Augmentative and alternative communication system with personalized user interface and content

Abstract

The disclosed methods and systems allow individuals with speech challenges to convey personalized expressive content to others. Implementation is performed on widely available and popular wireless handheld multimedia devices, which may help foster acceptance of the individuals and minimize any perceived differences. Users may easily create and add personalized content to the devices and may quickly customize the content selection interfaces of the devices. These tasks may be accomplished using either the devices themselves via a device-based content authoring tool running locally on the device, or using a Web-based authoring tool on a network server. The Web-based authoring tool allows users to create, capture, and store personalized content and customized content selection interfaces on the network server from virtually any location in the world with network access. The personalized content and customized interfaces may then be downloaded and synchronized automatically on the devices from time to time or as needed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of modifying augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) content for an AAC user, comprising:
 transmitting a transmission signal by a network server over a first network connection to a personal computer, the transmission signal representing a graphical interface that is displayed on the personal computer, the graphical interface allowing an AAC author to indicate one or more changes to be made to one or more of a plurality of AAC content associated with an AAC content selection interface on the network server using a standard keyboard and a pointing device on the personal computer;   receiving a reception signal from the personal computer over the first network connection by the network server, the reception signal representing the changes to the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface indicated by the AAC author;   modifying the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface by the network server according to the changes indicated by the AAC author; and   transmitting the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface that has been modified by the network server over a second network connection to a handheld multimedia device of the AAC user, the AAC content selection interface having a plurality of user-selectable options for allowing the AAC user to select which one of the plurality of ACC content associated with the AAC content selection interface to display or play back on the handheld multimedia device, the ACC content designed to help a non-ACC user understand a request from the ACC user;   wherein the AAC author is a different person from the AAC user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of modifying AAC content according to  claim 1 , wherein the reception signal additionally represents changes to the AAC content selection interface indicated by the AAC author, further comprising modifying the AAC content selection interface on the network server as indicated by the AAC author. 
     
     
         3 . The method of modifying AAC content according to  claim 1 , further comprising synchronizing AAC content on the network server that has been modified with AAC content on the handheld multimedia device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of modifying AAC content according to  claim 1 , wherein the AAC author is a first AAC author, further comprising:
 modifying the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface on the network server according changes indicated by a second AAC author; and   transmitting the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface that has been modified as indicated by the second AAC author to the handheld multimedia device of the AAC user.   
     
     
         5 . The method of modifying AAC content according to  claim 1 , wherein the network server is a Web server and the network connection is an Internet connection. 
     
     
         6 . The method of modifying AAC content according to  claim 1 , wherein the modifying of the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface occurs in real time. 
     
     
         7 . A system for modifying AAC content for an AAC user, comprising:
 a processor;   a storage device in communication with the processor, the storage device having computer-readable introductions stored thereon, the computer-readable introductions comprising instructions for causing the processor to carry out the method according to  claim 1 .   
     
     
         8 . A method of providing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) content to an AAC user, comprising:
 receiving a reception signal from a network server over a network connection by a handheld multimedia device of the AAC user, the reception signal representing one or more updates selected by an AAC author to one or more of a plurality of AAC content associated with an AAC content selection interface stored on the handheld multimedia device;   updating the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface by the handheld multimedia device according to the one or more updates selected by the AAC author;   storing updated AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface by the handheld multimedia device;   presenting the AAC content selection interface with the updated AAC content associated therewith by the handheld multimedia device to the AAC user, the AAC content selection interface having a plurality of user-selectable options for allowing the AAC user to select which one of the plurality of ACC content associated with the AAC content selection interface to be displayed or played back on the handheld multimedia device, the ACC content designed to help a non-ACC user understand a request from the ACC user;   receiving an input from the AAC user by the handheld multimedia device via the AAC content selection interface; and   displaying or playing back the AAC content by the handheld multimedia device upon receiving the input from the AAC user;   wherein the AAC author is a different person from the AAC user.   
     
     
         9 . The method of providing AAC content according to  claim 8 , wherein the AAC user is a first AAC user and the handheld multimedia device is a first handheld multimedia device, further comprising:
 receiving a reception signal from the network server over the network connection at a second handheld multimedia device of a second AAC user, the reception signal representing one or more updates selected by the AAC author to one or more of a plurality of AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface stored on the second handheld multimedia device;   updating the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface on the second handheld multimedia device according to the one or more updates selected by the AAC author.   
     
     
         10 . The method of modifying AAC content according to  claim 8 , further comprising synchronizing the AAC content selection interface on the network server with the AAC content selection interface on the handheld multimedia device. 
     
     
         11 . The method of providing AAC content according to  claim 10 , wherein the synchronization of the AAC content selection interface on the network server and the AAC content selection interface on the handheld multimedia device occurs only from the network server to the handheld multimedia device and not vice versa. 
     
     
         12 . The method of providing AAC content according to  claim 8 , wherein the AAC content selection interface is stored in a self-describing XML-based file format that is used by multiple AAC users on multiple types of handheld multimedia devices, further comprising merging the AAC content selection interface from the multiple types of handheld multimedia devices. 
     
     
         13 . The method of providing AAC content according to  claim 8 , wherein the handheld multimedia device is primarily a non-AAC device that is capable of running multiple different applications. 
     
     
         14 . The method of providing AAC content according to  claim 8 , further comprising allowing the AAC user to change the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface on the handheld multimedia device and uploading the AAC content associated with the AAC content selection interface that has been changed to the network server over the network connection. 
     
     
         15 . A graphical interface for editing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) content associated with an AAC content selection interface, comprising:
 a board panel configured to graphically depict a board composed of a plurality of cells, each cell being associated with either an AAC content, a nested board, or both, and configured to display and/or play back the AAC content, display the nested board, or both, when selected on a handheld multimedia device of an AAC user;   a navigation panel adjacent to the board panel and having a plurality of information areas therein and configured to graphically depict information for each cell in the board panel; and   a library panel configured to graphically depict AAC content that may be associated with the cells in the board panel;   wherein AAC content may be associated with a target cell in the board panel by clicking on a graphical depiction of the AAC content in the library, dragging the graphical depiction to the board panel, and dropping the graphical depiction on the target cell in the board panel.   
     
     
         16 . The graphical interface for editing AAC content according to  claim 15 , wherein the navigation panel is in the form of a collapsible and expandable navigation tree. 
     
     
         17 . The graphical interface for editing AAC content according to  claim 15 , wherein the board panel is in the form of an array with a user-selectable number of rows and columns. 
     
     
         18 . The graphical interface for editing AAC content according to  claim 15 , wherein the library panel includes a public library section and a private library section. 
     
     
         19 . The graphical interface for editing AAC content according to  claim 15 , wherein the AAC content includes text content, image content, audio content, and video content. 
     
     
         20 . A system for editing AAC content, comprising:
 a processor;   a storage device in communication with the processor, the storage device having computer-readable introductions stored thereon, the computer-readable introductions comprising instructions for causing the processor to carry out the method according to  claim 15 .