US 5,305,244 AGranted

Hands-free, user-supported portable computer

AssigneeComputer Products & Services, Inc.

InventorsEdward G. Newman, Gil S. Christian, Michael D. Jenkins

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Abstract

A compact, self-contained portable computing apparatus is provided which is completely supported by a user for hands-free retrieval and display of information for the user. The computing apparatus includes a voice-recognition module, in communication with a processor, for receiving audio commands from the user, for converting the received audio commands into electrical signals, for recognizing the converted electrical signals and for sending the recognized electrical signals to the processor for processing, the voice-recognition module being supported by the user. The computing apparatus further includes a display in communication with the processor for receiving information from the processor and for displaying the received information for the user, the display being supported by the user whereby the user may operate the computing apparatus to display information in a hands-free manner utilizing only audio commands.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A compact, self-contained portable computing apparatus for being completely supported by a user for hand-free retrieval and display of information for the user comprising:

a housing having securing means for removably mounting the housing on a user for being carried without hands by the user;
storage means mounted in the housing for storing previously entered information including an electronic technical manual and a preprogrammed vocabularly model of a plurality of words and phrases;
processor means mounted in the housing and communicating with the storage means for receiving, retrieving and processing information and user commands in accordance with a stored program;
audio transducer and converter means in communication with the processor means for receiving audio commands from the user, for converting the received audio commands into electrical signals, and for sending the converted electrical signals to the processor means, the audio transducer and converter means being supported hands-free by the user;
said processor means including means for recognizing a command in the converted electrical signals and responding to the recognized command by retrieving and outputting corresponding information from the electronic technical manual stored in the storage means;
said recognizing means including means for defining a subset of the plurality of words and phrases in the preprogrammed vocabulary model according to a current context of the stored program and for matching the converted electrical signals against the defined subset to recognize the command;
computer display means in communication with the processor means for receiving the outputted information from the processor means and for displaying the received information for the user;
and
means for mounting the computer display means on the user such that the computer display means is carried hands-free in a portion of the view of the user whereby the computing apparatus is capable of being operated to display the received information in a hands-free manner utilizing only the audio commands.

6 more elements

A method for hands-free retrieval and display of information by a compact, self-contained portable computing apparatus for a user comprising the steps of:

mounting a housing containing storage means and processor means on the user for being carried hands-free by the user;
mounting a computer display device on the user for being carried hands-free by the user in a portion of the view of the user;
mounting audio transducer means on the user for being carried hands-free and for receiving verbal utterances from the user;
receiving a verbal utterance from the user in said audio transducer;
converting the received verbal utterance into electrical signals in said audio transducer;
transferring the converted electrical signals from the audio transducer to the processing means;
recognizing the converted electrical signals by said processing means to identify a user command matching the received verbal utterance;
said recognizing including defining a subset of a plurality of words and phrases in a preprogrammed vocabularly according to a current operational context and matching the converted electrical signals against the defined subset to recognize the command;
processing the user command by said processing means in accordance with a stored program, the processing step including the steps of:
determining whether the user command represents an information retrieval request;
if the user command represents an information retrieval request, then retrieving the requested information from an electronic technical manual previously entered into the storage mans;
and displaying the retrieved information on the computer display device for the user whereby the computing apparatus is operated to display the retrieved information in a hands-free manner utilizing only audio commands.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.