EP0901000A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Message processing system and method for processing messages
Assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
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Filing: 1998-07-30
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2018-07-30
Abstract
Abstract A message processing device is adapted to obtain text data and read aloud the text data aloud by using a voice synthesizer. A loudspeaker device (16) is connected to the message processing device to output or read aloud the text data. The text data can be received through a receiving device (11) that receives outside information data or e-mail message data. The voice synthesizer (17) can be controlled by an outside information controller (13), with the outside information controller being able to distinguish senders of the text data and being able to select one voice tone data to read aloud messages sent by one sender. If the controller (13) recognizes that there are other messages sent by another sender, the controller (13) allots different voice tone data for the other sender's messages. The message processing device (33) can include a voice navigation device (34) to generate voice signals for giving route guidance messages or information to a driver of a vehicle. The voice tone used for the route guidance message is preferably different from the voice tone used to read aloud the outside information message. It is thus possible for the driver to recognize the source or senders of different messages being read aloud. It is also possible to adjust the output timing of the route guidance message and the outside information message.
Inventors
- 👤 Taizo Asaoka
- 👤 Naoki Maeda
- 👤 Hiroyuki Kanemitsu
- 👤 Masanobu Yamashita
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 05:52
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01C; G01C21/00; G01C21/26; G01C21/34; G01C21/36; G01C21/3626; G01C21/3629; G10; G10L; G10L13/00; G10L13/02; G10L13/033
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
112 words
A message processing device comprising: receiving means (12) for receiving sent messages; a voice tone memory (21) for storing a plurality of different voice tones; allotting means (20) for allotting one of said plurality of different voice tones
stored in the voice tone memory (21) to at least one message received by said
receiving means (12) and for allotting a different one of said plurality of different
voice tones stored in the voice tone memory (21) to another message received by said
receiving means (12); voice reading means (19) for reading said at least one message in the one
voice tone and for reading said another message in the different voice tone.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
84 words
A message processing device in accordance with Claim 1, wherein
said receiving means (12) receives electronic messages from outside, and said
allotting means (20) includes sorting means (13) for sorting all electronic messages
received by said receiving means (12) into groups, with each group containing
electronic messages sent by a common sender, said allotting means (20) allotting one
voice tone to each of the messages in one group and allotting a different voice tone to
each of the messages in another of the groups.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
A message processing device in accordance with Claim 2, wherein a
sender's address data is associated with each of the electronic messages received by
the receiving means (12), said sorting means (13) being adapted to detect the address
data of each electronic message and sort the electronic messages based on the sender's
address data.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
51 words
A message processing device in accordance with Claim 1, including
means (13) for comparing the number of voice tones stored in the voice tone memory
(21) with the number of different senders associated with the received messages, the
voice-reading means (19) reading aloud messages sequentially without using the same
voice tone.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
93 words
A message processing device in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the
allotting means (20) allots one voice tone to all messages received from the same
sender, and including means (13) for memorizing an assigned relation between one
voice tone and one sender after the allotting means (20) has assigned a voice tone to
said one sender, means (13) for prioritizing use of a voice tone for all subsequent
messages received from the one sender after said memorizing means (13) has
memorized the assigned relation between the one voice tone and the one sender.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
58 words
A message processing device for a vehicle, comprising: receiving means (32) for receiving outside information sent from outside; a navigation controller (34) for providing voice guidance information to
guide a driver of the vehicle; and means for allotting (33) one voice tone for the outside information and for
allotting a different voice tone for the voice guidance information.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
66 words
A message processing device in accordance with Claim 6, including
reading aloud means (33,34) for reading aloud the outside information in said one
voice tone and for reading aloud the guidance information in said different voice tone,
and means (33,34) for controlling said reading aloud means to interrupt the reading
aloud of the electrical information and to read aloud the guidance information at a
specified time.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
A message processing device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said
voice reading means (19) reads a message sent from outside and a guidance message
related to positioning on a navigation, and said sorting means (13) sorts the message
sent from outside and the guidance message related to positioning on the navigation
into groups.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
106 words
A message processing device for a vehicle, comprising: receiving means (32) for receiving outside information sent from outside; voice tone memorizing means (39)for storing a plurality of different voice
tones; voice reading means (33,34) for reading aloud said outside information by
using one voice tone stored in said voice tone memorizing means (39); a voice navigator (34) for providing voice guidance information to a driver;
and adjusting means (33) for adjusting an output timing of when the voice
guidance information is read aloud and when the electrical information is read aloud
to prevent the voice guidance information and the electrical information from being
read aloud simultaneously.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
54 words
A message processing method, comprising: receiving messages sent from outside; allotting one voice tone to at least one of said messages and allotting a
different voice tone to a different message; reading aloud said at least one message in said one voice tone; and reading aloud said different message in said different voice tone.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
71 words
A message processing method in accordance with Claim 10, wherein
said step of receiving messages sent from outside includes receiving electronic mail
messages from outside, and including sorting all received electronic mail messages
into groups with each group containing electronic mail messages sent by a common
sender, said step of allotting including allotting one voice to at least one of said groups
and allotting a different voice tone to another group.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
A message processing method in accordance with Claim 11, wherein
said electronic mail messages each have associated therewith address data indicating
an address of the sender, said step of sorting including sorting the electronic mail
messages into groups based on the address of the sender.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
96 words
A message processing method in accordance with Claim 10, wherein
said one voice tone is allotted from a plurality of voice tones stored in a voice tone
memory and said different voice tone is allotted from the plurality of voice tones
stored in the voice tone stored in the voice tone memory, and including comparing the number of voice tones stored in the voice tone
memory with the number of different senders of received messages, and including
reading aloud messages sequentially that are able to be read aloud without repeating
use of the same voice tone.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
92 words
A message processing method in accordance with Claim 10, wherein
said step of allotting one voice tone to the at least one message includes allotting the
one voice tone to a sender of the at least one message, and including memorizing an
assigned relation between the one voice tone and said sender after the one voice tone
has been allotted to the sender, and prioritizing allotment of said one voice tone to
messages received from said sender after the assigned relation between the one voice
tone and said sender has been memorized.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
55 words
A message processing method in accordance with Claim 11, wherein
said step of reading includes reading a message sent from outside and a guidance
message related to positioning on a navigation, and said step of sorting includes
sorting the message sent from outside and the guidance message related to positioning
on the navigation into groups.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
73 words
A message processing method for use in a vehicle, comprising: receiving outside information sent from outside; reading aloud said outside information; reading aloud voice guidance information to a driver of the vehicle to provide
guidance for driving the vehicle; adjusting a timing of when the outside information and the voice guidance
information are read aloud to prevent the outside information and the voice guidance
information from being read aloud at the same time.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
61 words
A computer readable medium including a message processing program
that performs the steps of: receiving a message from an outside source; reading aloud the message from the outside source using a first voice tone;
and reading aloud a message from a second source different from said outside
source using a second voice tone that is different from said first voice tone.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
61 words
A computer readable medium according to Claim 17, wherein the step
of reading aloud the message from the outside source includes reading aloud an
electronic message sent from a first sender and the step of reading aloud a message
from a second source includes reading aloud an electronic message sent from a second
sender that is different from the first sender.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
49 words
A computer readable medium according to Claim 17, wherein the step
of reading aloud the message from the outside source includes reading aloud an
electronic message sent from outside and the step of reading aloud a message from a
second source includes reading aloud a vehicle navigation guidance message.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
46 words
A computer readable medium according to Claim 17, wherein the
message processing program allots the first voice tone to said outside message prior to
reading aloud said outside message, and allots the second voice tone to said second
message prior to reading aloud said second message.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
89 words
A computer readable medium including a message processing program
that performs the steps of: receiving outside information messages sent from outside; reading aloud said outside information messages; reading aloud voice guidance information to a driver of a vehicle to provide
guidance information for driving the vehicle; and adjusting an output timing for reading aloud the outside information
messages and an output timing for reading aloud the voice guidance information to
prevent the outside information messages and the voice guidance information
messages from being read aloud at the same time.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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