Voice guidance system and voice guidance method using the same

• US 20060116884A1
• Filed: 06/16/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Michihiro, Noguchi, Nozomi, Itaki, Kanji
• Granted Patent: US 8,548,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/271
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A voice guidance system for providing a guidance by voice concerning operations of an information processing apparatus, comprises a detector that detects that a predetermined function of the information processing apparatus is disabled, and a voice guidance unit that outputs a voice message reporting a reason why the predetermined function of the information processing apparatus is disabled, in response to the detection output of the detector.

Claims

1. A voice guidance system for providing a guidance by voice concerning operations of an information processing apparatus, comprising:

a detector that detects that a predetermined function of the information processing apparatus is disabled; and

a voice guidance unit that outputs a voice message reporting a reason why the predetermined function of the information processing apparatus is disabled, in response to the detection output of the detector.

2. The voice guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises:

an optional function detector that detects that an optional function is added to or removed from the information processing apparatus;

a user'"'"'s operation detector that detects a user'"'"'s operation performed on the information processing apparatus by a user; and

a determining unit that determines, upon detection of the user'"'"'s operation by the user'"'"'s operation detector, whether the user'"'"'s operation is acceptable or not, with reference to a detection result by the optional function detector,

wherein the voice guidance unit synthesizes voice guidance information indicating the disabled function and the reason thereof based on a result of determination of the determining unit, and outputs the synthesized voice guidance information by voice.

3. The voice guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises:

a user'"'"'s operation detector that detects a user'"'"'s operation performed on the information processing apparatus by a user; and

a determining unit that determines, upon detection of the user'"'"'s operation by the user'"'"'s operation detector, whether the user'"'"'s operation is acceptable or not,

wherein the voice guidance unit synthesizes voice guidance information indicating the disabled function and the reason thereof based on a result of determination of the determining unit, and outputs the synthesized voice guidance information by voice.

4. The voice guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises:

a job memory detector that detects a connection of a job memory storage device in which setting information of a predetermined function is prestored; and

a determining unit that determines, upon detection of the connection of the job memory storage device by the job memory detector, whether the function registered in the job memory storage device is executable or not,

wherein the voice guidance unit synthesizes voice guidance information indicating the disabled function and the reason thereof based on a result of determination of the determining unit, and outputs the synthesized voice guidance information by voice.

5. The voice guidance system according to claim 1, wherein, when a failure of high level of urgency and importance has occurred, the voice guidance unit outputs a voice guidance reporting the failure in preference to a voice guidance that is output in response to the detection output of the detector.

6. The voice guidance system according to claim 1, wherein, when a failure of high level of urgency and importance has occurred, the voice guidance unit outputs voice guidance reporting the failure in a different way of reading out the message from that of other voice guidance that is output in response to the detection output of the detector.

7. A voice guidance method for a voice guidance system that provides a guidance by voice concerning operations of an information processing apparatus, comprising:

detecting, by a detector, that a function of the information processing apparatus is disabled; and

outputting, by a voice guidance unit, a voice guidance indicating the reason why the function of the information processing apparatus is disabled in response to the detection output of the detector.

8. The voice guidance method according to claim 7, wherein the detecting by the detector comprises:

detecting that an optional function is added to or removed from the information processing apparatus;

detecting a user'"'"'s operation performed on the information processing apparatus by a user; and

determining, upon detection of the user'"'"'s operation, whether the user'"'"'s operation is acceptable or not, with reference to a result of the detection as to whether an optional function is added to or removed from the information processing apparatus,

wherein the outputting of the voice guidance by the voice guidance unit comprises;

synthesizing voice guidance information indicating the disabled function and the reason thereof based on a result of determination of the determining unit; and

outputting the synthesized voice guidance information by voice.

9. The voice guidance method according to claim 7, wherein the detecting by the detector comprises:

detecting a user'"'"'s operation performed on the information processing apparatus by a user; and

determining, upon detection of the user'"'"'s operation, whether the user'"'"'s operation is acceptable or not,

wherein the outputting of the voice guidance by the voice guidance unit comprises;

synthesizing voice guidance information indicating the disabled function and the reason thereof based on a result of determination of the determining unit; and

outputting the synthesized voice guidance information by voice.

10. The voice guidance method according to claim 7, wherein the detecting by the detector comprises:

detecting a connection of a job memory storage device in which setting information of a predetermined function is prestored; and

determining, upon detection of the connection of the job memory storage device by the job memory detector, whether the function registered in the job memory storage device is executable or not,

wherein the outputting of the voice guidance by the voice guidance unit comprises;

synthesizing voice guidance information indicating the disabled function and the reason thereof based on a result of determination of the determining unit; and

outputting the synthesized voice guidance information by voice.

11. The voice guidance system according to claim 7, wherein, when a failure of high level of urgency and importance has occurred, the outputting of the voice guidance by the voice guidance unit comprises outputting a voice guidance reporting the failure in preference to a voice guidance that is output in response to the detection output of the detector.

12. The voice guidance system according to claim 7, wherein, when a failure of high level of urgency and importance has occurred, the outputting of the voice guidance by the voice guidance unit comprises outputting a voice guidance reporting the failure in a different way of reading out the message from that of other voice guidance that is output in response to the detection output of the detector.