge.

3. The touch screen of claim 1 wherein the ridge includes a plurality of embossments and wherein the plurality of second virtual buttons are arranged on the display screen to correspond with the plurality of embossments.

4. The touch screen of claim 1 further including:

(4) audio circuitry communicating with the electronic computer; and

wherein the electronic computer further executes the stored program to;

(e) when the touch point crosses into a virtual button, instruct the audio circuitry to generate a spoken message identifying the virtual button;

(f) when the touch point crosses out of a virtual button after the touch point crosses into the virtual button, truncate the spoken message; and

(g) while there is no touch point immediately after the touch point crosses into the virtual button, completes the spoken message.

5. The touch screen of claim 1 further including:

(4) audio circuitry communicating with the electronic computer; and

wherein the electronic computer further executes the stored program to;

(a) identify a first inner boundary and a second outer boundary of a virtual button with respect to the screen;

(b) instruct the audio circuitry to generate a spoken message identifying the virtual button only after the touch point has crossed the inner boundary into the virtual button; and

(c) after the spoken message is begun, instruct the audio circuitry to complete the spoken message unless the touch point crosses the outer boundary out of the virtual button.

6. The touch screen of claim 1 further including:

(4) audio circuitry communicating with the electronic computer; and

wherein the electronic computer further executes the stored program to;

(a) identify a boundary of a virtual button with respect to the display screen;

(b) when a touch point crosses the boundary of the virtual button, instruct the audio circuitry to generate an audio ridge signal delineating the boundary; and

(c) while the touch point is within the boundary of the virtual button, instruct the audio circuitry to generate a spoken message identifying the virtual button.

7. The touch screen of claim 6 wherein the electronic computer further instructs the audio circuitry to generate a first audio ridge signal when the touch point crosses into the boundary of the virtual button and a second audio ridge signal when the touch point crosses out of the boundary.

8. The touch screen of claim 6 wherein the electronic computer further instructs the audio circuitry to generate a background sound while the touch point is outside the boundary.

9. The touch screen of claim 6 wherein the electronic computer identifies a first inner boundary and a second outer boundary of the virtual button and wherein the audio circuitry is instructed to generate the audio ridge signal only when the touch point is crossing into the inner boundary and when the touch point is crossing out of the outer boundary.

10. The touch screen of claim 6 wherein the electronic computer instructs the audio circuitry to truncate the spoken message only when the touch point is crossing out of the boundary.

11. The touch screen of claim 6 wherein the electronic computer identifies a first inner boundary and a second outer boundary of the virtual button and wherein the audio circuitry is instructed to generate the spoken message only after the touch point has crossed into the inner boundary and to truncate the spoken message only when the touch point is crossing out of the outer boundary.