Voice Menu Navigation for Mobile Terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile terminals with complex menu systems are difficult to navigate due to small size and close menu items, often resulting in accidental selections when using touch screens.
Innovation Solution
A mobile terminal with a voice recognition system that activates upon user input, determining the meaning of voice instructions based on prior operations and language, and providing relevant menu options based on the recognized instructions and their probability match.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the menu system is organized in a tree diagram with multiple submenus, then the terminal provides comprehensive function access, but the user has to perform several intermediary functions to select a desired function
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the menu navigation process by allowing users to input specific keywords (e.g., 'picture', 'video') that directly jump to relevant submenu sections, rather than requiring sequential navigation through the entire tree structure. This segmentation reduces the number of intermediary steps while maintaining comprehensive function access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces voice recognition and keyword matching as intermediary mechanisms between the user and the menu system. These intermediaries translate natural language inputs into specific menu navigation commands, bridging the gap between user intent and the hierarchical menu structure without requiring manual traversal.
2Volume of moving object
If the terminal size is reduced, then the device becomes more portable, but the menu options become small in size and difficult to see
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual menu navigation (mechanical interaction with small on-screen elements) with voice-based interaction. Users speak commands instead of manually selecting small menu items, eliminating the visibility problem while maintaining full menu access functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Voice recognition acts as an intermediary that translates spoken commands into menu selection actions, bypassing the need for users to visually locate and manually select small menu items on the limited-size display.
3Area of stationary object
If menu items are displayed close together on a small screen, then more options are visible, but touching a particular menu item often results in simultaneously touching more than one menu item or the wrong menu item
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual touching/pointing mechanics with voice-based selection. Users speak the name or description of the desired function, and the system automatically identifies and executes the corresponding menu item, completely eliminating the risk of accidental or incorrect selections due to small touch targets.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback by recognizing and processing voice commands to identify the user's intended selection. This feedback mechanism confirms the selected function through voice processing and system response, ensuring accurate selection without requiring precise manual input.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile terminal including an input unit configured to receive an input to activate a voice recognition function on the mobile terminal, a memory configured to store information related to operations performed on the mobile terminal, and a controller configured to activate the voice recognition function upon receiving the input to activate the voice recognition function, to determine a meaning of an input voice instruction based on at least one prior operation performed on the mobile terminal and a language included in the voice instruction, and to provide operations related to the determined meaning of the input voice instruction based on the at least one prior operation performed on the mobile terminal and the language included in the voice instruction and based on a probability that the determined meaning of the input voice instruction matches the information related to the operations of the mobile terminal.