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US6085161A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

System and method for auditorially representing pages of HTML data

Assignee: Sonicon Inc USA
•
Filing: 1999-03-23
•
Granted: 2000-07-04
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Expires: 2019-03-23
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Abstract

Abstract Representing HTML documents audibly includes the steps of assigning (214) unique sounds to HTML tags and events encountered in an HTML document, producing the associated sounds whenever those tags or events are encountered (218), and representing encountered text as speech (220). Speech and non-speech sounds may be produced simultaneously or substantially simultaneously. A corresponding system (10) is also disclosed.

Inventors

  • 👤 Edmund R. MacKenty
  • 👤 David E. Owen
  • 👤 Barry M. Arons
  • 👤 Marshall W. Clemens

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 21:06
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10L; G10L13/00; G06; G06F; G06F40/00; G06F40/10; G06F40/12; G06F40/14; G06F40/143; G06F40/20; G06F40/205; G06F40/221

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim 65 words
A method of representing HTML documents auditorially, the HTML document including text and at least one HTML tag, the method comprising the steps of: (a) assigning a sound to an HTNL tag encountered in a document (214); (b) producing the assigned sound whenever the HTML tag associated with the sound is encountered (218); and (c) producing speech representing text encountered in the HTML document (220).
Claim 2
Independent Claim 65 words
A method of representing HTML documents auditorially, the HTML document including text and at least one HTML tag, the method comprising the steps of: (a) assigning a sound to an HTNL tag encountered in a document (214); (b) producing the assigned sound whenever the HTML tag associated with the sound is encountered (218); and (c) producing speech representing text encountered in the HTML document (220).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 13 words
The method of claim 1 wherein steps (b) and (c) occur substantially simultaneously.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 34 words
The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) further comprises (c-a) producing speech representing text encountered in the HTML document; and (c-b) including pauses in the speech representing punctuation encountered in the HTML document.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 32 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of (d) accepting input indicating selection of a particular HTML tag; (e) auditorially displaying a new HTML document identified by the selected tag.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 35 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: (f) altering a sound whenever a sound altering HTML tag is encountered; and (g) halting a sound whenever a sound halting HTML tag is encountered.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 21 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of replacing a textual construct with a text passage before step (c).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 22 words
The method of claim 6 wherein said replacing step comprises replacing an electronic mail address with a text passage before step (c).
Claim 9
Independent Claim 45 words
A system for representing HTML documents auditorially, the system comprising: a parser (12) receiving a HTNL document and outputting a tree representing the received document; and a reader (14) using the tree to produce sound representing the text and tags contained in the HTML document.
Claim 10
Independent Claim 45 words
A system for representing HTML documents auditorially, the system comprising: a parser (12) receiving a HTNL document and outputting a tree representing the received document; and a reader (14) using the tree to produce sound representing the text and tags contained in the HTML document.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 25 words
The system of claim 8 wherein said parser produces a tree having at least one node, said at least one node representing a HTML tag.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 17 words
The system of claim 9 wherein tag attributes and tag attribute values are attached to each node.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 21 words
The system of claim 8 wherein textual data contained in the HTML document is represented as leaf nodes of the tree.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 28 words
The system of claim 8 wherein said reader performs a depth-first traversal of the tree to produce sound representing the texts and tags contained in the HTML document.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 24 words
The system of claim 8 further comprising a read cursor indicating the position within the parsed HTML tree that said reader is currently outputting.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 27 words
The system of claim 13 wherein the position of the read cursor can be changed, causing a different position of the parsed HTML document to be output.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 27 words
The system of claim 8 further comprising an enqueue cursor indicating the position within the parsed HTML tree that will be processed for output by said reader.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 85 words
An article of manufacture having computer-readable program means for representing HTML documents auditorially embodied thereon, the HTML document including text and at least one HTML tag, the article of manufacture comprising: (a) computer-readable program means (214) for assigning a unique sound to an HTML tag encountered in a document; (b) computer-readable program means (218) for producing the assigned sound whenever the HTML tag associated with the sound is encountered; and (c) computer-readable program means (220) for producing speech representing text encountered in the HTML document.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 85 words
An article of manufacture having computer-readable program means for representing HTML documents auditorially embodied thereon, the HTML document including text and at least one HTML tag, the article of manufacture comprising: (a) computer-readable program means (214) for assigning a unique sound to an HTML tag encountered in a document; (b) computer-readable program means (218) for producing the assigned sound whenever the HTML tag associated with the sound is encountered; and (c) computer-readable program means (220) for producing speech representing text encountered in the HTML document.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 38 words
The article of claim 16 further comprising: (d) computer-readable program means for accepting input indicating selection of a particular HTML tag; and (e) computer-readable program means for auditorially displaying a new HTML document identified by the selected tag.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US5587902A Cited
US5594809A Cited
US5748186A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2003-07-04 2004-01-03 2004-07-04 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2007-07-04 2008-01-03 2008-07-04 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2011-07-04 2012-01-03 2012-07-04 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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