Interactive voice controlled copier apparatus

• US 6,253,184 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1998
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jon Ruppert
• Original Assignee: Jon Ruppert
• Inventors: Ruppert, Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Application Number:
  US09/212,327
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 704/275, 704/270, 704/272, 704/231, 704/200
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5016 User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00122 using speech synthesis or voice recognition

Abstract

A photocopying machine provides the typical capabilities of paper storage, transport reproduction and copy outputting. An electrical circuit stores a plurality of English language inventory human voice commands and a plurality of machine voice responses. A microphone receives each action-request human voice command compares each action-request human voice command with each one of the inventory human voice commands in turn until a match is found and then selects each machine voice response, from the plurality of machine voice responses, corresponding to each said match. An audible message is generated corresponding to each selected machine voice response. When a complete command is received the copying machine responds accordingly.

Claims

1. A copier apparatus comprising:

a copying machine providing means for storing copier paper, means for positioning a master document having a master document image to be copied, means for moving at least one piece of the copier paper from the storing means to a means for copying, means for establishing a permanent image of the master document image onto the at least one piece of the copier paper so as to produce at least one copy of the master document, and means for moving the at least one copy to a means for storing copies;

means for storing a plurality of inventory human voice commands and a plurality of machine voice responses as digitized data sets;

means for receiving an action-request human voice command;

means for comparing said action-request human voice command with each one of the inventory human voice commands in turn until a match is found;

means for selecting a machine voice response, from the plurality of machine voice responses, corresponding to each said match;

means for generating an audible message corresponding to each selected machine voice response;

means for operating the copying machine in response to the action-request human voice command.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a means for selecting a human language for operating the copying machine and still further comprising a means for correlating each of the action-request human voice commands spoken in a selected non-English language with the plurality of inventory human voice commands.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a means for generating each audible message corresponding to each selected machine voice response in the selected non-English language.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a means for locking-out all human voice commends not preceded by a security code input.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the locking-out means is a voice print of a users name.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the voice print is an optical image of the users name displayed in the frequency domain.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a means for manual input of commands.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a means for receiving, storing and functionally using an electronic reproduction of the master document.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a means for receiving, storing and functionally using an optical reproduction of the master document.

10. A method of operating a copier apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a copying machine having a means for storing copier paper, means for positioning a master document having a master document image to be copied, means for moving at least one piece of the copier paper from the storing means to a means for copying, means for establishing a permanent image of the master document image onto the at least one piece of the copier paper so as to produce at least one copy of the master document, and means for moving the at least one copy to a means for storing copies;

b) storing a plurality of English language inventory human voice commands and a plurality of machine voice responses;

c) receiving an action-request human voice command;

d) comparing said action-request human voice command with each one of the inventory human voice commands in turn until a match is found;

e) selecting a machine voice response, from the plurality of machine voice responses, corresponding to said match;

f) generating an audible message corresponding to said selected machine voice response;

g) repeating steps b-f until an action is identified; and

h) causing the copying machine to carry out said action.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of selecting a human language for operating the copying machine and still further comprising the step of correlating each of the action-request human voice commands spoken in a selected non-English language with the plurality of inventory human voice commands.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of generating each audible message corresponding to each selected machine voice response in the selected non-English language.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of locking-out all human voice commends not preceded by a security code input.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the locking-out step uses a voice print of a users name.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the voice print is an optical image of the users name displayed in the frequency domain and the locking-out step utilizes an optical comparison method.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising a step of manually inputting commands.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising a step of receiving, storing and functionally using an electronic reproduction of the master document.

18. The method of claim 10 further comprising a step of receiving, storing and functionally using an optical reproduction of the master document.