Electronic apparatus providing voice assistance based on user information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10324669-B2
Application number	US-201815984862-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2018
Priority date	May 22, 2017
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes: an operation unit removable from the electronic apparatus that receives operation of a user; and circuitry to: obtain user information identifying the user operating the operation unit; obtain a result of authentication processing, which determines whether the user identified with the user information is an authenticated user who is allowed to use the electronic apparatus; determine whether the authenticated user requires voice assistance, based on voice assistance information that associates, for each one or more authenticated users of the electronic apparatus, requirement information indicating whether voice assistance is required for the user; based on a determination that the authenticated user requires voice assistance, perform control of outputting voice data corresponding to operation of the authenticated user received at the operation unit; and based on a determination that the authenticated user requires no voice assistance, perform no control of outputting voice data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic apparatus, comprising:
an operation unit removable from the electronic apparatus and configured to receive operation of a user; and
circuitry configured to:
obtain user information identifying the user operating the operation unit;
obtain a result of authentication processing, which determines whether the user identified with the user information is an authenticated user who is allowed to use the electronic apparatus;
determine whether the authenticated user requires voice assistance, based on the user information and voice assistance information that associates, for identification information of each user of one or more users of the electronic apparatus, requirement information indicating whether or not voice assistance is required for the user;
when determining, based on the voice assistance information, that the authenticated user requires voice assistance, perform control of outputting voice data corresponding to operation of the authenticated user received at the operation unit; and
when determining, based on the voice assistance information, that the authenticated user requires no voice assistance, perform no control of outputting voice data.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein, based on the determination that the authenticated user requires voice assistance, the circuitry is further configured to transmit the voice data corresponding to the operation of the authenticated user to a mobile device operated by the authenticated user for output through the mobile device, while controlling the electronic apparatus not to output the voice data.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 2 , wherein, based on the determination that the authenticated user requires voice assistance, the circuitry is further configured to:
determine a message identifier identifying a message to be output in response to reception of the operation of the authenticated user, based on first association information, the first association information associating, for each one or more operations to be performed at the operation unit, an operation identifier identifying the operation and a message identifier identifying a message to be output; and
identify the voice data corresponding to the operation of the authenticated user, based on the determined message identifier and second association information for transmission to the mobile device, the second association information associating, for each of one or more message identifiers, voice data indicating a message to be output.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3 , wherein, based on the determination that the authenticated user requires voice assistance, the circuitry is further configured to:
obtain the voice data corresponding to the determined message identifier, based on the second association information; and
convert the obtained voice data into voice data in a format compatible with the mobile device for transmission to the mobile device.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 3 ,
wherein the operation unit is further configured to control display of an operation screen including a plurality of display components each selectable by the user,
wherein, in response to selection of any one of the plurality of display components, the operation unit receives an operation corresponding to the selected display component, as the operation of the authenticated user.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to perform the authentication processing, which determines whether the user identified with the user information is the authenticated user, based on the user information and the voice assistance information.

7. A system, comprising:
the electronic apparatus of claim 3 ; and
a memory to store at least one of the first association information, the voice assistance information, and the second association information.

8. The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
an authentication server configured to perform the authentication processing, which determines whether the user identified with the user information is the authenticated user based on the user information and the voice assistance information.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine whether the authenticated user requires the voice assistance by using only the user information of the authenticated user.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine whether the user requires voice assistance without receiving voice input from the user.

11. An information processing method, performed by an electronic apparatus provided with an operation unit removable from the electronic apparatus, the method comprising:
obtaining user information identifying a user operating the operation unit;
obtaining a result of authentication processing, which determines whether the user identified with the user information is an authenticated user who is allowed to use the electronic apparatus; and
determining whether the authenticated user requires voice assistance, based on the user information and voice assistance information that associates, for identification information of each user of one or more users, requirement information indicating whether or not voice assistance is required for the user,
wherein, when determining, based on the voice assistance information, that the authenticated user requires voice assistance, the method further comprises performing control of outputting voice data corresponding to operation of the authenticated user received at the operation unit, and
wherein, when determining, based on the voice assistance information, that the authenticated user requires no voice assistance, the method further comprises performing no control of outputting voice data.

12. A non-transitory recording medium which, when executed by one or more processors on an electronic apparatus provided with an operation unit removable from the electronic apparatus, cause the processors to perform an information processing method comprising:
obtaining user information identifying a user operating the operation unit;
obtaining a result of authentication processing, which determines whether the user identified with the user information is an authenticated user who is allowed to use the electronic apparatus; and
determining whether the authenticated user requires voice assistance, based on the user information and voice assistance information that associates, for identification information of each user of one or more authenticated users, requirement information indicating whether or not voice assistance is required for the user,
wherein, when determining, based on the voice assistance information, that the authenticated user requires voice assistance, the method further comprises performing control of outputting voice data corresponding to operation of the authenticated user received at the operation unit, and
wherein, when determining, based on the voice assistance information, that the authenticated user requires no voice assistance, the method further comprises performing no control of outputting voice data.

Assignees

• Tanaka Hiroyuki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tanaka Hiroyuki

Classifications

• G06F3/167 Primary

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• G06F3/1222 Primary

  Increasing security of the print job · CPC title

• G06F3/1204

  resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data · CPC title

• G06F9/453

  Help systems · CPC title

• G06F3/1292

  Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing · CPC title