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

• US 6,477,499 B1
• Filed: 10/18/1999
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Yasuda, Seigou
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, VIJAY B
• Application Number:
  US09/420,406
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275, 704/246, 704/247, 345/340, 345/326, 345/343-345
• 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 method comprising:

storing relationships between first voice patterns and computer commands of a first type in computer memory;

storing relationships between second voice patterns and computer commands of a second type in computer memory;

wherein the second voice patterns are specific to a user but the first voice pattern are not specific to said user;

displaying at least one of a plurality of windows;

identifying commands of said first type in response to voice input from said user computer-processed through the use of said first voice patterns;

executing identified commands of said first type to make a selected one of said windows a currently active window;

identifying commands of said second type in response to voice input from said user computer-processed through the use of said second voice patterns; and

executing identified commands of the second type to select from among computer operations specific to said currently active window.

2. A window control method as in claim 1 including storing in computer memory relationships between third voice patterns that are specific to said user and commands of the first type, and wherein said step of identifying commands of the first type comprises using said first voice patterns in response to voice input from said user identifying a selected window by a characteristic of a first type but using instead said third voice patterns in response to voice input from the user identifying a window by a characteristic of a second type.

3. A window control method as in claim 2 in which said characteristic of the first type comprises spatial relationships between windows and said characteristic of the second type comprises unique names for windows.

4. A window control method as in claim 2 in which said user determines if the first or the third voice patterns are to be used in said identifying of commands of the first type.

5. A window control method as in claim 4 in which, following a selected input from the user, the first voice patterns are again used in identifying commands of the first type.

6. A window control method as in claim 2 in which, following the selection of a window as a currently active window through use of the first or third voice patterns, only the second and third voice patterns are used in identifying commands in response to voice input from said user.

7. A window control method as in claim 2 in which said first voice patterns are stored in a first dictionary relating commands of the first type to voice patterns that are not specific to said user, and said second and third voice patterns are stored in a second dictionary relating commands of the first type and commands of the second type to voice patterns specific to said user.

8. A computer system comprising:

a memory storing relationships between first voice patterns and computer commands of a first type in computer memory, and between second voice patterns and computer commands of a second type in computer memory;

wherein the second voice patterns are specific to a user but the first voice pattern are not specific to said user;

a display displaying at least one of a plurality of windows

a processor identifying a commands of said first type in response to voice input from said user through the use of said first voice patterns and executing identified commands of said first type to make a selected one of said windows a currently active window;

said processor further identifying commands of said second type in response to voice input from said user computer-processed through the use of said second voice patterns and executing identified commands of the second type to select from among computer operations specific to said currently active window.

9. A computer system as in claim 8 wherein said memory further stores relationships between third voice patterns that are specific to said user and commands of the first type, and wherein said processor identifies commands of the first type using said first voice patterns in response to voice input from the user identifying a selected window by a characteristic of a first type but using instead said third voice patterns in response to voice input from the user identifying a window by a characteristic of a second type.

10. A computer system as in claim 9 in which said processor identifies said commands in response to voice input from the user identifying a characteristic of the first type that comprises spatial relationships between windows and a characteristic of the second type comprises unique names for windows.

11. A computer system as in claim 9 in which said processor is responsive to user input determining if the first or the third voice patterns are to be used in said identifying of commands of the first type.

12. A computer system as in claim 9 in which, following the selection of a window as a currently active window through use of the first or third voice patterns, said processor uses only the second and third voice patterns in identifying commands in response to voice input from said user until said user provides said processor with a specific command to again start using the first voice patterns in identifying commands of the first type.

13. A computer system as in claim 9 in which said memory stores said first voice patterns in a first dictionary relating commands of the first type to voice patterns that are not specific to said user, and stores said second and third voice patterns in a second dictionary relating commands of the first type and commands of the second type to voice patterns specific to said user.

14. A window control method comprising:

storing relationships between voice patterns and computer commands in a computer memory;

providing a display showing a number of windows, and providing a pointing device for pointing to a selected window shown on the display;

responding to the pointing device pointing to a selected window shown on the display and responding in parallel to a voice command by computer-processing said voice command through use of said relationships between voice patterns and computer commands stored in computer memory, to make the selected window a currently active window.

15. A window control method as in claim 14, in which the responding step comprises responding to a voice command indicative of a relative position of the selected window with respect to a position of at least one other window shown on the display to make the selected window a currently active window.

16. A window control method as in claim 14, in which the responding step comprises responding to a voice command that is not specific to the selected window.

17. A window control method as in claim 14, further comprising:

storing relationships between specific user voice patterns and computer commands in another computer memory; and

responding to a voice command by computer-processing said voice command through use of said relationships between specific user voice patterns and computer commands stored in computer memory once the selected window is made the currently active window.

18. A window control method as in claim 14, further comprising:

moving the selected window to the front of the display showing a number of windows when the selected window is made the currently active window.

19. A window control system comprising:

a computer having a memory storing relationships between voice patterns and computer commands;

a display coupled with said computer and providing a display showing a number of windows;

a pointing device coupled with said computer and operative under user control to point to a selected window shown on the display;

said computer comprising hardware and software components interacting to respond to the pointing device pointing to a selected window shown on the display and to respond in parallel to a voice command by computer-processing said voice command through use of said relationships between voice patterns and computer commands stored in computer memory, to make the selected window a currently active window.

20. A window control system as in claim 19, in which the computer comprises components interacting to respond to a voice command indicative of a relative position of the selected window with respect to a position of at least one other window shown on the display to make the selected window a currently active window.

21. A window control system as in claim 19, in which the computer comprises components interacting to respond to a voice command that is not specific to the selected window.

22. A window control system as in claim 19, in which the computer comprises another memory storing relationships between specific user voice patterns and computer commands, and components interacting to respond to a voice command by computer processing said voice command through use of said relationships between specific user voice patterns and computer commands stored in computer memory once the selected window is made the currently active window.

23. A window control system as in claim 19, in which the display shows the selected window in the front of the number of windows when the selected window is made the currently active window.