Tactile kinesthetic assistant

• US 6,850,652 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2000
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Thomas, Christine C., Thomas, Brent D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US09/656,973
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 382/312, 382/140, 382/314, 382/313, 382/315, 382/316, 382/317, 382/319, 382/318, 382/321, 382/113, 345/179, 345/183, 345/181, 345/163, 434/309, 434/308, 434/320, 434/323, 434/324, 434/337, 235/462.42, 235/462.41, 235/462.47, 358/473, 358/474
• US Class Current: 382/312
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• 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 tactile kinesthetic assistant is a device that allows a person to use the senses of sight, touch and hearing to gather information. Tactile kinesthetic assistants can be used, for example, to help a person retrieve information related to a specific word or phrase (e.g., a student learning to read), to allow a person to determine the status of a person or thing (e.g., a nurse retrieving medical records), to allow a person to obtain current information (e.g., a stock broker retrieving stock prices). In one embodiment, a tactile kinesthetic assistant includes a thimble and an ear piece. The thimble includes a scanner that allows the user to scan one or more words. The representations of the one or more words are used to retrieve information via a network and the retrieved information is provided to the user through an ear piece.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a scanning device to scan one or more printed words and to generate an indication of the one or more printed words, wherein the scanning device is attached to a user;

a networked electronic device including a receiver to receive the indication of the one or more printed words, the networked electronic device to retrieve, via a network, information related to the one or more printed words, wherein the networked electronic device includes a first transmitter to transmit the information related to the printed word;

an output device to output the information related to the one or more printed words.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the scanning device attached to the user is a at least a portion of a thimble that can be worn on a tip of a user'"'"'s finger.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the thimble further comprises a second transmitter to transmit the indication of the printed word.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the scanning device is coupled to the user.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the output device comprises a receiver to receive the transmitted information related to the printed word.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the output device comprises an ear piece having a speaker to output audio information related to the printed word.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the audio information related to the printed word comprises at least one of:

a pronunciation, a definition, an exemplary use, a source of the audio information, and a source of additional information.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the output device comprises a visual display to display pictorial information related to the printed word.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the pictorial information related to the printed word comprises at least one of:

a representation related to the printed word, a source of the information, and a source of additional information.

10. A method comprising:

scanning a printed word with a scanning device attached to a user, said scanning to generate an indication of a printed word;

receiving the indication of the printed word from the scanning device attached to the user and responsive thereto'"'"' transmitting data over a network so as to facilitate;

retrieving information related to the printed word over the network; and

outputting the information related to the printed word.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising transmitting the printed word to a networked electronic device.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the scanning device comprises a thimble device having a scanner therein.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein outputting the information related to the printed word comprises playing audio information.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein outputting the information related to the printed word comprises displaying pictorial information.

15. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions that, when executed, cause one or more electronic systems to:

scan a printed word with a scanning device attached to the user, said scanning to generate an indication of a printed word;

receiving the indication of the printed word from the scanning device attached to the user and responsive thereto'"'"'

transmit data over a network so as to facilitate;

retrieving information related to the printed word over a network; and

output the information related to the printed word.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising sequences of instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more electronic systems to transmit the printed word to a networked electronic device.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the scanning device comprise a thimble device having a scanner therein.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 wherein outputting the information related to the printed word comprises playing audio information.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 wherein outputting the information related to the printed word comprises displaying pictorial information.