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EPA-Patent auf Sprachlernsysteme aller Art
- To: swpat@ffii.org
- Subject: EPA-Patent auf Sprachlernsysteme aller Art
- From: PILCH Hartmut <phm@a2e.de>
- Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 21:24:07 +0100 (CET)
- cc: debate@fitug.de
- Comment: This message comes from the debate mailing list.
- Sender: owner-debate@fitug.de
EP0461127
Interactive language learning system --
AMERICAN LANGUAGE ACADEMY (US)
phm: Dieses Patent deckt alle Systeme ab, die dem Sprachlernenden
erlauben, ein Stueck Text auszuwaehlen, selber vorzulesen und das
Vorgelesene danach mit einer digital gespeicherten oder synthetisierten
Muttersprachler-Version zu vergleichen. Damit ist diese ganze Branche
Patentiert. Natuerlich kommen noch, aehnlich wie beim zuvor hier
zitierten Patent "Erzeugung von Einkaufszetteln nach Kochrezept", allerlei
Verfeinerungen hinzu, die aber weder mit Naturkraeften noch mit
Programmiermethoden zusammenhaengen. Letzteres gilt alles als
selbstverstaendliches Handwerkszeug. Patentiert ist nur das
Organisationsverfahren selbst.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An interactive language learning system comprising: storing means
for storing a digitized speech version of a passage of language and
for also storing a digital data textual version of said same passage;
a display for displaying text corresponding to said passage; selecting
means operatively connected to said display and to said storing means
and operable by a user for selecting a portion of said passage, and
for causing the portion of said stored digital data textual version
corresponding to said selected passage portion to be displayed as text
on said display; and speech processing means for: selecting the
portion of said stored digitized speech version corresponding to said
selected portion of said passage, converting said selected digitized
speech version portion to audio signals for use in generating speech
sounds, converting audio signals representing user speech into
digitized speech signals representing said user speech, and
subsequently reconverting said digitized speech signals representing
said user speech to audio signals for use in generating further speech
sounds so as to permit said user to listen to and compare his own
speech with a spoken version of said passage corresponding to said
stored digitized speech version.
2. A system as in claim 1 wherein: said system further includes a
transducer which converts user speech to audio signals; said speech
processing means includes means connected to said transducer for
converting said audio signals to digitized speech signals and for
temporarily storing said digitized speech signals; said display also
displays a symbol; and said system further includes user input means
for permitting said user to (i) select said portion of said passage by
manipulating the position of said symbol displayed by said display
with respect to said displayed text, and (ii) control said speech
processing means to rapidly alternate (a) converting said temporarily
stored digitized speech signals representing his own speech to audio
signals, and (b) converting said digitized speech signals
corresponding to said selected portion of said passage to audio
signals so as to alternately generate sounds corresponding to said
user's speech and sounds corresponding to said stored digitized speech
version.
3. A system as in claim 1 wherein: said speech processing means
generates processor interrupts; and said system further includes
interrupt means for reading said digitized speech version from said
storing means for conversion to audio signals by said speech
processing means in response to said generated processor interrupts.
4. A system as in claim 1 wherein: said selecting means includes means
for selecting the position and length of a portion of said passage;
said speech processing means includes further selecting means for
selecting only those portions of said stored digitized speech version
corresponding to said selected passage portion; and said speech
processing means also includes means for converting only said selected
stored digitized speech version portions to audio signals.
5. A system as in claim 1 wherein said first-mentioned selecting means
comprises cursor control means manipulable by said user for selecting
portions of said text displayed by said display and for thereby
selecting corresponding portions of said stored digitized speech
version for conversion to audio signals.
6. A system as in claim 5 further including means connected to said
cursor control means and to said display for causing said selected
text portions displayed by said display to have a different displayed
appearance than the non-selected displayed text portions.
7. A system as in claim 5 wherein said system further includes text
display selection means, manipulable by said user and operatively
connected to said display, for alternately selecting: (a) display of
only said selected text portions, and (b) display of the entire
textual version of said passage including said selected text portion.
8. A system as in claim 1 wherein said speech processing means
includes means for converting between audio signals and adaptive
differential pulse code modulation encoded digitized speech signals
representing said audio signals.
9. An interactive language learning system comprising: means for
providing digitized speech signals representing a sequence of spoken
phrases having an initial order; re-ordering means connected to said
providing means for re-ordering said plural phrases into a sequence
having an order different from said initial order; symbol display
means connected to said re-ordering means for associating a symbol
with each of said plural phrases and for presenting a display of said
symbols in said re-ordered sequence; input means operatively connected
to said re-ordering means and operable by a user for permitting said
user to further re-order said plural phrases into a still further
order and to thus change the order in which said symbols are presented
by said symbol display means; speech processing means connected to
said providing means and to said re-ordering means for converting said
digitized speech signals to audio speech signals in said re-ordered
sequence so as to generate spoken versions of said phrases in said
re-ordered sequence; and testing means connected to said input means
for comparing the user-selected re-ordered sequence with said initial
order.
10. A system as in claim 9 wherein: said input means includes means
for selecting any one of said symbols; and said speech processing
means is also connected to said user input means and to said symbol
display means and includes means for converting the stored digitized
speech associated with said selected symbol to audio signals.
11. A system as in claim 9 wherein: said symbol display means
includes: a left-hand display column which displays said symbols in
said first-mentioned re-ordered sequence, and a right-hand display
column which displays said symbols in said user-specified further
order; and said input means includes means for moving said symbols
from said left-hand display column to said right-hand display column
in response to user commands.
12. A system as in claim 11 wherein said speech processing means is
also connected to said user input means and includes means for
generating sounds corresponding to said phrases in said initial order.
13. A system as in claim 9 wherein said speech processing means is
also connected to said user input means and includes means for
selecting a starting point within said re-ordered sequence, said
selected starting point being different from the beginning of said
sequence, and for converting said corresponding digitized speech
signals to audio signals in said initial order of said phrases
beginning from said starting point so as to provide audible speech
corresponding to less than said entire sequence of phrases.
14. An interactive language lesson composing system comprising:user
input means for inputting characters in response to user manipulation
thereof; display means for displaying said inputted characters;
storing means for storing digital data; word processing means
connected to said user input means, said display means and said
storing means, for permitting said user to input and edit a main text
display format, for causing said storing means to store said main text
display format, for permitting said user to input and edit a secondary
text display format, and for causing said storing means to store said
secondary text display format; selecting means connected to said user
input means, said display means and said storing means for permitting
said user to select plural portions of said main text display format;
and speech processing means connected to receive an audio signal for
converting said audio signal to digitized speech and for causing said
storing means to store said digitized speech in discrete segments,
each of said discrete segments being associated with a different one
of said plural selected main text display format portions.
15. An interactive language learning system comprising: user input
means for inputting characters in response to user manipulation
thereof; display means for displaying said inputted characters;
storing means for storing digitized speech corresponding to a text
passage and for also storing a textual version of said text passage;
speech processing means connected to said storing means for converting
said digitized speech to audio signals; and comparing means connected
to said input means for comparing said user inputted characters to
said stored textual version of said text passage.
16. A system as in claim 15 further including means responsive to said
stored text passage and to said input means and also connected to said
display means for: controlling said display means to display only
those user inputted characters which said comparing means reveals
correspond to the characters of said stored text passage and to also
display punctuation and spaces found in said stored text passage so as
to relieve said user from having to input said punctuation and spaces.
17. An interactive language learning system comprising: means for
providing digitized speech signals representing a sequence of spoken
phrases having an initial order; re-ordering means connected to said
providing means for re-ordering said plural phrases into a sequence
having an order different from said initial order; user input means
operatively connected to said re-ordering means and operable by a user
for permitting said user to further re-order said plural phrases into
a user-specified order; and speech processing means, connected to said
providing means and to said re-ordering means and responsive to said
digitized speech signals, for generating audible versions of said
phrases so as to provide audible cues to said user.
18. An interactive language learning system as in claim 17 further
including a display for displaying symbols representing said plural
phrases in at least said user-specified order.
19. An interactive language learning system comprising: random access
storing means for storing digitized speech signals representing a
sequence of plural speech phonemes; display means for displaying the
text corresponding to said plural phonemes; user input means,
operatively connected to said storing means and to said display means
and operable by a user, for permitting said user to specify a
sub-sequence of said speech phoneme sequence by delimiting
corresponding text; and speech processing means, connected to said
storing means and to said user input means and responsive to said
stored digitized speech signals, for generating audible versions of
phonemes in said user-specified sub-sequence.
20. An interactive language learning system as in claim 19 further
including: means for converting audio signals representing user speech
into digitized speech signals representing said user speech and for
subsequently reconverting said speech signals representing said user
speech to audio signals so as to permit said user to listen to and
compare his own speech with said audible versions of phonemes in said
user-specified sub-sequence.
21. An interactive language learning system as in claim 19 wherein
said user input means includes pointing symbol means operatively
coupled to said display means for causing at least one pointing symbol
to be displayed on said display at a position relative to said
displayed test that is specified by said user, said pointing symbol
means indicating said specified sub-sequence.
22. An interactive language learning system comprising: a storage
device which stores digitized speech signals representing a sequence
of speech phrases; a display capable of displaying symbols
corresponding to said phrases; a user input device operatively
connected to said storing means and to said display means and operable
by a user; a speech processing circuit, connected to said storage
device and to said user input device and responsive to said stored
digitized speech signals, said speech processing circuit generating
audible versions of said phrases in response to said digitized speech
signals, said speech processing circuit also converting user speech
into further digitized speech signals and generating audible versions
of said user speech in response to said further digitized speech
signals; and a processor operatively coupled to said display, said
user input device and said speech processing circuit, said processor
being preprogrammed so as to selectively perform at least the
following functions: (a) a lab function in which said processor
controls said speech processing circuit to alternately generate
audible versions of said stored digitized speech signals and said
further user-speech digitized speech signals so as to permit the user
to compare his own pronunciation with the pronunciation specified by
said stored digitized speech signals, (b) a clip function in which
said processor permits said user to specify subsequences of said
speech phrases sequence and controls said speech processing circuit to
generate an audible version of said subsequences, and (c) a sound sort
function in which said processor controls said display to present said
symbols in an order different from the order specified by said
sequence, permits said user to re-order said presented symbols, and
controls said speech processing circuit to generate audible versions
of said phrases.
23. An interactive language learning system as in claim 22 wherein
said processor in said clip function controls said speech processing
circuit to alternately generate audible versions of said stored
digitized speech signals and said further user-speech digitized speech
signals so as to permit said user to listen to and compare his own
speech with said audible versions of said user-specified sub-sequence.
24. An interactive language learning system as in claim 22 wherein
saidprocessor in said sound sort function permits said user to compare
said re-ordered sequence with said initial order specified by said
sequence.
25. An interactive language learning system comprising: a storage
device which stores digitized speech signals representing a sequence
of speech phrases; a display capable of displaying symbols
corresponding to said phrases; a user input device operatively
connected to said storing means and to said display means and operable
by a user; a speech processing circuit, connected to said storage
device and to said user input device and responsive to said stored
digitized speech signals, said speech processing circuit generating
audible versions of said phrases in response to said digitized speech
signals, said speech processing circuit also converting user speech
into further digitized speech signals and generating audible versions
of said user speech in response to said further digitized speech
signals; and a data processor including the following: means for
controlling said speech processing circuit to alternately generate
audible versions of said stored digitized speech signals and said
further user-speech digitized speech signals so as to permit the user
to compare his own pronunciation with the pronunciation specified by
said stored digitized speech signals, means for permitting said user
to specify subsequences of said speech phrases sequence and for
controlling said speech processing circuit to generate an audible
version of said subsequences, and means for controlling said display
to present said symbols in an order different from the order specified
by an initial sequence, for permitting said user to re-order said
presented symbols, for controlling said speech processing circuit to
generate audible versions of said phrases, and for permitting said
user to audibly and/or visually compare said re-ordered sequence with
said initial sequence.
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Data supplied from the esp@cenet database - l2