Interactive book

• US 7,110,945 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2002
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dreamations LLC
• Original Assignee: Dreamations LLC
• Inventors: Cogliano, Mary Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEBE, DANIEL DEMELASH
• Application Number:
  US10/135,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20020133350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 704/235, 704/260, 345/706
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/06 Foreign languages with audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/15 the extracted parameters being formant information

Abstract

An electronic interactive book allowing a child to learn the pronunciation of various words. The book will be provided with a permanent or impermanent display onto which a plurality of words, phrases or sentences would be provided. The electronic book includes a microphone as well as a speech recognition unit for recognizing a word that the child pronounces. A highlighting device such as a light emitting diode or a means for illuminating a particular word in a manner different than the surrounding words would be engaged when the child correctly pronounces that word. The highlighting device has the ability to assist the child in the pronunciation of one of the words by verbally pronouncing a portion of the word, as well as simultaneously highlighting that portion. A visual display of the lip movements of an animated character would also assist the child in correctly pronouncing a particular word.

Claims

1. An interactive book comprising:

at least one display device onto which a series of words are displayed, said series of words constituting a story, at least a portion of which are visible at any one time on said display device;

a microphone;

a speaker;

an electronic speech recognition and conversion device in communication with said microphone for recognizing the spoken word generated by a first individual reciting the story and producing a digital output corresponding to the spelling for each of the spoken words;

a memory device in connection with said speech recognition device for locating each of said digital outputs therein and determining where each of the written equivalents of said spoken words would be located on said display device;

a switch connected to said memory device for initiating the conversion of said digital outputs back to the spoken word through said electronic speech recognition and conversion device and said speaker as well as displaying at least a portion of said series of words on said display; and

an input means providing a sound generated from said speaker when at least a portion of said series of words produced from said speaker and displayed on said at least one display device reaches a particular point, informing a second individual that the entirety of said at least a portion of said series of words have been verbalized.

2. The interactive book in accordance with claim 1, further including a highlighting device for highlighting each of said series of words as each of the words are produced by said speaker.

3. An interactive book comprising:

at least one display device onto which a series of words are removably displayed, said series of words visible on said display device prior to said series of words enunciated by an individual in a non-recorded manner;

a microphone;

a speaker;

an electronic speech recognition device in communication with said microphone for recognizing the spoken word, as well as producing an aural output of said series of words visible on said display device;

a memory device in connection with said speech recognition device and said display device, said memory device provided with the location in which each of the words are displayed on said display device, said memory device determining whether one of said series of words displayed on said at least one said display device was properly enunciated by the individual, as well as including a digital representation of each of the series of words; and

a highlighting device for highlighting one of the words provided on said display subsequent to the individual properly enunciating said one of the words in a non-recorded manner, as well as highlighting only a portion of at least one of said series of words in concert with said electronic speech recognition device, and said speaker producing an aural output of said portion of at least one of said series of words;

wherein said display device displays an animated character face including lips moveable in concert with words produced by said speaker in conjunction with said electronic speech recognition device and said memory, said memory device including a file including a plurality of defined lip movements each of said words associated with one of said plurality of defined lip movements.

4. The interactive book in accordance with claim 3, wherein said highlighting only a portion of at least one of said series of words in concert with said electronic speech recognition device and said speaker producing an aural output of said portion of at least one of said series of words is activated after a predetermined time has elapsed subsequent to the correct pronunciation of the individual of a prior word.

5. The interactive book in accordance with claim 3, wherein said highlighting of only a portion of at least one of said series of words in concert with said electronic speech recognition device and said speaker producing an aural output of said portion of at least one of said series of words is activated after the individual has failed to correctly pronounce at least one of said series of words.

6. The interactive book in accordance with claim 3, further including a dictionary further describing each of said series of words.

7. The interactive book in accordance with claim 6, further including an input switch allowing entries provided in said dictionary to be verbalized after a word associated with a particular entry has been properly pronounced.