Speech transcribing system

In combination, apparatus for the convenient transcription of speech, said apparatus comprising:

• a first transducer for generating an electrical signal in response to speech consisting of words or groups of words spoken by a first individual and intervening periods of silence;
• means for continuously storing said electrical signal and for simultaneously reproducing a continuous segment of signal having been stored previously;
• means for disabling said means for storing and reproducing from storing said signal during said periods of silence, whereby only signal responsive to said spoken words is stored;
• a second transducer connected to said means for storing and reproducing said signal, for reproducing said words, so as to be audible by a second individual;
• means for controlling said means for storing and reproducing, such that said means for storing and reproducing is controlled to store signal corresponding to words spoken by said first individual and simultaneously provide previously stored signal to said second transducer for reproducing words previously spoken to said second individual, and wherein the signal being reproduced at any given time corresponding to the previously stored signal is delayed with respect to the time at which the corresponding signal was stored by a variable delay period;
• means operable by said second individual for providing a delay control signal to said means for controlling said means for storing and reproducing;
• and
• a first video display device;
• a keyboard device for accepting keystroke inputs from the second individual, and for displaying text corresponding thereto on said first display device, and for accepting further keystroke inputs from the second individual for editing said displayed text;
• and
• a second video display device for displaying the edited text to the first individual;
• wherein said means for controlling said means for storing and reproducing varies the delay period responsive to said delay control signal.