Method and means of voice control of a computer, including its mouse and keyboard

• US 6,668,244 B1
• Filed: 07/18/1996
• Issued: 12/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Quartet Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Quartet Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Clough, Robert, Rourke, Michael, Brackett, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, VIJAY B
• Application Number:
  US08/683,824
• Time in Patent Office: 2,714 Days
• Field of Search: 395/2.84, 395/500, 704/270, 704/275, 704/235, 364/188, 364/146, 364/708, 364/900, 700/83, 707/104, 707/1, 707/17, 709/100, 709/107, 709/318, 709/328, 709/238, 709/320, 703/13, 712/35
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

New method and means for controlling the environment of disabled individuals through their voice, which includes the operation of lights or any number of appliances and a personal computer wherein the keyboard and the mouse are separately controlled by voice commands, without interference with normal application, (including dictation programs), operating within the computer. Effectively the voice control provides parallel mouse and keyboard commands with normal mouse and keyboard commands.

Claims

1. A method of voice control of a personal computer comprising of the steps of:

intercepting an output of a keyboard and a mouse of said personal computer before said output enters said personal computer;

passing said intercepted output of said keyboard and said mouse to said personal computer through a predetermined input to said personal computer;

receiving, through a microphone, an audio signal including at least one voice mouse command, wherein said voice mouse command includes indication of a movement of a cursor displayed on a monitor of said personal computer, wherein said indication in said voice mouse command of said movement of said cursor is with respect to a locus on said monitor of said personal computer that is a current location of said cursor, wherein said indication in said voice mouse command of said movement of said cursor includes a number, wherein said number is one of a plurality of numbers, each of said plurality of numbers associated with a respective one of a plurality of predetermined positions within a circular map representing positions surrounding said locus on said monitor of said personal computer;

causing, through said predetermined input to said personal computer, said cursor to move from said locus towards one of said plurality of predetermined positions within said circular map associated with said number in said voice mouse command.