EPA-Patent auf Sprachlernsysteme aller Art

[PILCH Hartmut <phm@a2e.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