Audio-responsive visual display system incorporating audio and digital information segmentation and coordination

Claim 2

An audio and digital signal segmentation system comprising: means for generating an audio record of sequentially dictated audio segments including recording means for sequentially recording and playing out audio signals corresponding to the dictated audio segments; means for generating a digital identification signal corresponding to and identifying the relative sequence of each dictated audio segment; a plurality of transcriber stations, each station including audio playout means responsive to said recorded audio signals for providing corresponding sound output signals and text entry means for generating digital text signals; transfer means responsive to the recording means for transferring each audio segment to a transcriber station; buffer storage means responsive to each generated digital identification signal and to the generated digital text signals of each transcriber station for storing said identification signal in associated relationship with text signals generated at the transcriber station receiving the audio segment corresponding to said stored identification signal; and editing means including page storage means responsive to said buffer storage means for sequentially arranging said generated text signals in accordance with the sequential identification of the stored associated identification signal and for storing said arranged text signals in said page storage means.

Claim 3

The audio and digital signal segmentation system set forth in claim 1 further comprising: display means responsive to the page storage means and to the stored identification signals for displaying a visual representation of thE arranged text signals.

Claim 4

The audio and digital signal segmentation system set forth in claim 1 wherein said recording means include digital recording and playout means responsive to the means for generating a digital identification signal for recording said digital identification signal in spacial relationship with said corresponding audio signals and wherein said buffer storage means is responsive to said digital recording means.

Claim 5

The audio and digital signal segmentation system set forth in claim 1 further comprising: temporary display means responsive to the page storage means and to the stored identification signals for displaying a graphic representation of the arranged text signals; visual identification means associated with each display means for visually identifying displayed graphic representation and for providing an output signal identifying said visually identified representation; edit signal generation means for generating text edit command signals and; wherein said editing means is further responsive to said edit command signals and the output signal of the visual identification means for performing editing functions on the stored text signals in said page storage means corresponding to the visually identified representation.

Claim 6

The audio and digital signal segmentation system set forth in claim 4 wherein said edit signal generating means generates a text delete command signal and said editing means is responsive to said delete command signal to remove stored text signals corresponding to representations visually identified.

Claim 7

The audio and digital signal segmentation system set forth in claim 4 wherein said edit signal generation means generates text signals and said editing means is responsive to an insert command signal to insert said text signals between ordered text signals corresponding to said representations visually identified.

Claim 8

An audio transcription system comprising: a plurality of author stations, each station including means for generating audio signals and means for generating sets of digital segmentation and identification signals for segmenting and identifying corresponding segments of the audio signal; a plurality of recorders each responsive to an author station for recording said generated audio signals and said generated digital signals in associated relationship to one another, said recorders each being responsive to a control signal for playing out a segment of said recorder audio signals and the corresponding set of recorded digital signals; a plurality of transcriber stations each comprising an actuable audio storage and playout means responsive on actuation to a played out audio signal segment for recording said segment and responsive to a command signal for playing out a corresponding sound signal, text signal entry means, and an actuable digital storage means responsive to the corresponding set of played out recorded digital signals for storing said signals and responsive to text signals entered by said entry means for storing said text signals in associated relationship with said stored digital signals; control means responsive to a generated digital signal set for selecting a transcriber station and actuating said audio storage means and said digital storage means of the selected transcriber station and for actuating the recorder containing a recorded digital signal corresponding to said recorded digital signal set; switching means responsive to the control means for connecting the actuated recorder to the selected transcriber station; and editing means responsive to the digital storage means of each transcriber station for ordering the stored text signals in accordance with the information content of the associated stored digital signals.

Claim 9

An audio transcription system comprising: a plurality of author stations, each station including means for generating audio signals and means for generating sets of digital segmentation and identification signals for segmenting and identifying corresponding segments of the audio signal; a plurality of recorders each responsive to an author station for recording said generated audio signals and said generated digital signals in associated relationship to one another, said recorders each being responsive to a control signal for playing out a segment of said recorder audio signals and the corresponding set of recorded digital signals; a plurality of transcriber stations each comprising an actuable audio storage and playout means responsive on actuation to a played out audio signal segment for recording said segment and responsive to a command signal for playing out a corresponding sound signal, text signal entry means, and an actuable digital storage means responsive to the corresponding set of played out recorded digital signals for storing said signals and responsive to text signals entered by said entry means for storing said text signals in associated relationship with said stored digital signals; control means responsive to a generated digital signal set for selecting a transcriber station and actuating said audio storage means and said digital storage means of the selected transcriber station and for actuating the recorder containing a recorded digital signal corresponding to said recorded digital signal set; switching means responsive to the control means for connecting the actuated recorder to the selected transcriber station; and editing means responsive to the digital storage means of each transcriber station for ordering the stored text signals in accordance with the information content of the associated stored digital signals.

Claim 10

The audio transcription system set forth in claim 7 wherein the number of recorders exceeds the number of transcriber stations.

Claim 11

The audio transcription system set forth in claim 7 further comprising display meanS responsive to the editing means for displaying graphic representations of said ordered text signals.

Claim 12

The audio transcription system set forth in claim 7 further comprising a plurality of display means each associated with an author station and each responsive to the editing means for displaying graphic representation of the ordered text symbols having an associated digital signal set generated at the associated author station.

Claim 13

The audio transcription system set forth in claim 7 further comprising: priority storage and control means including priority storage means responsive to each generated digital signal set for storing said signal sets in said priority storage means and for assigning a relative priority for each stored signal set; and wherein said control means is responsive to said stored generated digital signal set having the highest assigned relative priority.

Claim 14

The audio transcription system set forth in claim 7 further comprising: a plurality of temporary display means each associated with an author station and each responsive to the editing means for displaying graphic representations of the ordered text symbols having an associated digital signal set generated at the associated author station; visual identification means associated with each display means for visually identifying displayed graphic representations and for providing an output signal identifying said visually identified representation; edit signal generation means associated with each author station for generating text edit command signals and; wherein said edit means is further responsive to said edit command signals and the output signal of the visual identification means for performing editing functions on the stored text signals corresponding to the visually identified representation.