Interactive communication training device
AssigneeChristopher Flynn
InventorChristopher Flynn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention presents an interactive communication training device that can be thrown and caught. The communication training device includes an information display viewable from outside the device, a microphone, a wireless transceiver and a microcontroller. A battery is contained inside the device to power electronic components. The microcontroller performs speech recognition to detect equivalence between speech information present in the microphone signal, and the information shown on the information display. Certain implementations may provide results of analytical speech processing applied to events of detected equivalence between speech information and the information shown on the information display.
Claims13
An interactive communication training device comprising:
- a projectable and catchable body
- comprising a rigid inner shell that houses electronic components and a compliant outer layer that provides cushioning and grip, the body being structurally configured to withstand repeated impacts from throwing, catching and rolling;
- an information display viewable from the exterior of the body, and configured to present alphanumeric characters or graphics from an information list;
- a microphone positioned to capture spoken input from a user;
- a movement sensor that provides a signal relating to movement of the interactive communication training device;
- a wireless transceiver;
- a battery that provides power to electronic components within the body;
- and
- a microcontroller operatively coupled to the information display, the microphone, the movement sensor, and the wireless transceiver, the microcontroller being configured to:
- control the information shown on the information display;
- process the microphone signal and recognize speech information contained in the microphone signal;
- detect equivalence between the speech information and the information shown on the information display;
- and
- replace the information shown on the information display after detecting both (i) equivalence between the recognized spoken input present in the microphone signal and the displayed information, and (ii) motion of the interactive communication training device detected by the movement sensor.
An interactive communication training system comprising:
- an interactive communication training device including:
- a projectable and catchable body comprising a rigid inner shell that houses electronic components and a compliant outer layer that provides cushioning and grip, the body being structurally configured to withstand repeated impacts from throwing, catching and rolling;
- an information display;
- a microphone;
- a movement sensor that provides a signal relating to movement of the interactive communication training device;
- a wireless transceiver;
- a battery;
- and a microcontroller configured to transmit the microphone signal to an external computing device;
- and
- an external computing device configured to process the microphone signal, recognize speech information contained in the microphone signal, detect equivalence between the speech information and the information shown on the information display, and trigger replacement of the information shown on the information display after detecting both (i) equivalence between the recognized spoken input present in the microphone signal and the displayed information, and (ii) motion of the interactive communication training device detected by the movement sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.