Picture display device with associated audio message

• US 20020046034A1
• Filed: 12/06/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1991
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LJ Talk LLC
• Original Assignee: LJ Talk LLC
• Inventors: Loudermilk, Alan R., Jung, Wayne D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,393,401 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/272
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 1/0616 Ornamental frames, e.g. with illumination, speakers or decorative features
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2001/145 Picture cubes
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2200/143 producing means
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2200/146 recording or detecting means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A picture frame and accompanying audio message circuit is provided such that one or more desired audio messages stored in the audio message circuit associated with one or more display pictures can be played upon the touching of the pictures or the frame, or in response to a voice recognition device sensing an audio command associated with the particular audio message and/or pictures. When audio message playback is desired, a switch on the frame or under a protective cover for the picture is activated by touching, or a position sensitive device may be used to sense whether a particular position on the picture has been touched. Digital or analog information representing the desired audio message is retrieved from a memory device, which is subsequently transmitted to a speaker which produces the desired audio message perceptible to a human. In other embodiments, multiple picture and multiple messages are provided such that the user can touch a particular picture, or the switch associated with that picture, and an audio message corresponding to the picture is then played through the speaker. In still other embodiments, a system is provided with a plurality of pictures mounted in the perimeter faces of a cube or other geometrical shape, each picture having associated with it a switch for activating a message or plurality of messages. In still other embodiments, a position sensitive device or a voice recognition device is utilized to initiate audio message playback.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying one or more pictures and for playing audio messages associated with the one or more pictures, comprising:

a frame for displaying the one or more pictures;

an audio storage circuit attached to the frame, wherein the audio storage circuit stores audio messages associated with the one or more pictures;

a position sensitive device attached to the frame and coupled to the audio storage circuit for initiating the playing of audio messages stored in the audio storage circuit, wherein position sensing device is positioned adjacent to the one or more pictures and senses a position of a user touch;

a speaker connected to the frame and coupled to the audio storage circuit for playing the audio messages; and

a control circuit coupled to the audio storage circuit and the position sensitive device, wherein an audio message associated with a particular position on the one or more pictures is played through the speaker in response to the position sensitive device sensing that a user has touched the frame at a position in proximity to the particular position on the one or more pictures.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position sensitive device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of:

a transparent touch screen positioned over the one or more picture;

a membrane switch panel positioned under the one or more pictures; and

a capacitive touch screen positioned over the one or more pictures.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an audio input circuit coupled to the audio storage circuit and the position sensitive device, wherein one or more audio messages corresponding to one or more positions on the one or more pictures are recorded in the audio storage circuit by inputting the audio message to the audio input circuit in response to the position sensitive device sensing that a user has touched the frame at a position in proximity to the one or more positions on the one or more pictures.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio storage circuit stores a plurality of audio messages, wherein the control circuit comprises a logic circuit, wherein the logic circuit stores a pointer corresponding to each of the plurality of audio messages, wherein, in response to the touching of the position sensitive device at a point in proximity to a position corresponding to a particular audio message, the logic circuit provides the pointer corresponding to the particular audio message to the audio storage circuit, wherein in response thereto the particular audio message is played through the speaker.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio storage circuit comprises a memory device selected from the group consisting of:

an analog memory;

a digital memory; and

a digital analog storage device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of audio messages are stored in the audio storage circuit, wherein each of the plurality of audio messages correspond to a particular position on the one or more pictures, wherein a particular audio message is played through the speaker in response to the position sensitive device sensing a user touch at a position corresponding to the particular position on the one or more pictures.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of audio messages are stored in the audio storage circuit, wherein the plurality of audio messages correspond to a particular position on the one or more pictures, wherein a first one of the plurality of audio messages is played through the speaker in response to a first sensing of the position sensitive device of a user touch at a position corresponding to the particular position on the one or more pictures, wherein a second one of the plurality of audio messages is played through the speaker in response to a second sensing of the position sensitive device of a user touch at a position corresponding to the particular position on the one or more pictures.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio storage circuit stores position sensitive audio messages that correspond to particular positions on the one or more pictures and also stores a non-position sensitive audio message that does not correspond to particular positions on the one or more pictures, wherein the non-position sensitive message is played through the speaker in response to the position sensing device sensing a user touch of a position that is not a particular position on the one or more pictures.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio storage circuit comprises a memory device selected from the group consisting of:

an analog memory;

a digital memory; and

a digital analog storage device.

9. In a picture frame for displaying one or more pictures and for storing one or more audio messages associated with one or more particular positions on the one or more pictures, the picture frame also having a position sensitive device adjacent to the one or more pictures, a method comprising the steps of:

storing a first audio message in an audio storage circuit, wherein the first audio message corresponds to a first particular position on the one or more pictures;

sensing with the position sensitive device whether a user has touched the picture frame at a point in proximity to the first particular position on the one or more pictures; and

playing the first audio message through a speaker when the position sensitive device has sensed that the user has touched the picture frame at a point in proximity to the first particular position on the one or more pictures.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first audio message is stored in the audio storage circuit in response to the position sensitive device sensing that a user has touched the picture frame at a point in proximity to the first particular position on the one or more pictures during a time when the audio storage circuit operates in a record mode.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

storing a second audio message in the audio storage circuit, wherein the second audio message corresponds to a second particular position on the one or more pictures;

sensing with the position sensitive device whether a user has touched the picture frame at a point in proximity to the second particular position on the one or more pictures; and

playing the second audio message through a speaker when the position sensitive device has sensed that the user has touched the picture frame at a point in proximity to the second particular position on the one or more pictures.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the position sensitive device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of:

a transparent touch screen positioned over the one or more picture;

a membrane switch panel positioned under the one or more pictures; and

a capacitive touch screen positioned over the one or more pictures.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio storage circuit stores a plurality of audio messages, wherein each message corresponds to a particular position on the one or more pictures, wherein a pointer is associated with each of the plurality of audio messages, wherein, in response to the position sensitive device sensing that a user has touched the picture frame at a point in proximity to one of the particular positions on the one or more pictures, the pointer associated with the audio message that corresponds to the particular position is provided to the audio storage circuit, wherein, in response to the pointer being provided to the audio storage circuit, the audio message that corresponds to the particular position is played through the speaker.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio storage circuit comprises a memory device selected from the group consisting of:

an analog memory;

a digital memory; and

a digital analog storage device.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of audio messages are stored in the audio storage circuit, wherein each of the plurality of audio messages correspond to a particular position on the one or more pictures, wherein a particular audio message is played through the speaker in response to the position sensitive device sensing a user touch at a position corresponding to the particular position on the one or more pictures.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of audio messages are stored in the audio storage circuit, wherein the plurality of audio messages correspond to a particular position on the one or more pictures, wherein a first one of the plurality of audio messages is played through the speaker in response to a first sensing of the position sensitive device of a user touch at a position corresponding to the particular position on the one or more pictures, wherein a second one of the plurality of audio messages is played through the speaker in response to a second sensing of the position sensitive device of a user touch at a position corresponding to the particular position on the one or more pictures.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the audio storage circuit stores position sensitive audio messages that correspond to particular positions on the one or more pictures and also stores a non-position sensitive audio message that does not correspond to particular positions on the one or more pictures, wherein the non-position sensitive message is played through the speaker in response to the position sensing device sensing a user touch of a position that is not a particular position on the one or more pictures.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising an audio input circuit coupled to the audio storage circuit and the voice recognition device, wherein one or more audio messages corresponding to one or more audio commands are recorded in the audio storage circuit by inputting the one or more audio messages to the audio input circuit and inputting one or more audio commands to the voice recognition device, wherein the one or more audio messages correspond to the one or more audio commands.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the audio storage circuit stores a plurality of audio messages, wherein the control circuit comprises a logic circuit, wherein the logic circuit stores a pointer corresponding to each of the plurality of audio messages, wherein, in response to the voice recognition device sensing an audio command corresponding to a particular audio message, the logic circuit provides the pointer corresponding to the particular audio message to the audio storage circuit, wherein in response thereto the particular audio message is played through the speaker.

18. An apparatus for displaying one or more pictures and for playing audio messages associated with the one or more pictures, comprising:

a frame for displaying the one or more pictures;

an audio storage circuit attached to the frame, wherein the audio storage circuit stores audio messages associated with the one or more pictures;

a voice recognition device attached to the frame and coupled to the audio storage circuit for initiating the playing of audio messages stored in the audio storage circuit, wherein the voice recognition device senses audio commands provided by a user, wherein particular audio commands are associated with particular audio messages;

a speaker connected to the frame and coupled to the audio storage circuit for playing the audio messages; and

a control circuit coupled to the audio storage circuit and the voice recognition device, wherein an audio message associated with a particular audio command is played through the speaker in response to the voice recognition device sensing the particular audio command.

22. In a picture frame for displaying one or more pictures and for storing one or more audio messages associated with one or more particular positions on the one or more pictures, the picture frame also having a voice recognition device, a method comprising the steps of:

storing a first audio message in an audio storage circuit;

storing a first audio command in the voice recognition device, wherein the first audio command corresponds to the first audio message;

sensing with the voice recognition device whether a user has provided the first audio command; and

playing the first audio message through a speaker when the voice recognition device has sensed that the user has provided the first audio command.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

storing a second audio message in the audio storage circuit;

storing a second audio command in the voice recognition device, wherein the second audio command corresponds to the second audio message;

sensing with the voice recognition device whether a user has provided the second audio command; and

playing the second audio message through a speaker when the voice recognition device has sensed that the user has provided the second audio command.