US5091931A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Facsimile-to-speech system
Assignee: Nokia Bell Labs
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Filing: 1989-10-27
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Granted: 1992-02-25
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Expires: 2009-10-27
Abstract
Abstract Written material is read at low cost by a computer-based system which is designed to receive via a telephone line a facsimile of the written material submitted by a system user. Once the facsimile is received, the system performs an optical character recognition (OCR) process thereon. The text thus identified by the OCR process is converted to intelligent speech using a speech synthesizer. The synthesized speech is communicated back to the system user either over the already established telephone connection or in a subsequent call.
Inventors
- 👤 Allen E. Milewski
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 15:17
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M11/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S379/00; Y10S379/903; Y10S379/905; Y10S379/908
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
65 words
A method for providing a service for reading of written text, said method comprising the steps of receiving from a caller said written text via a facsimile machine over a telephone network, and scanning said text utilizing an optical character recognition technique to identify symbols of said written text, the identified symbols being read to said caller in a synthesized voice over said telephone network.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
65 words
A method for providing a service for reading of written text, said method comprising the steps of receiving from a caller said written text via a facsimile machine over a telephone network, and scanning said text utilizing an optical character recognition technique to identify symbols of said written text, the identified symbols being read to said caller in a synthesized voice over said telephone network.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said identified symbols are read to said caller upon a call back from said caller to said service.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said reading of written text can be stopped and restarted at the control of said caller.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the identified symbols being read are individual alphanumeric characters.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the identified symbols being read are words corresponding to individual identified symbols of said written text.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the reading of said identified symbols can be performed with a plurality of reading speeds.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 6 wherein individual ones of said plurality of reading speeds are selectable by said caller.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the content of said written text comprises a plurality of sentences and the reading of the symbols of the written text including the step of stopping the reading of symbols corresponding to a first sentence of said written text to repeat the symbols corresponding to another sentence preceding the symbols of said first sentence.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the reading of the identified symbols includes repeating the reading of the identified symbols corresponding to the content of said written text.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said method further comprises the step of establishing a telephone connection between said caller and said service via said telephone network.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said telephone connection is established when said service returns a call to said caller after receiving a service request from said caller.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said identified symbols are read to said caller over said telephone connection.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
78 words
A computer-based system for providing a service for reading of written text, said system comprising first circuit means for receiving from a caller said written text via a facsimile machine over a telephone network, second circuit means responsive to the received written text facsimile for scanning said text utilizing an optical character recognition technique, and third circuit means for reading to said caller in a synthesized voice the content of the scanned written text over said telephone network.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
78 words
A computer-based system for providing a service for reading of written text, said system comprising first circuit means for receiving from a caller said written text via a facsimile machine over a telephone network, second circuit means responsive to the received written text facsimile for scanning said text utilizing an optical character recognition technique, and third circuit means for reading to said caller in a synthesized voice the content of the scanned written text over said telephone network.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said third circuit means performs said reading upon a callback from said caller to said system.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 13 wherein said third circuit means performs said reading with a plurality of reading speeds.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 15 wherein individual ones of said plurality of reading speeds are selectable by said caller.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 13 wherein the content of said written text comprises alphanumeric characters and said second circuit means provides a capability of reading the alphanumeric characters to said caller.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 13 wherein said third circuit means provides a capability of repeating the reading of the content of said written text.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 13 wherein the content of said written text comprises alphanumeric characters and said third circuit means provides a capability of stopping the reading of a first sentence of said written text to repeat another sentence preceding said first sentence.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 13 wherein the content of said written text comprises alphanumeric characters and said third circuit means provides a capability of reading individual words corresponding to the alphanumeric characters.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 13 wherein said system further comprises fourth circuit means for establishing a telephone connection between said caller and said service via said telephone network.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 21 wherein said third circuit means performs said reading over said telephone connection.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 21 wherein said telephone connection is established when said service calls said caller after receiving a service request from said caller.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-02-24 | 1995-08-26 | 1996-02-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-02-24 | 1999-08-26 | 2000-02-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-02-24 | 2003-08-26 | 2004-02-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |