Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – Synthesis
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-30
2001-07-03
{haeck over (S)}mits, T{overscore (a)}livaldis I. (Department: 2641)
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
Synthesis
C704S270000, C704S231000, C382S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06256610
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to reading machines which are used as part of a remedial reading program to assist individuals with learning disabilities or severe visual impairments or blindness.
Reading machines have been used to improve the educational attainment of individuals with learning disabilities. They have also been used by persons having visual impairment or blindness. Reading machines often include a personal computer having specialized software that provides a reading machine function to the computer. In addition, the reading machines include other PC type components such as a monitor, an audio system, a disk or mass storage device, and a keyboard. In general, reading machines for blind persons may not include a monitor and pointing device, whereas those for individuals with learning disabilities will include a monitor and printing device. In general, specialized software processes an input source document and generates synthetic speech to enable a user to hear the computer read through the document a word, line, sentence etc. at a time. Often these reading machines include a scanner to provide one technique to input source documents to the reader.
Often input source documents such as those which have been scanned by a scanner or text documents include headers and footers on each page or odd pages and so forth. When a reading machine synthesizes speech for such input source documents it will synthesize speech corresponding to the headers and footers. Thus, if a header and a footer exists on each page, the header and footer will be read each time it is encountered. Moreover, for headers and footers that contain page numbers, speech corresponding to the page numbers will be synthesized each time that the page number is encountered. For a user of a reading machine this could be annoying.
SUMMARY
According to an aspect of the invention, a method of operating a reading machine includes retrieving a page of text, determining if the page of text includes a header or a footer, and synthesizing speech to read the page of text to a user of the reading machine.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, a computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for avoiding headers/footers while synthesizing speech for a reading machine includes instructions for causing the reading machine to retrieve a page of text and determine if the page of text includes a header or a footer. The computer program product will include instructions to synthesize speech to read the page of text to a user of the reading machine.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, a method of operating a reading machine includes determining if text in regions of a document correspond to text of a header or a footer and synthesizing speech to read the document aloud to a user of the reading machine, while ignoring those portions of the document that correspond to a header or footer.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, a computer program product residing on a computer readable medium for avoiding headers/footers while synthesizing speech for a reading machine includes instructions for causing the reading machine to determine if text in regions of a document correspond to text of a header or a footer and synthesize speech to read the document aloud to a user of the reading machine, while ignoring those portions of the document that correspond to a header or footer.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, a reading machine includes a computer system including a processor and a computer storage medium. The computer storage medium includes a computer program including instructions that cause the processor to determine if text in regions of a document correspond to text of a header or a footer and synthesize speech to read the document aloud to a user of the reading machine, while ignoring those portions of the document that correspond to a header or footer. The reading machine also includes an audio system including speakers to transduce the converted text into speech that is read aloud to the user.
One or more of the following advantages are provided by one or more aspects of the invention. The header/footer avoidance filter will ignore headers and/or footers that exist in the document, or will ignore those that have been previously synthesized by the speech synthesizer, but will synthesize speech for the first time that the header and/or footer is encountered in the document.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5091931 (1992-02-01), Milewski
patent: 5572625 (1996-11-01), Raman et al.
patent: 5634084 (1997-05-01), Malsheen et al.
patent: 5699486 (1997-12-01), Tullis et al.
patent: 5850629 (1998-12-01), Holm et al.
patent: 5893901 (1999-04-01), Maki
patent: 5903867 (1999-05-01), Watari et al.
Bromberg & Sunstein LLP
Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V.
Nolan Daniel A.
{haeck over (S)}mits T{overscore (a)}livaldis I.
LandOfFree
Header/footer avoidance for reading system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Header/footer avoidance for reading system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Header/footer avoidance for reading system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2477003