US 5,177,800 AGranted

Bar code activated speech synthesizer teaching device

AssigneeAisi, Inc.

InventorWilliam B. Coats

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Abstract

A bar code reading speech synthesis device is disclosed which includes means for reading a bar code and accessing internal or external memory to supply speech data to a speech synthesizer device based upon the bar code numerical value. Readily and easily changeable memory modules including synthesized speech data developed to accompany corresponding printed lesson plans are also disclosed. The lesson plans, coupled with the speech synthesizer data, provide audible voicing of words and/or audible spelling of the words from the lesson plan. Various other features included in the speech synthesizer device include automatic power down circuitry, self-diagnostics, volume control, and extended diagnostics for testing the functionality of the device. A base.sub.32 addressing scheme is employed to verify memory data as corresponding with bar codes wanded into the device. An alternate embodiment of the speech synthesizer device includes a serial data link and the hardware capability for downloading serial data from an external source and storing the data in a nonvolatile memory, such as nonvolatile RAM (Random Access Memory) (NVRAM) (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) or an EEPROM (Electrically Eraseable Programmable Read Only Memory), thus eliminating the need to change memory modules.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A speech synthesizer device comprising:

speech synthesis means having a data input, said speech synthesis means producing a synthesized speech in response to data supplied to said data input;
code reading means for reading a code and producing a locator code signal;
computer means connected to said code reading means and said speech synthesis means, said computer means including internal ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory) and an external ROM connector including address bus, data bus, and control lines signal connections;
an external ROM module removably connected to said external ROM connector and containing a lesson plan identifier code, a plurality of first mode data sets and a plurality of second mode data sets wherein each of said first mode data sets contains a predetermined sequence of data for producing synthesized speech and each of said plurality of second mode data sets containers predetermined alphanumeric speech synthesis data;
said computer means responding to said locator code signal in a first mode of operation by reading one of said plurality of first mode data sets from said external ROM at a memory location defined by said locator code signal and supplying said data set at said memory location to said speech synthesis means data input so that specific words corresponding with said locator code signal are audibly produced by said speech synthesis means;
and
said computer means responding to said locator code in a second mode of operation by reading one of said plurality of second mode data sets from a memory location in said external ROM module at a memory location defined by said locator code signal, said second mode data set including internal memory locator codes identifying locations in internal ROM wherein predefined speech data is stored, said computer means supplying said predetermined speech data to said speech synthesis means data input for each internal memory locator code of said one of said second mode data sets wherein said speech synthesis means audibly spells the letters of the synthesized words produced by said speech synthesizer device in said first mode of operation in response to said locator code signal.

4 more elements

A speech synthesizer device adapted for use with a predefined printed lesson plan wherein the lesson plan includes a plurality of bar codes, said speech synthesizer device comprising:

speech synthesis means having a data input, said speech synthesis means producing synthesized speech in response to data supplied to said data input;
code reading means for reading a code from said lesson plan and producing a locator code signal at an output of said code reading means;
computer means connected to said code reading means output and said speech synthesis means data input, said computer means including internal ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory) and an external ROM connector including address bus, data bus, and memory control signal connections;
an external ROM module removably connected to said external ROM connector and containing a plurality of word data sets wherein each of said word data sets includes a predetermined sequence of data for producing synthesized speech corresponding to words printed in a lesson plan and associated with said code;
and
wherein said computer means responds to said locator code signal by reading one of said plurality of word data sets from said external ROM at a memory location defined by said locator code signal and supplies said word data set to said speech synthesis means data input.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.