Information apparatus for dispatching output phrase to remote terminal in response to input sound

• US 6,421,644 B1
• Filed: 07/26/1999
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Okitsu, Hiromi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US09/361,094
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270-275, 704/236
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

An information apparatus is constructed for notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound. In the information apparatus, a first memory block memorizes characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds. A second memory block memorizes various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each item of the output information is associated to each sound. An input device collects a sound to provide an input signal of the collected sound. An analyzer device extracts characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound. A controller device operates according to the extracted characteristic data for addressing the first memory block and the second memory block to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the collected sound. A transmitter device transmits the identified item of the output information to the remote terminal. A new sound and a corresponding item of output information can be registered for updating the first memory block and the second memory block such that the analyzer device extracts new characteristic data from the new sound. The controller device registers the extracted new characteristic data into the first memory block and registers the corresponding item of the output information into the second memory block.

Claims

1. An information apparatus for notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, comprising:

a first memory block to store characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds;

a second memory block to store various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each one of the items of the output information is associated to each sound;

an input device that collects the sound to provide the input signal of the collected sound;

an analyzer device that extracts characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound;

a controller device that operates according to the extracted characteristic data for addressing the first memory block and the second memory block to identify one of the items of the output information corresponding to the collected sound; and

a transmitter device that transmits the identified one of the items of the output information to the remote terminal,

wherein a new sound and a corresponding item of the output information can be registered for updating the first memory block and the second memory block such that the analyzer device extracts new characteristic data from the new sound, and the controller device registers the extracted new characteristic data into the first memory block and registers the corresponding one of the items of the output information into the second memory block.

2. The information apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analyzer device analyzes a frequency spectrum of the sound to extract therefrom a characteristic pattern, which is stored as the characteristic data in the first memory block, and the controller device uses the characteristic pattern as an index to identify the one of the items of the output information corresponding to the sound.

3. A method of notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, comprising the steps of:

storing characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds in a first memory;

storing various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds in a second memory such that each one of the items of the output information is associated to each sound;

collecting the sound to provide the input signal of the collected sound;

extracting the characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound;

addressing the first memory and the second memory based on the extracted characteristic data to identify each one of the items of the output information corresponding to the collected sound;

transmitting the identified one of the items of the output information to the remote terminal; and

registering a new sound and a corresponding one of the items of output information to update the first memory and the second memory such that new characteristic data is extracted from the new sound and the corresponding one of the items of the output information is determined in association with the new sound, and then the extracted new characteristic data is stored in the first memory while the corresponding one of the items of the output information is stored in the second memory.

4. A machine-readable medium for use in an information apparatus having a central processing unit, a first memory memorizing characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds, and a second memory memorizing various items of output information in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each item of the output information is associated to each sound, the medium containing program instructions executable by the central processing unit for causing the information apparatus to perform a process of notifying output information to a remote terminal in response to an input signal of a sound, wherein the process comprises the steps of:

collecting a sound to provide an input signal of the collected sound;

extracting characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound;

addressing the first memory and the second memory based on the extracted characteristic data to identity the item of the output information corresponding to the collected sound;

transmitting the identified item of the output information to the remote terminal; and

registering a new sound and a corresponding item of output information to update the first memory and the second memory such that new characteristic data is extracted from the new sound and the corresponding item of the output information is determined in association to the new sound, and then the extracted new characteristic data is memorized in the first memory while the corresponding item of the output information is memorized in the second memory.

5. An information apparatus for dispatching an output signal of a sound, comprising:

first memory means to store characteristic data representing characteristics of various sounds;

second memory means to store various output phrases in correspondence to the characteristic data of the various sounds such that each output phrase is associated to each sound;

means for collecting the sound to provide an input signal of the collected sound;

means for extracting characteristic data from the input signal of the collected sound;

means for addressing the first memory means and the second memory means based on the extracted characteristic data to identify the output phrase corresponding to the collected sound;

means for transmitting the identified output phrase to a remote terminal; and

means for registering a new sound and a corresponding output phrase such that new characteristic data is extracted from the new sound and the corresponding output phrase is determined in association with the new sound so that the extracted new characteristic data is stored in the first memory means and the corresponding output phrase is stored in the second memory means.