Abstract: A method for limiting Internet access via the World Wide Web is disclosed. The method may be used to help provide a safe Internet experience for children, to help enforce business practices with respect to the World Wide Web, and analogous purposes. Rather than relying on lists or content filtering, which can provide an unnatural and/or ineffective browsing experience, the method instead allows a computer owner or administrator to specify a “Navigation Boundary”, similar in nature to a fence, with respect to a particular domain, and subsequently allow browser navigation only within that boundary. The boundary substantially follows the “hyperlink contours” of the domain, and thus is deterministic in nature, such that users do not substantially experience the effect of randomly being denied access to a site. Additionally, the user may graphically view his or her location with respect to the boundary.

Abstract: A method of navigating textual information via auditory indicators is provided. Through the pervasive and immediate articulation of virtually all textual elements in response to a comparatively passive action, such as a selection device rollover, a user may quickly peruse titles, headings, list items, and so on, as well as emphasized text, paragraphs, captions, and virtually any unit of visually contiguous text. A user may also hear a particular selected word via a slightly more active action, such as clicking a mouse button. Via use of this method, a child, or other user who may understand a language, but not be able to recognize its orthography, may successfully and easily navigate textual documents. The method also resumes articulation of text that has been stopped due to a passive deindication. The articulation is restarted approximately at the word where it was stopped.

Abstract: A method of navigating textual information via auditory indicators is provided. Through the pervasive and immediate articulation of virtually all textual elements in response to a comparatively passive action, such as a selection device rollover, a user may quickly peruse titles, headings, list items, and so on, as well as emphasized text, paragraphs, captions, and virtually any unit of visually contiguous text. A user may also hear a particular selected word via a slightly more active action, such as clicking a mouse button. Via use of this method, a child, or other user who may understand a language, but not be able to recognize its orthography, may successfully and easily navigate textual documents. The method also resumes articulation of text that has been stopped due to a passive deindication. The articulation is restarted approximately at the word where it was stopped.

Abstract: A method of navigating textual information via auditory indicators is provided. Through the pervasive and immediate articulation of virtually all textual elements in response to a comparatively passive action, such as a selection device rollover, a user may quickly peruse titles, headings, list items, and so on, as well as emphasized text, paragraphs, captions, and virtually any unit of visually contiguous text. A user may also hear a particular selected word via a slightly more active action, such as clicking a mouse button. Via use of this method, a child, or other user who may understand a language, but not be able to recognize its orthography, may successfully and easily navigate textual documents.

Abstract: A method and apparatus which allows a user with minimal understanding of the orthography of a language to nevertheless use its orthography as the basis for performing a database search. Orthographic information is displayed. When a user indicates a possible selection of this information by, for example, placing a mouse cursor over the displayed information the selection is pronounced. When the user selects this information by, for example, clicking a mouse button, the input data associated with the information may be used for a database search, and the results presented to back the user aurally. According to another aspect of the invention, the results may also be presented orthographically. According to another aspect of the invention, the results may also be presented pictorially. According to another aspect of the invention, when the user indicates a possible selection of an orthographically presented result by, for example, placing a mouse cursor over ie result, the result is pronounced.

Abstract: A method and apparatus which allows a user to specify phonemes and the relative positions of the phonemes with respect a word or a group of words, such as at title. Phonemic indicators representing phonemes are provided, and selection of the indicators is allowed. When a phoneme is selected, its position with respect to a word or group of words is determined. According to one aspect of the invention, the phonemes are either initial phonemes or final phonemes, i.e., phonemes which are identifiable by young children. According to another aspect of the invention, the indicators are provided in a manner understandable to an individual who cannot read, such as a young child. According to another aspect of the invention, the phonemic indicators further indicate positional information, in which case both the phoneine and its position are selected when the indicator is selected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus which transforms a standard natural language alphabet into a phonetic alphabet provides a user with a plurality of alphabetic characters of a natural language and prompts the user to select a letter. When a letter is selected, a plurality of allographs containing that letter are displayed, along with indications of the sounds of the phonemes which are encoded by the allographs. The plurality of allographs have in common the selected letter. Thus, a user need not learn a specialized phonetic alphabet to represent sounds for which the allographs may not be known. At the same time, the user is taught alternative allographic representations for the same phoneme. In addition, because a letter may appear in allographs which encode respectively different phonemes, the user is taught alternative sounds that the selected letter may represent.

Abstract: A method of accessing information in a database of text entries is provided. The user may be prompted for an initial sound of the information to be accessed, by providing a menu of symbols, each symbol representing a respectively different sound. The initial sound is received. A sound other than the initial sound for the information to be accessed is also received. A subset of the text entries in the database is associated with the initial sound and the other sound. The associated text entries are searched by a searching method that may include sequential search. The associated text entries are provided as the accessed information, and the meaning of a selected one of the text entries is indicated in a manner which would be understood by individuals who cannot read, such as sound and pictures, or sound and animation.