U.S. patent application number 10/812909 was filed with the patent office on 2005-04-28 for method and apparatus for communicating using pictograms.
Invention is credited to Stillman, Alan.
Application Number | 20050089823 10/812909 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34437318 |
Filed Date | 2005-04-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050089823 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stillman, Alan |
April 28, 2005 |
Method and apparatus for communicating using pictograms
Abstract
A device for communicating, preferably between two people who
could not normally orally communicate, by at least one user
pointing to pictograms on the device. The device can be a static
medium having a plurality of icons thereon or can be part of a
computer generated program having a graphic display that is either
moving or stationary so that a user can select at least one icon to
communicate an idea. When two or more people use the device to
communicate, the device enables a dialogue to develop between the
people. A first responder to an emergency situation could use the
device in any country to gather information to quickly respond to
the situation.
Inventors: |
Stillman, Alan; (Alexandria,
VA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YOUNG & THOMPSON
745 SOUTH 23RD STREET
2ND FLOOR
ARLINGTON
VA
22202
US
|
Family ID: |
34437318 |
Appl. No.: |
10/812909 |
Filed: |
March 31, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60510130 |
Oct 14, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
434/112 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09B 19/08 20130101;
G09B 19/06 20130101; G09B 1/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
434/112 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/28; G09B
021/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. An apparatus for communicating by pointing to pictograms on the
apparatus, comprising: a static medium having a plurality of icons
thereon so that a user can select at least one of said plural icons
to communicate an idea.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said icons are
arranged at least one of hierarchically, sequentially and by color
code to enable the user to quickly point to at least one of said
plural icons using one of the user's finger and a stylus.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the icons are
readily erasable.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the icons are
structured and arranged so that the functionality and cognition of
said icons is directly linked to the arrangement.
5. An apparatus for communicating by pointing to pictograms on the
apparatus, comprising: a plurality of adjacent panels foldable into
a pocket-sized device, each of said plural panels having a
plurality of different pictograms on first and second sides, each
panel comprising one pictogram depicting a general concept and a
plurality of smaller pictograms depicting a specific concept
related to said general concept.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one of
said plural smaller pictograms have an attribute that connotes
added meaning.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the general concept
is a medical emergency and the plural different pictograms depicts
scenarios related to the medical emergency.
8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising: at
least one additional panel that depicts additional pictograms
related to a treatment for the medical emergency and at least one
still additional panel that depicts pictograms related to
medication instructions to be followed by a victim of the medical
emergency, said pictograms comprising medication quantities, modes
of delivery when to take the medication.
9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said pictograms
denote information related to medication restrictions and side
effects.
10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising at
least one yet additional panel that depicts further pictograms
related to a background of a victim of the medical emergency.
11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising English
language text adjacent at least one of said plural smaller
pictograms that describes said one of said plural smaller
pictograms.
12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, further comprising at
least one additional panel that depicts English language phrases
and corresponding non-English language phrases.
13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said at least one
additional panel further comprises phonetic phrases corresponding
to the non-English language phrases.
14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said plural
pictograms depict elements related to military communication and
the plural pictograms are structured and arranged to enable
dialogue between at least one of military personnel that speak
different languages and military personnel and civilians.
15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the apparatus is
a military communicator and wherein a first one of said plural
panels comprising pictograms of flags of various nations, a second
one of said plural panels comprising a pictogram of world map
identifying countries of the world, a third one of said plural
panels comprising pictograms of military vehicles including
military air transport and military ground transport, a fourth one
of said plural panels comprising pictograms of military weaponry
and communication devices including artillery weaponry, bombs,
handheld military weapons, land mines, military radios, a fifth one
of said plural panels comprising pictograms of characteristics
including physical characteristics of one of military personnel,
paramilitary personnel, civilians and hostile people in civilian
attire, attire for one of military personnel, civilian,
paramilitary and hostile people in civilian attire including colors
of the attire, and a sixth one of said plural panels comprising
pictograms of terrain, man-made structures traversing the terrain,
non-public transportation for traversing the terrain and the
presence of military guard posts along the terrain.
16. A method of communicating between a first responder to an event
an a person at the event that is voice disabled, language
challenged or deaf, comprising the steps of: providing a portable
language communicator; using said portable language communicator to
initiate a dialog between the first responder and the person.
17. A method of communicating between a first responder to an event
and a person at the event that is voice disabled or language
challenged, by pointing to pictograms on a portable visual language
translator, comprising the steps of: presenting the language
translator to the person; having the person point to at least one
pictogram on said language translator indicating an event that may
require the first responders assistance.
18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein a plurality of
pictograms are sequenced so that a set of images are accessible in
an order specific to the event and further comprising the step of
pointing to said plural pictograms to lay out said order in a
logical time dependent sequence to attempt to recreate the
event.
19. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein said step of having
the person point comprises the person pointing to a first pictogram
on said language translator indicating a general nature of the
event that occurred and that may require the first responders
assistance and having the person point to a second pictogram on
said language translator indicating a specific nature of the event
that occurred, the specific nature being directly related to the
general nature.
20. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the step
of creating a dialogue between the first responder and the person
by both the first responder and the person pointing to
pictograms.
21. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a step of
the first responder pointing to a third pictogram to indicate an
action to be performed by the first responder to address the
event.
22. The method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising a step of
the first responder pointing to a fourth pictogram to indicate a
procedure to be followed by the person after the action has been
performed by the first responder.
23. The method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising a step of
the person pointing to a plurality of pictograms on said translator
to indicate information regarding the person's background prior to
performing the action.
24. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the step of
presenting the language translator comprises unfolding a pocket
sized translator.
25. The method as claimed in claim 24, further comprising the step
of folding the language translator so that two panels that are not
directly adjacent each other are moved adjacent each other so that
additional meaning can be ascertained from the two panels.
26. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the step of
presenting the language translator comprises showing the person a
computer screen displaying the pictograms.
27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the pictograms are
displayed in a rapid linear succession.
28. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein each step of
pointing to a pictogram comprises selecting the pictogram with a
computer recognized input selected from one of a stylus, a mouse, a
light beam, a head pointer, voice recognition, a track ball and a
track pad.
29. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the pictograms are
at least one of static, changeable and animated.
30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the pictograms have
attributes that connote additional meaning selected from at least
one of color, shade, sound, speed, direction, rotation, scaling,
shifts in 3-dimensional perspective, patterns, gradients, shape,
true animation, video, sound, flashing, rate of flash and
brightness.
31. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the event is one of
a medical emergency, a fire and rescue disaster, a law enforcement
emergency, part of a military operation, maritime communication,
disaster relief and a natural event requiring humanitarian aid.
32. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the step
of the person sequentially pointing to a plurality of pictograms to
convey a complex idea that is not conveyed by a single one of said
plural pictograms.
33. A device for a language or voice-challenged person to
communicate with a medical professional, said device comprising: a
plurality of adjacent foldable panels that are attached to one
another and are foldable to fit inside a pocket of a user's
clothes, each of said panels including a plurality of readily
identifiable pictograms, at least one of said panels comprising a
first pictogram depicting a general medical emergency and a
plurality of second pictograms depicting a specific medical
emergency related to said first pictogram, wherein a first one of
said panels depicts said general medical emergency as a bite
depicted by a human body part having a bite mark and said plural
second pictograms depict possible causes of the bite, wherein a
second one of said panels depicts said general medical emergency as
a fall depicted by a person in a supine position and said plural
second pictograms depict possible causes of the fall, wherein
additional second plural pictograms depict possible surfaces fallen
onto and a height of the fall, wherein a third one of said panels
depicts said general medical emergency as ingestion of an item that
should not be ingested depicted by a child having a question mark
on their stomach and said plural second pictograms depict possible
items that should not be ingested, wherein a fourth one of said
panels depicts said general medical emergency as a vehicle crash
depicted by a car hitting a pedestrian and said plural second
pictograms depict possible vehicle crash scenarios, wherein
additional plural second pictograms depict details regarding
placement of passengers within the vehicle prior to the vehicle
crash, and wherein a fifth one of said panels depicts said general
medical emergency as an allergic reaction depicted by an
ill-looking person and said plural second pictograms depict
possible items that may have caused the allergic reaction.
34. The device as claimed in claim 33, wherein another one of said
plural panels depicts pictograms showing possible symptoms of the
medical emergency, wherein still another one of said plural panels
depicts pictograms related to treatments of the medical emergency,
wherein yet another one of said plural panels depicts pictograms
that specify medication instruction for treating the medical
emergency, wherein yet still another one of said plural panels
depicts pictograms related to instructions for the person to follow
after treatment of the medical emergency, wherein yet still further
another one of said plural panels depicts pictograms to ascertain
personal background information of the person, wherein still yet
another additional one of said plural panels depicts pictograms to
ascertain the person's medical history.
35. A method of gathering information through visual
identification, comprising the steps of: providing a portable
visual translator; indicating at least one universally recognizable
pictogram on said visual translator that denotes a word or sentence
related to a scenario.
36. The method as claimed in claim 35, wherein said scenario is law
enforcement.
37. The method as claimed in claim 35, wherein said scenario is
military law enforcement.
38. The method as claimed in claim 35, wherein said scenario is
maritime communications.
39. The method as claimed in claim 35, wherein said scenario is
disaster relief.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device. The
device is used for communicating between language challenged
people, for example, between two people that do not have a common
language or between a first person and a second language impaired
person.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Communication devices of this type are known in general,
especially as foreign travel aids. The inventor's prior invention
is a language communicator having a plurality of pictograms on a
plurality of foldable laminated sheets. A traveler may use this
language communicator to attempt to communicate with people in a
foreign country who do not speak the same language as the
traveler.
[0003] The traveler would point to a specific pictogram that
depicts a specific concept such as whether a room has a shower or a
double bed. However, the above noted known communication device is
limited to a general domain.
[0004] Other known language communication devices include flip
charts that combine written language and pictograms such as U.S.
Pat. No. 3,871,115 to Glass et al. However, language communicators
of this type are limited to one specific language that a person is
trying to communicate in. Specifically, if an English speaking
person were attempting to communicate in Spanish he would use one
translator, but if he wanted to communicate in French or some
completely different language like Arabic, he would need a separate
device. While this type of device may be acceptable for travel to a
foreign country, a single device that is independent of written
language would be more time efficient and cost efficient to convey
a wider set of language concepts.
[0005] The idea of a language communicator is not restricted to a
device that a person can carry with him such as the above foldable
device, but can be used with other mediums such as a computer
display. U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,342 to Steele et al. teaches an
interactive method of communicating by arranging a plurality of
icons in a row on a computer screen so that taken together, the
plural icons form a sentence.
[0006] However, there is a still a need for a simple device to
quickly and clearly communicate without any written language that
can be used to communicate between people that each speak a
different language or are unable to speak such that a plurality of
different languages can be communicated using a single device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is an object of the invention to have a visual language
communicator that overcomes the problems of the prior art.
[0008] Another object is to have a visual language communicator
that can quickly and easily be used to translate a plurality of
languages into a single language readily understood by the holder
of the communicator.
[0009] Yet another object is to have a visual language communicator
that can be employed using a variety of media.
[0010] Still yet another object to have a visual language
communicator that is able to convey complex ideas by having
enhanced graphics that accompany a pictogram denoting the idea.
[0011] Further yet another object is to have a communicator which,
in use, not only allows one person to communicate with another
person that does not speak the first person's language, but also
allows the second person to communicate with the first person so
that a dialogue can be established between the two people.
[0012] Further still another object is to have a communicator that
can be used in any part of the world by first responders to an
event to quickly and accurately make a determination of what
happened to enable a fast response to assist a witness to the event
or gather information from the event to respond to the event.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Other further objects and advantageous features of the
invention will be more readily apparent in connection with a
detailed description of the drawings in which:
[0014] FIGS. 1-20 collectively represent a foldable translator;
[0015] FIG. 21 shows FIG. 1-20 connected together as a foldable
translator;
[0016] FIG. 22 shows the translator of FIG. 21 folded almost
completely;
[0017] FIG. 23 shows the translator of FIG. 21 completely folded;
and
[0018] FIG. 24 shows a computer display of a large pictogram and
several small pictograms related to the large pictogram.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] FIGS. 1 through 23 show a foldable pocket sized translator
according to a first embodiment of the invention. FIGS. 1 though 20
show twenty panels that are connected together at respective edges
as further seen in FIG. 21. Although ten panels having items
depicted on front and rear sides are shown, a single panel or more
than ten or any number in between can be used. Preferably, the
amount of panels is less than twenty so that the panel can be
accessed quickly and easily foldable to fit inside a user's
pocket.
[0020] The panel 1 of FIG. 21 corresponds to FIG. 1 and denotes a
cover for the device. However, a cover is not required and
pictograms could be displayed on panel 1.
[0021] In the specific embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-20, the device
is a medical visual language translator. However, the translator
can take many different forms and be for example a military
translator depicting military vehicles, flags of nations, weapons,
modes of transportation, pictograms helping to identify a person or
persons' physical characteristics and other information that a
military person in a military scenario would find useful when
trying to communicate with a person who does not speak the same
language as the military person. The translator could also be
specific to police personnel, or more specifically military police
enforcement, school officials, CIA or FBI operatives, FEMA or other
disaster relief responders, maritime communication or any other
first responder to a specific scenario.
[0022] Accordingly, a first responder responding to an accident, a
military incident, a crime, a natural disaster or the like
preferably uses the visual language translator to assist in helping
at the scene of the event.
[0023] In the embodiment of the medical visual language translator
of FIGS. 1 through 20, FIGS. 2 through 18 depict pictograms related
to a medical emergency such that a user of the medical visual
language translator can respond quickly to the medical
emergency.
[0024] Unlike previous communication devices, the visual language
translator of the present invention can be used as easily in the
United States as overseas. Specifically, an emergency medical
technician (EMT) could carry the medical visual language translator
to communicate with a foreign speaking person or to a person that
cannot speak due to the medical emergency or for some other reason
or even to communicate to a person who is deaf.
[0025] At the scene of the medical emergency, the EMT would present
the translator to the victim or a bystander to attempt to
communicate with the victim or bystander. Since the visual
translator is laid out in an organized fashion, the communication
would be quick and accurate to provide assistance without
delay.
[0026] Various medical emergencies are denoted in FIGS. 2-4 and
6-8. Each of these figures includes a larger pictogram related to a
general concept and a plurality of smaller pictograms depicting a
specific concept related to the general concept.
[0027] For example, as seen in FIG. 3, a child may have ingested
something that has made him ill. The victim or bystander pointing
to the child in the pictogram would convey a general understanding
of what happened and would immediately convey this concept to the
EMT. Accordingly, the relatively larger pictogram of an ill child
is the general concept that is easily understood by the victim or
bystander and stands out from the other pictograms because of the
relatively larger size of this pictogram. The victim or bystander
would then point to a specific cause of the child's illness so that
the EMT could provide specific treatment. There is no need to flip
any pages or go to an adjacent page, because the general concept
and the specific concept related to the general concept are on the
same panel for quickly treating the emergency.
[0028] If the child is able to point to the communicator, panel 5
depicted in FIG. 5 shows a pain scale with pictograms showing
differing levels of pain. A numerical scale or short English or
non-English language phrases or a combination of any of these items
may accompany the pictograms to aid in communication.
[0029] As seen in FIG. 9, if the EMT was not immediately on the
scene, pain type and duration can be communicated by pointing to
the pictograms in FIG. 9.
[0030] The visual language translator can be folded so that panels
that are not normally adjacent one another become adjacent one
another to provide additional information. For example, panel 10 as
seen in FIG. 10 can be folded to be immediately adjacent panel 3
that has FIG. 3 thereon. In this manner, the EMT can assess general
symptoms of the child that flow in a logical sequence from FIG. 3,
so that the EMT does not have to flip the translator over to
communicate. From this it can be seen that here is communication
between the victim and/or the bystander and the EMT and also vice
versa so that a dialogue is, established.
[0031] In addition, as seen in FIG. 10, some of the pictograms have
attributes that connote additional meaning. Specifically, squiggly
lines and blurred images help provided added meaning to emphasize
that the pictogram denotes a seizure. These attributes can also be
seen in FIG. 19, which depicts further pictograms for symptoms that
are body part specific.
[0032] Other panels depict information that may be communicated if
the victim needs to be admitted to a hospital, such as personal
information depicted in FIG. 11 or background information as
depicted in FIG. 18.
[0033] The medical visual language translator can also be used to
communicate the treatment to be performed as seen in FIG. 12, for
example.
[0034] FIG. 13 depicts pictograms for treatment that is performed
by the victim such as frequency for changing bandages or when to
return to a doctor for a follow-up visit.
[0035] FIG. 14 depicts pictograms related to medication to be taken
including when the medication should be taken and what to avoid
when on the medication.
[0036] FIG. 15 depicts specific types of medications such as
tablets, injected medications, inhalants, liquid, etc.
[0037] FIG. 16 depicts another general scenario where the
relatively large pictogram depicts a man suffering from an allergic
reaction and the plural smaller pictograms depict certain food
items, medications or animals that may have caused the allergy.
[0038] FIG. 17 shows specialist a patient may have to visit
depending upon a specific medical condition.
[0039] Panel 20 is on the reverse side of panel 15 and depicts FIG.
20, which in the folded position as seen in FIG. 22 is the back
cover of the visual language translator. FIG. 23 shows the front
cover of FIG. 1, when the translator is fully folded and ready to
be stored in a pocket or other relatively small, easily accessible
location.
[0040] As noted above, the medical visual translator is but one
example. In a military visual translator a military stylized cover
would replace panel 1. Additional panels are structured and
arranged to enable dialogue between at least one of military
personnel that speak different languages and military personnel and
civilians. In this example, panel 2 comprises pictograms of flags
of various nations. Panel 3 comprises a pictogram of a world map
identifying countries of the world. Panel 4 comprises pictograms of
military vehicles including military air transport and military
ground transport. Panel 5 comprises pictograms of military weaponry
and communication devices including artillery weaponry, bombs,
handheld military weapons, land mines, military radios. Panel 6
comprises pictograms of characteristics including physical
characteristics of one of military personnel, paramilitary
personnel, civilians and hostile people in civilian attire, attire
for one of military personnel, civilian, paramilitary and hostile
people in civilian attire including colors of the attire. Panel 7
comprises pictograms of terrain, man-made structures traversing the
terrain, non-public transportation for traversing the terrain and
the presence of military guard posts along the terrain. Additional
panels depict services and personal needs of the military
personnel.
[0041] The specific pictograms shown on the translators are related
to various other scenarios as noted above including maritime
communication, law enforcement and humanitarian relief. These types
of scenarios relate to what are considered First Responders Domain
(FRD) because the people that would typically use a visual language
translator would be the first on the scene whether that scene is a
car accident, a crime scene, or an airport. Accordingly, various
other FRDs exist such as immigration officials, jailers, and
airline security personnel.
[0042] Often times, an FRD may use technical vocabulary that is
specific to that domain or at least is difficult to convey and may
not be known outside of people that work in that domain.
Accordingly, to enhance the effectiveness of the icon, text may
accompany the icon. In addition, instead of having a single icon to
communicate the idea of a missile, for example, several different
missiles may be depicted with a human figure adjacent the missiles
to determine a size of the rocket to more accurately communicate
the specific terminology associated with missiles.
[0043] An important aspect of the present invention is mapping the
informational requirements of an FRD to the icons. The icons are
designed to be cross-cultural so that they can be understood by any
culture whether or not the language of that culture is based on the
26 letter Latin alphabet. Users of languages based on the Greek,
Arabic, Chinese, Japanese or any other language equally understand
the icons.
[0044] The embodiment of FIGS. 1-23 is a foldable pocket sized
embodiment. However, the visual translator of the present invention
can take different forms. The pictograms or icons can be placed on
a grid. They can be printed on a substrate that allows use of an
erasable marker. These types of displays are considered static. In
a preferred embodiment, the icons are sequentially placed so that a
set of images is accessible in an optimal order as dictated by the
scenario at hand.
[0045] For example, in the medical visual language scenario, first
the nature of the problem is communicated (What happened?). Then,
symptoms and key background information are communicated.
Treatments, procedure, requests for the patient are subsequently
communicated so that a dialogue has been established through the
use of the communicator. Such a sequence can be laid out on the
static version of the communicator. However, the pictograms can
also be computer generated.
[0046] In the embodiment of FIG. 24, the relatively large pictogram
is displayed on the same screen with a plurality of the smaller
pictograms that are related to the larger pictogram. However, the
pictograms could be displayed in rapid linear succession. In either
the static form or the computer form, the pictograms could be
arranged hierarchically, sequenced and color-coded to allow a
stylus or finger to point to one of the pictograms or visually scan
though a plurality of pictograms. In this way, functionality and
cognition are directly linked to the arrangement of the pictograms.
Accordingly, a general concept is readily communicated.
[0047] When a computer display is the medium, information is
quickly accessible. By having the graphics available in a rapid
linear succession or in an area that can be selected from, for
example a group of weapons displayed together, the information can
be relayed quickly. An advantage of the computer display is that
the graphics can be either static similar to the foldable device or
the graphics can change.
[0048] The graphics can change to include: color, shape,
brightness, speed, direction, rotation, scaling, shifts in
3-dimension perspective, patterns, gradients, shape, true
animation, video, sounds, flashing, rate of flashing, etc. The
computer inputs to control the display can also vary and can
include: a mouse, a stylus, a light beam, head pointer, voice
recognition, track ball, track pad and various other devices known
to those in the computer art.
[0049] An important aspect of the invention is that a dialogue can
be established. For example, in the law enforcement domain, wherein
the scenario is a stolen car, pictograms denoting the scenario
could be pointed to by both an officer and a bystander to
determine: that it was a car that was stolen (instead of a van),
the color of the car, the year, make, number of doors, status of
the locks and key prior to the theft, location last seen, and
relatives who may have a key etc. Accordingly, the present
invention differs from the prior art teaching aids where there is
no dialogue, just a monologue.
[0050] Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the
appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the
examples given.
* * * * *