Method and apparatus adapted for an audibly-driven, handheld, keyless and mouseless computer for performing a user-centered natural computer language

• US 5,408,582 A
• Filed: 05/05/1993
• Issued: 04/18/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ronald L. Colier
• Original Assignee: Ronald L. Colier
• Inventors: Colier, Ronald L.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doerrler, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US08/059,013
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 381/41-45, 381/110, 395/2.4-2.66
• US Class Current: 704/243
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention is a software driven methodology plus input processing circuit used to program a computer with instructions derived from user-spoken voice commands. Any "mathematical" or "logical" operation or combination of operations can be executed by a single user-spoken voice command. The hardware and software has two modes of operation, a training mode and an execute mode. In its training mode, the hardware is taught to correlate a specific operation or instruction displayed to the user, with his voice command. In its execution mode the software permits comparison of digital representations of received voice sounds with the stored digital representations of the voice commands. If the received sounds match one of the stored commands, the software creates the corresponding operations of the matched commands to be sent to the output circuitry for execution. The output circuitry similarly, translates the corresponding operations recalled by the software, into the proper analog, digital, or hybrid signals together with proper timing, etc., appropriate to the application of the invention, and performs the function requested.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user-defined computer language executed in a keyless and mouseless computer, for use in controlling a device, comprising the steps of:

sequentially displaying a first plurality of commands, said first plurality of commands comprising a minimum set of prestored instructions, said minimum set of instructions being a minimum number of instructions necessary for said user to perform all functions implementable by said computer with respect to an arbitrary problem to which said computer is applied;

contemporaneously and sequentially detecting a first plurality of audible commands, said first plurality of audible commands corresponding to said first plurality of displayed commands;

converting each of said detected audible commands into a digital signal;

storing each of said digital signals corresponding to said first plurality of audible commands to comprise a plurality of digital signals corresponding to said minimum number of instructions, termed the minimum instructions;

uniquely associating each of said digital signals with a predefined digital command stored in said computer to perform one of said minimum instructions, said first plurality of audible commands being uniquely associated with said first plurality of displayed commands and corresponding predefined digital commands without separate mouse or keyboard input and not dependent upon independently associating any language structure with any application software,

detecting a second plurality of audible commands, said second plurality of audible commands being arbitrarily determined by said user;

converting each of said detected second plurality of audible commands into a digital signal;

storing each of said digital signals corresponding to said second plurality of audible commands to comprise said user-defined computer language, so that said user-defined computer language begins to be structured by said digital signals corresponding to said second plurality of audible commands corresponding in turn to one or more of said minimum instructions;

detecting sequences which each include a new audible command from said second plurality, and more than one chosen audible command from the first and second pluralities, said sequences to be termed audible macrocommand creation sequences;

in response to each said audible macrocommand creation sequence, further associating said new audible command for that sequence with said ones of said minimum instructions associated with said chosen audible commands for that sequence;

recognizing said user'"'"'s repeat use of each of the audible commands in the second plurality, after said steps of associating, and

executing said minimum instructions associated with all recognized audible commands.

2. A keyless and mouseless computer, for use in controlling a device, comprising:

means for sequentially displaying a first plurality of commands, said first plurality of commands comprising a minimum set of prestored instructions, said minimum set of instructions being a minimum number of instructions necessary for said user to perform all functions implementable by said computer with respect to an arbitrary problem to which said computer is applied;

means for contemporaneously and sequentially detecting a first plurality of audible commands, said first plurality of audible commands corresponding to said first plurality of displayed commands;

means for converting each of said detected audible commands into a digital signal;

means for storing each of said digital signals corresponding to said first plurality of audible commands to comprise a plurality of digital signals corresponding to said minimum number of instructions, termed the minimum instructions;

means for uniquely associating each of said digital signals with a predefined digital command stored in said computer to perform one of said minimum instructions, said first plurality of audible commands being uniquely associated with said first plurality of displayed commands and corresponding predefined digital commands without separate mouse or keyboard input and not dependent upon independently associating any language structure with any application software;

means for detecting a second plurality of audible commands, said second plurality of audible commands being arbitrarily determined by said user;

means for converting each of said detected second plurality of audible commands into a digital signal;

means for storing each of said digital signals corresponding to said second plurality of audible commands to comprise said user-defined computer language, so that said user-defined computer language begins to be structured by said digital signals corresponding to said second plurality of audible commands corresponding in turn to one or more of said minimum instructions;

means for detecting sequences which each include a new audible command from said second plurality, and more than one chosen audible command from the first and second pluralities, said sequences to be termed audible macrocommand creation sequences;

means for, in response to each said audible macrocommand creation sequence, further associating said new audible command for that sequence with said ones of said minimum instructions associated with said chosen audible commands for that sequence;

means for recognizing said user'"'"'s repeat use of each of the audible commands in the second plurality, and

means for executing said minimum instructions associated with all recognized audible commands.