PURPOSE: To facilitate the understanding of read aloud contents by recognizing table data corresponding to the item name of a table, and reading aloud collectively the item name at the time of reading aloud tlxe table data.
CONSTITUTION: A document is read in to a document buffer (step 1), and the table is extracted by detecting ruled line information out of read in document information (step 2). Then, if a variable (j) is not '0', it is considered the table (step 5), and table structure is analyzed (step 6), and a document information table consisting of the item name in the table, digit position information showing the arrangement structure of a data character string, the item name, and the data character string, etc., is generated, and a table reading aloud sentence for reading aloud collectively the item name and a data part is generated on the basis of this document information table (step 7). Then, this reading aloud sentence is transformed into a voice by a voice synthesizing device, and the table data is read aloud by the voice (step 8).
KINUKAWA HIROYUKI
HIRAI AKIHIRO
