Menu icons with descriptive audio

• US 8,600,447 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2010
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flextronics America LLC (Flextronics International Limited)
• Original Assignee: Flextronics America LLC (Flextronics International Limited)
• Inventors: Gomis de Dios, Ferran
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIEH, PING Y
• Application Number:
  US12/750,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20110244922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/566, 455/569.1, 345/169, 704/260
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A mobile phone comprising: a user interface configured to display a menu system and to receive input; and an electronic device configured to: provide the menu system having menu levels with each menu level comprising distinct menu items, enable the user to make a preliminary selection of any distinct menu item at a first menu level, wherein the user remains at the first menu level upon making the preliminary selection, provide an audio output in response to the user making a preliminary selection of any of the distinct menu items, wherein the audio output is unique for each distinct menu item, and enable the user to make a determinative selection of any distinct menu item at a first menu level only after a preliminary selection of that distinct menu item has been made, wherein the user proceeds to a second menu level upon making the determinative selection.

Claims

1. A mobile phone comprising:

a user interface configured to display a menu system to a user and to receive input from the user; and

an electronic device coupled to the user interface, wherein the electronic device is configured to;

provide the menu system, wherein the menu system comprises a plurality of menu levels, and each one of the menu levels comprises a plurality of distinct menu items,

enable the user to browse through the plurality of menu levels in the menu system,

enable the user to make a preliminary selection of any distinct menu item from a plurality of distinct menu items at a first menu level in the menu system, wherein the user remains at the first menu level upon making the preliminary selection,

provide an audio output in response to the user making a preliminary selection of any of the distinct menu items, wherein the audio output is unique for each distinct menu item, thereby enabling the user to distinguish between the distinct menu items based on the audio output, wherein the audio output is formed from a plurality of stored segmental units of sound, one or more of the stored segmental units of sound being used to form the audio output response for a plurality of the distinct menu items, thereby reducing the amount of memory necessary to provide the audio outputs for the plurality of menu items, and

enable the user to make a determinative selection of any distinct menu item from the plurality of distinct menu items at the first menu level only after a preliminary selection of that distinct menu item has been made, wherein the user proceeds to a second menu level in the menu system different from the first menu level upon making the determinative selection,

wherein organization and placement of the distinct menu items in the menu system remains the same unless manually updated by the user using the user interface.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1, further comprising a hand-held mobile phone housing, wherein the user interface and the electronic device are coupled to the hand-held mobile phone housing.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to provide the audio output using a text-to-speech (TTS) system.

4. The mobile phone of claim 3, wherein the electronic device is configured to provide the audio output using only a text-to-speech (TTS) system, not a voice recording of the complete audio output.

5. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to:

store voice recordings;

associate distinct voice recordings with distinct menu items; and

provide stored distinct voice recordings as audio output in response to the user making a preliminary selection of distinct menu items associated with the stored distinct voice recordings.

6. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a memory device configured to store the distinct menu system.

7. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

8. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a touchpad and a button.

9. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the audio output is formed from a plurality of stored segmental units of sound in response to performing an analysis of a textual representation of the selected distinct menu item.

10. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the menu system is updated when another menu system is downloaded.

11. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the menu system is updated when the menu system is rearranged.

12. A mobile phone comprising:

means for displaying a menu system to a user;

means for receiving input from the user;

means for providing the menu system to the user, wherein the menu system comprises a plurality of menu levels, and each one of the menu levels comprises a plurality of distinct menu items, wherein the means for providing the menu system comprises means for maintaining organization and placement of the distinct menu items in the menu system remains the same unless manually updated by the user using the user interface;

means for enabling the user to browse through the plurality of menu levels in the menu system;

means for enabling the user to make a preliminary selection of any distinct menu item from a plurality of distinct menu items at a first menu level in the menu system, wherein the user remains at the first menu level upon making the preliminary selection;

means for providing an audio output in response to the user making a preliminary selection of any of the distinct menu items, wherein the audio output is unique for each distinct menu item, thereby enabling the user to distinguish between the distinct menu items based on the audio output wherein the audio output is formed from a plurality of stored segmental units of sound, one or more of the stored segmental units of sound being used to form the audio output response for a plurality of the distinct menu items, thereby reducing the amount of memory necessary to provide the audio outputs for the plurality of menu items; and

means for enabling the user to make a determinative selection of any distinct menu item from the plurality of distinct menu items at the first menu level only after a preliminary selection of that distinct menu item has been made, wherein the user proceeds to a second menu level in the menu system different from the first menu level upon making the determinative selection.

13. The mobile phone of claim 12, further comprising a hand-held mobile phone housing, wherein the means for displaying the menu system, the means for receiving input, the means for providing the menu system, the means for enabling the user to browse, the means for enabling the user to make a preliminary selection, the means for providing an audio output, and the means for enabling the user to make a determinative selection are coupled to the hand-held mobile phone housing.

14. The mobile phone of claim 12, wherein the means for providing an audio output is configured to provide the audio output using a text-to-speech (TTS) system.

15. The mobile phone of claim 14, wherein the means for providing an audio output is configured to provide the audio output using only a text-to-speech (TTS) system, not a voice recording of the complete audio output.

16. The mobile phone of claim 12, wherein the means for providing an audio output is configured to:

store voice recordings;

associate distinct voice recordings with distinct menu items; and

provide stored distinct voice recordings as audio output in response to the user making a preliminary selection of distinct menu items associated with the stored distinct voice recordings.

17. The mobile phone of claim 12, wherein the means for providing the menu system comprises a memory device configured to store the distinct menu system.

18. The mobile phone of claim 12, wherein the means for displaying the menu system comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

19. The mobile phone of claim 12, wherein the means for receiving input comprises a touchpad and a button.

20. A method of providing a menu system on a mobile phone, the method implemented by an electronic device and comprising:

enabling a user to browse through a menu system on the mobile phone via a user interface, wherein the menu system comprises a plurality of menu levels, and each one of the menu levels comprises a plurality of distinct menu items;

receiving, from the user via the user interface, a preliminary selection of a distinct menu item from a plurality of distinct menu items at a first menu level in the menu system, wherein the user remains at the first menu level upon making the preliminary selection;

providing an audio output in response to the user making the preliminary selection, wherein the audio output is uniquely associated with the preliminarily selected distinct menu item, thereby enabling the user to distinguish the preliminarily selected distinct menu item from the other distinct menu items based on the audio output, wherein the audio output is formed from a plurality of stored segmental units of sound, one or more of the stored segmental units of sound being used to form the audio output response for a plurality of the distinct menu items, thereby reducing the amount of memory necessary to provide the audio outputs for the plurality of menu items;

receiving, from the user via the user interface, a determinative selection of a distinct menu item from the plurality of distinct menu items at the first menu level after the preliminary selection of that distinct menu item has been made, wherein the user is advanced to a second menu level in the menu system different from the first menu level in response to the determinative selection; and

maintaining organization and placement of the distinct menu items in the menu system until manually updated by the user using the user interface.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the user interface and the electronic device are coupled to a hand-held mobile phone housing.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of providing the audio output comprises the electronic device providing the audio output using a text-to-speech (TTS) system.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of providing the audio output comprises the electronic device providing the audio output using only a text-to-speech (TTS) system, not a voice recording of the complete audio output.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of providing the audio output comprises:

the electronic device storing voice recordings;

the electronic device associating distinct voice recordings with distinct menu items; and

the electronic device providing stored distinct voice recordings as audio output in response to the user making a preliminary selection of distinct menu items associated with the stored distinct voice recordings.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the electronic device comprises a memory device configured to store the distinct menu system.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the user interface comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the user interface comprises a touchpad and a button.

28. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of providing a menu system on a mobile phone, wherein the method comprises:

enabling a user to browse through a menu system on the mobile phone via a user interface, wherein the menu system comprises a plurality of menu levels, and each one of the menu levels comprises a plurality of distinct menu items;

receiving, from the user via the user interface, a preliminary selection of a distinct menu item from a plurality of distinct menu items at a first menu level in the menu system, wherein the user remains at the first menu level upon making the preliminary selection;

providing an audio output in response to the user making the preliminary selection, wherein the audio output is uniquely associated with the preliminarily selected distinct menu item, thereby enabling the user to distinguish the preliminarily selected distinct menu item from the other distinct menu items based on the audio output, wherein the audio output is formed from a plurality of stored segmental units of sound, one or more of the stored segmental units of sound being used to form the audio output response for a plurality of the distinct menu items, thereby reducing the amount of memory necessary to provide the audio outputs for the plurality of menu items; and

receiving, from the user via the user interface, a determinative selection of a distinct menu item from the plurality of distinct menu items at the first menu level after the preliminary selection of that distinct menu item has been made, wherein the user is advanced to a second menu level in the menu system different from the first menu level in response to the determinative selection,

wherein the organization and placement of the distinct menu items in the menu system remains the same unless manually updated by the user using the user interface.

29. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the program storage device is encased within a hand-held mobile phone housing.

30. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the step of providing the audio output comprises providing the audio output using a text-to-speech (TTS) application.

31. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the step of providing the audio output comprises providing the audio output using only a text-to-speech (TTS) application, not a voice recording of the complete audio output.

32. The program storage device of claim 28, wherein the step of providing the audio output comprises:

storing voice recordings;

associating distinct voice recordings with distinct menu items; and

providing stored distinct voice recordings as audio output in response to the user making a preliminary selection of distinct menu items associated with the stored distinct voice recordings.