Speech translation system utilizing holographic data storage medium

• US 6,978,240 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gregory R. Brotz
• Original Assignee: Gregory R. Brotz
• Inventors: Brotz, Gregory R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harper, V. Paul
• Application Number:
  US10/061,843
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 704/3, 704/8, 704/206, 704/278, 704/241, 704/251, 704/254, 704/270, 704/275, 704/277
• US Class Current: 704/277
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/06 Transformation of speech into a non-audible representation, e.g. speech visualisation or speech processing for tactile aids G10L15/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A speech translation system and method are disclosed utilizing a holographic storage medium having a plurality of frames therein, each frame containing one or more discrete speech wave forms thereon for comparison with a spoken word wave form to select a wave form of a second language of equivalent meaning which through a digital audio player can be made audible for speech translation.

Claims

1. A speech translation system, comprising:

means to obtain a spoken word segment wave form from a user speaking in a first language;

a holographic storage medium containing a plurality of accessible frames, each frame depicting a first speech wave form representing a first language segment and at least one other wave form representing a second language segment, said other wave form having the same meaning as said first language segment;

means to compare said spoken word wave form with said wave forms scanned within said holographic storage medium corresponding to said first language segment;

means to read said selected frame of said first language in the area of said frame having the language segment depiction in said second language;

means to synthesize a language segment from said scanned second language area on said selected frame to produce an audible word in said second language of equivalent meaning to said word in said first language;

an object beam passing through said holographic storage medium;

a movable reference beam scanning said holographic storage medium, said reference beam able to make detectable a selected frame;

a first wave display suitable for displaying said spoken word segment wave form;

means for scanning said first wave display and said selected frame within said holographic storage medium for detecting when said wave form of said first wave display matches a scanned wave form within said holographic storage medium; and

said object beam passing, respectively, through said first wave display and said selected frame from said holographic storage medium to be detected by said means to read said selected frame in the area of said second language depiction, said object beam carrying said selected frame area of said second language depiction to said means to read said selected frame of said holographic storage medium.

2. The speech translation system of claim 1 wherein said means to read said area of said selected frame within said holographic storage medium comprises:

a CCD device receiving said object beam; and

wherein said means to synthesize said language segment from said scanned second language area comprises a digital audio player.