WO2008046944A1

WO2008046944A1 - Device for reading and recording sound messages for barcode translators to be used by the visually impaired for the purpose of identifying products by sound

Info

Publication number: WO2008046944A1
Application number: PCT/ES2007/000587
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juan Carlos Campoy Carmona; Josep Francesc JUÁREZ ARAEZ; Alberto LÓPEZ SILLER
Original assignee: Juan Carlos Campoy Carmona; Juarez Araez Josep Francesc; Lopez Siller Alberto
Priority date: 2006-10-19
Filing date: 2007-10-18
Publication date: 2008-04-24
Also published as: ES2298064A1; ES2298064B1

Abstract

Device for reading and recording encoding means, for barcode translators (1) to be used by blind or visually impaired people for the purpose of identifying products by sound. It comprises a reader (2) of barcode means associated with a product, re-recordable memory means in which the barcodes are associated with at least one corresponding modifiable and re-recordable sound message, means for reversible recording of sound messages, sound-reproduction means suitable for transmitting a sound message selected from those associated with the barcodes, and pieces (9, 10, 11) or chips, of different forms, in which the various forms offer tactile encoding for the corresponding functions associated with sound-message management.

Description

D E S C R I P C I Ó N

"READING DEVICE AND RECORDER OF SOUND MESSAGES FOR TRANSLATORS OF BAR CODES TO BE EMPELATED BY VISUAL DISABILITIES FOR THE SOUND IDENTIFICATION OF PRODUCTS"

Technical sector of the invention

The present invention relates to a reading device and recorder of sound messages, and to the method of recording and erasing such sound messages, for barcode translators to be used by blind or visually impaired persons for the sound identification of products, of the type of translators they understand

a reader of graphic coding means, in particular bar codes, means for converting the coding means into electronic signals, programmable means for processing said electronic signals, with rewritable memory means, in which media of coding are associated with at least one corresponding modifiable and rewritable sound message, reversible sound message recording means, and sound reproduction means, being adapted to receive said electronic signals and emit a sound message from those associated to the media coding, depending on the result of the processing of said electronic signals.

More specifically, the invention relates to a translator of graphic coding means of the aforementioned type, in particular bar codes, particularly intended, although not exclusively, for the visually impaired and adapted to emit a sound message associated with each code. of bars, especially barcodes on food packaging and clothing items. Background of the invention

It is known in the technical sector of bar code readers the use thereof to obtain data from the bar codes printed on the corresponding products. Normally, this type of device is used in department stores or supermarkets and, in general, at any point of sale where you want to automate the collection of products. Its use is also known in warehouses, transport companies and, in general, any company in which the handling of the products requires an exchange of information related to them (for example, weight, number of units, date of entry in the facilities, expiration date, etc.).

Another field of application of these bar code readers is related to the communication of information for the blind or visually impaired, more specifically, information on products that are for sale to the general public. Due to the generalized standardization of the packages used in the market, many of these products are hardly distinguished in terms of shape and size, so that their differentiation through touch is complicated when not impossible. The general idea is that, by means of these readers, the person who suffers said disability can obtain sound information about the type of product and its characteristics.

There are already some patents related to this problem although none of them provide the flexibility of the present invention. As an example, documents GB2283850 and EP 59.318 can be cited. The first describes an apparatus and a method for encoding and decoding verbal information encoded in the form of one or more barcodes; An optical scanner is used for reading and these bar codes are reproduced in the form of a spoken message.

In the second document, EP 59.318, a "talking book" (textbook) with text and printed bar codes that are reproduced in voice form through optical reading means is disclosed. In these documents, the sound message is directly encoded in the bar code and none of them documents claim or suggest the possibility of recording in recording media, different Recent sound messages associated with different bar codes, and the possibility of changing said sound messages according to the needs

In addition, translators of this type for the visually impaired are currently limited to reading and translating two-dimensional barcodes.

Spanish patent ES2242529 describes a method and program for translation of coding media for the visually impaired and translator of coding media associated with said method. The translator comprises a coding media reader (2); conversion means (3) of the coding means in electronic signals; transmission means (4) of said electronic signals; and programmable processing means (5) of said electronic signals. The processing means (5) comprise rewritable memory means, in which coding means are associated with at least one corresponding modifiable and rewritable sound message, reversible recording means of sound messages. It also includes sound reproduction means, adapted to receive said electronic signals and emit a sound message from those associated with the bar code based on the result of the processing of said electronic signals.

The coding means may comprise bar codes, RFID radio frequency chips, and / or an Internet http address.

This patent ES2242529 provides a translator and a method that allows for the flexibility and customization of the emitted sound messages and which can also be applied to other coding means in addition to bar codes, given that the current trend in the market is the identification and Traceability of products through microchips.

The possibility of incorporating a radio frequency RFID chip as rewritable memory media and an RFID reader as reader media has been considered. However, the information storage capacity of these chips is not, at present, sufficient to store reproducible and effective sound media for the purposes at hand in the present case. The present invention is intended to provide means for adding and removing information to rewritable memory media. That is to record and erase sound data associated with products whose barcodes are read by the translator.

Explanation of the invention

For this purpose, the object of the present invention is, in accordance with a first aspect, a reader and recorder of coding means, applicable to translators of! type indicated at the beginning, which in essence is characterized in that it comprises pieces of different forms, in which the different forms tactically encode corresponding functions associated with the management of the sound messages.

According to another feature of the present invention, the pieces are flat polyhedral figures that have a specific bar code printed for one or both sides.

Preferably, a first function corresponds to the recording of the sound messages associated with the product; a second function corresponds to the deletion of the sound messages associated with the product; and a third function corresponds to the reproduction of information related to the translator-product system.

In a variant, the pieces are constituted by chips that are removably mounted on a common support, to facilitate their handling and prevent them from being lost.

In another variant, alternative or complementary to the previous one, the pieces are incorporated in the own enclosure housing of the device in surface mounting as keys or buttons.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, a method of reading and recording sound messages for barcode translators of the aforementioned type is provided, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

- if the product is not recognized, question about whether you want to record information tion regarding the product, and if the answer is yes,

passing a piece in a first determined way, printed on their faces with a barcode identifying the function of recording data, in front of the translator's reader, entering a sound message by the user, related to the information related to the product, - recording of the sound message introduced by the user in a memory means of the translator; and - associate the sound message with the barcode read;

- if the product is known, question about whether you want to delete the information related to the product, and if the answer is yes,

passing a piece in a second determined way, printed on their faces with a barcode identifying the function of deleting data, in front of the translator's reader, - deleting the information from the translator's memory, including the sound messages, associated with the product in question.

Brief description of the drawings

The attached drawings illustrate, by way of non-limiting example, an embodiment of the encoder means translator object of the invention. In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the code translator of the present invention; Y

Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the parts of the present invention.

Detailed description of the drawings

An embodiment of the reader and writer can be seen in said drawings of coding means, for barcode translators to be used by the blind or visually impaired for the sound identification of products, of the present invention.

As soon as an example of embodiment of the translator of the present invention is described in which the coding means are constituted by two-dimensional bar codes.

In Fig. 1 a graphic representation of the barcode translator 1 can be seen, which incorporates a barcode reader device 2, means of converting the barcodes into electronic signals (normally incorporated within the reader 2 itself), means of transmission of the electronic signals and means of processing said electronic signals. The reader 2 can be a conventional device of those commonly used according to the state of the current technique. At the output of said reader 2 an electronic signal is obtained, corresponding to the read barcode that is sent through transmission means 4 to a block of the processing means 5 of the signal.

In patent ES2242529 the operating mode of the translator apparatus 1 is described with profusion and sufficiency, so that in this text we refer to this patent and it is not described in greater depth

Simply indicate that the processing means include a rewritable memory, reversible recording media, which includes a microphone 3, and sound reproduction means, including a speaker 4. The recording media records the Desired sound messages that will be associated with the corresponding barcodes.

One way of recording the sound messages is that described in the present invention.

The association between sound messages and barcodes is stored in the memory media in such a way that when the programmable processing means receive a signal corresponding to a specific barcode, they search the memory the sound message associated with said bar code and, through the reproduction means, emit the sound message. Both the sound messages recorded in the media and the association between sound messages and barcodes stored in the memory can be changed as many times as desired; In this way, an update of the device can be carried out as new products arise or when new features of existing products are to be announced.

In the illustrated embodiment, all the components of the translator 1 are included in the same enclosure 5 so that the user has the feeling of using only a barcode reader 2 although with all the components within it. In the enclosure 5 there is a start-up switch 6, an element for volume control 7, and from it a cable 8 connecting to the network.

In the aforementioned patent ES2242529 the method of translating bar codes into sound messages is described. The method, which can be performed with the components described above, consists essentially of the following steps: bar code reading, conversion of said bar code into electronic signal, transmission of said electronic signal to processing means containing means of memory, processing said electronic signal so that a match thereof is sought with a series of data stored in the memory media, and, a) in the event that a match occurs, reproduction of an associated sound message to the barcode read, in the event that there is no match, reproduction of a sound message indicating that mismatch.

For example, in the situation of case a) messages such as "1 liter XZY milk in bottle", "Expiration date: 2 of 3 of 2009" or "When buying this product participate in promotion X" can be issued; in case b) a message such as "This bar code is not in the database" can be issued. In general, any type of message that is considered useful for people with reduced visual ability can be reproduced. All the steps described in the previous paragraph are controlled by a computer program stored in the processing means. In an alternative embodiment, the processing means is a conventional personal computer.

From time to time, the manufacturer can provide the user with a computer file, a CD, a tape or any other data carrier with which said user can update both the barcode database and the sound messages stored in the translator 1 As an alternative, the manufacturer itself can be responsible for carrying out said update at its facilities.

According to the present invention, the translator 1 system is complemented by pieces 9, 10, 11 each of which is identifiable of a certain functionality. For example, a round discoidal piece 9 identifies a recording function of the sound data associated with a product; A triangular piece 10 identifies the data erase function and a rectangular piece 11 identifies a system data query function. These pieces 9, 10, 1 1 have printed barcodes13 on both sides, which encode the reader 2 the respective function of each piece

Through the different shapes of the pieces, a blind or visually impaired person can tactically identify the function through the shape. The pieces are encoded on both sides with a barcode identifying the corresponding function (record, delete, ...) so that the system can execute it when it is read by the reader 2. In this way, to record a new product, the user must pass the barcode through reader 2 in order to verify that this product is not in the system. If the product, whatever it is, is not in the system, it will emit a sound message, the message can be as follows.

"PRODUCT NOT RECOGNIZED, SL WANTS TO RECORD YOUR NEW PRODUCT PASS THE FIGURE WITH THE SPECIFIC BAR CODE BY THE READER"

In this case, it could be the circular discoidal piece 9, so the message would be, more specifically: "PRODUCT NOT RECOGNIZED, Sl WANTS TO RECORD YOUR NEW PRODUCT PASS THE CIRCULAR FIGURE THROUGH THE READER"

Since the specific barcode for the recording function is on both sides of the piece, it is not necessary to be careful in passing it through one or the other side. When the specific barcode is passed, this function is passed by the system emits another audible message. This message can be the following:

"YOU HAVE A FEW SECONDS TO RECORD YOUR NEW PRODUCT"

The user will record his message regarding the product, for example the one indicated above:

"MILK XZY OF 1 LITER IN BOTTLE", "EXPIRY DATE: 2 OF 3 OF 2009"

and after a few seconds the system will issue another sound message, which is, for example, the following:

"RECORDED PRODUCT, FOR YOUR CHECK, PASS THE PRODUCT AGAIN"

When the product passes again, the user will hear the message recorded by him regarding that product and each time the product passes through the reader, the system will repeat the message.

To delete the messages, the barcode of the product to be deleted must be passed through the reader, once recognized by the system the user must pass the figure with the specific barcode for this function, for example the flat triangular piece 10 which has the barcode of the erase function printed on both sides. The system will issue, for example, the following sound message:

"S / YOU ARE SURE YOU WANT TO REMOVE THIS PRODUCT RETURN THE FIGURE WITH THE SPECIFIC BAR CODE"

Once the operation has been carried out, if the barcode of the deleted product is passed again, the sound message that the system would emit could be as follows: "PRODUCT NOT RECOGNIZED TO RECORD YOUR NEW PRODUCT PASS THROUGH THE FIGURE WITH THE SPECIFIC BAR CODE"

The pieces may have any other shapes, be flat, polygonal, polygons or irregular figures, but conveniently all their faces will be provided with the bar code that encodes the associated specific function.

Likewise, the functions and pieces can be many and varied, in addition to those of engraving with a piece 9, erased with a piece 1 O and information about the system 11.

The pieces 9, 10, 11 could be tabs that can be mounted on a common support 12, to facilitate their handling and prevent them from being lost (Fig. 2). Alternatively or in addition, the pieces 9, 10 can be incorporated in the enclosure box 5 of the device in surface mounting as keys or buttons, as shown in Fig. 1.

Described sufficiently the nature of the present invention, as well as the way of putting it into practice, it is stated that everything that does not alter, change or modify its fundamental principle, may be subject to variations in detail.

In this sense, although the exemplary embodiment has been described being the coding means constituted by two-dimensional bar codes, the present invention also reaches different coding means or supports, such as two-dimensional bar codes, chips or radiofrequency microchips or even a link to an Internet http address, incorporated in the commercial product to be identified.

Claims

1.- Device reader and recorder of coding means, for translators (1) of barcodes to be used by blind or visually impaired for the sound identification of products, of the type of translators of which they comprise

a reader (2) of graphic coding means, in particular bar codes, associated with a product, means for converting the coding means into electronic signals, programmable means for processing said electronic signals, with rewritable memory means , in which graphic coding means are associated with at least one corresponding modifiable and rewritable sound message, reversible recording means of sound messages, and sound reproduction means, being adapted to receive said electronic signals and emit a message sound of those associated with the coding means, depending on the result of the processing of said electronic signals,

characterized in that it comprises parts (9, 10, 11) of different forms, in which the different forms tactically encode corresponding functions associated with the management of the sound messages.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pieces are flat polyhedral figures that have a specific barcode printed for each function printed on one or both sides.

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a first function corresponds to the recording of the sound messages associated with the product.

A - Device according to claim 2, characterized in that a second function corresponds to the erasure of the sound messages associated with the product.

5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that a third function corresponds to the reproduction of information related to the translator system (1) -product.

6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pieces (9, 10, 11) are constituted by tabs that are removably mounted on a common support (12), to facilitate their handling and prevent them from being lost.

7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the parts (9, 10, 11) are incorporated in the enclosure itself (5) of the device in surface mounting as keys or buttons.

8.- Method of reading and recording sound messages for translators (1) of barcodes to be used by the blind or visually impaired for the sound identification of products, in which a reading device (2) reads the product barcodes identified, which are converted into sound messages, which are conveniently emitted by a speaker (4) when the identified product is passed in front of the reader (2), characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

- if the product is not recognized, question about whether it is desired to record information related to the product, and if the answer is yes,

passing a piece in a first determined way, printed on their faces with a barcode identifying the function of recording data, in front of the translator's reader, entering a sound message from the user, related to the information related to the product,

- recording of the sound message introduced by the user in a memory means of the translator (1); and associate the sound message with the barcode read; - if the product is known, question about whether you want to delete the information related to the product, and if the answer is yes,

passing a piece in a second determined way, printed on their faces with a barcode identifying the function of deleting data, in front of the translator's reader, deleting the information from the translator's memory, including sound messages, associated with the product in question.