Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – Recognition
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-01
2001-05-01
Dorvil, Richemond (Department: 2641)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
Recognition
C704S270000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226609
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a code image recording apparatus adapted to record speech entered through a microphone by printing it on a predetermined printing medium in the form of an optically readable code image and reproducing the entered speech by a speech output means such as a loudspeaker.
The assignee of the present patent application has proposed a recording apparatus for recording speech by printing it on a predetermined printing medium in the form of an optically readable code image of dot codes in EP 0,670,555 A1 (U.S. Ser. No. 08/407,018).
FIGS. 1A and 1B
of the accompanying drawings schematically illustrate the configuration of the physical format of dot codes to be used for the proposed recording apparatus. The code pattern
1
comprises a plurality of blocks
2
arranged two-dimensionally on a side by side basis. Each block
2
in turn comprises a data area
3
, markers
4
and a block address pattern
5
.
The data area
3
contains white dots and black dots representing respective data values of “0s” and “1s” that are assigned to each block as speech data and arranged according to a predetermined format of arrangement to produce a white dot image or a black dot image. The markers
4
are black markers arranged at the four corners of the block
12
to provide a reference point for detecting each dot in the data area
3
, each of the markers
4
being formed by a certain number of consecutively arranged black dots. The block address pattern
5
is arranged between adjacently located markers
4
to make the block
2
discriminable from other blocks
2
and contains white dots and black dots representing respective data values of “0s” and “1s” that are assigned to each block as address data including an error detecting or error correcting code. The vertical and horizontal lines connecting the dots in the drawing are used for the ease of understanding and they do not exist in real code images.
A system using dot codes arranged with the above described physical format provides an advantage that the original data can be restored by rearranging the data of the blocks according to their respective addresses if all the dot codes of the data covers an area greater than the area that can be taken by the solid state image sensing device of the image reader or, differently stated, if the entire dot codes of the data cannot be picked up by a single shot, provided that the address of each of the blocks is contained in any of the images taken by the image reader. Therefore, such a dot code system can store a huge volume of data on a single sheet of paper in a manner that can be acheived by no other known one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar code system so that speech data can be transmitted or transported in a simple manner by means of a recording medium such as paper. Thus, the dot code system may have a wide variety of applications that are not conceivable with known code systems.
The code image recording apparatus may be an ordinary printer or a label printer adapted to print and record optically readable dot codes continuously on label-like sheets of paper being fed also continuously along a given direction.
The use of a label printer for a code image recording apparatus is very promising because it is portable and easy to use and hence provides a broad opportunity of utilization.
However, label printers or not, known code image recording apparatuses have problems to be overcome before they get a high market value.
More specifically, when the user inputs speech through the speech input means such as microphone of a code image recording apparatus of the type under consideration, it may be important that the user can recognize the volume of speech he or she can input at a time. Likewise, it may be important the user can recognize the volume of speech that the apparatus can output when the speech input has to be confirmed by reproducing it through the speech output means of the apparatus such as loudspeaker. These and other requirements may be met only by improving certain aspects of the user interface.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above identified problem, it is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an improved code image recording apparatus of the type under consideration that is adapted to recording a speech entered through a microphone by printing it on a predetermined printing medium in the form of an optically readable code image and reproducing the entered speech by a speech output means such as a loudspeaker, where an improvement is made on the user interface to make the apparatus more friendly to the user.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a code image recording apparatus comprising:
speech input means for inputting speech;
code image converting means for converting the speech input by the speech input means into a code image of encoded data arranged according to a predetermined format;
a printer for printing the code image converted by the code image converting means on a predetermined printing medium as an optically readable image;
speech output means for outputting the speech input by the speech input means;
operation mode setting means for setting one of: (i) a speech input mode adapted to make the speech enterable through the speech input means in order to have the speech converted into the code image by the code image converting means, and (ii) a speech output mode adapted to make the speech input through the speech input means reproducible through the speech output means; and
display means for displaying a volume of speech data receivable and reproducible by the apparatus in the one of the speech input mode and speech output mode set by the operation mode setting means.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5923624 (1999-07-01), Groeger et al.
patent: 6009393 (1999-12-01), Sasaki
patent: 6043899 (2000-03-01), Morohashi et al.
patent: 0 670 555 A1 (1995-09-01), None
Armstrong Angela A.
Dorvil Richemond
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Olympus Optical Co,. Ltd.
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