阅读说明：本技术 一种家电设备的控制方法、装置、设备及存储介质 (Control method, device, equipment and storage medium for household electrical appliance ) 是由 才智 高秋英 于 2020-04-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明实施例公开了一种家电设备的控制方法、装置、设备及存储介质,其中该方法包括：接收用户的语音信号,并确定用户的年龄；基于所述用户的年龄确定所述语音信号的识别范围；基于所述识别范围确定所述语音信号匹配的识别结果,并基于所述识别结果对所述语音信号进行响应。本发明实施例提供的技术方案可以使家电设备可以根据用户的真实意图进行响应,从而使家电设备对用户语音进行准确响应,提高用户体验。(The embodiment of the invention discloses a method, a device, equipment and a storage medium for controlling household electrical appliance equipment, wherein the method comprises the following steps: receiving a voice signal of a user and determining the age of the user; determining a recognition range of the voice signal based on the age of the user; and determining a recognition result matched with the voice signal based on the recognition range, and responding to the voice signal based on the recognition result. The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention can enable the household appliance to respond according to the real intention of the user, so that the household appliance can accurately respond to the voice of the user, and the user experience is improved.)

1. A method for controlling a home appliance, comprising:

receiving a voice signal of a user and determining the age of the user;

determining a recognition range of the voice signal based on the age of the user;

and determining a recognition result matched with the voice signal based on the recognition range, and responding to the voice signal based on the recognition result.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the recognition range of the speech signal based on the age of the user comprises:

if the age of the user is larger than a set age threshold, determining that preset information containing keywords corresponding to the voice signal is the recognition range of the voice signal;

the determining the recognition result of the voice signal matching based on the recognition range comprises:

and determining preset information containing the voice keyword as a recognition result of the matching of the voice signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the recognition range of the speech signal based on the age of the user comprises

If the age of the user is smaller than a set age threshold, determining a keyword corresponding to the voice signal as an identification range of the voice signal;

the determining the recognition result of the voice signal matching based on the recognition range comprises:

and determining the keyword corresponding to the voice signal as a recognition result corresponding to the voice signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the age of the user comprises:

determining an age of the user based on the speech signal, or;

acquiring an image of the user through a camera, and determining the age of the user based on the image.

5. A method for controlling a home appliance, comprising:

receiving a voice signal of a user;

judging whether the speech signal has keywords of a preset executive language;

and if so, responding according to the number of the keywords.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein responding according to the number of keywords comprises:

if the keywords comprise other characters except for a preset execution language before and/or after the keywords, keeping the state unchanged;

and if the characters before and/or after the keyword do not comprise other characters except for a preset execution language, responding based on the keyword.

7. A control method of household appliances is characterized in that the method is applied to a main control device, and the method comprises the following steps:

receiving a voice signal of a user and determining the age of the user;

and controlling the household appliance matched with the user age to respond to the voice signal.

8. A method for controlling a home appliance, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that a main control device receives a voice signal of a user and determines the age of the user;

the master control equipment sends a control signal to the household appliance equipment matched with the age of the user;

and the household appliance equipment identifies and responds to the received voice signal based on the control signal.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more processors;

a storage device for storing one or more programs,

when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement the method of any one of claims 1-7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Technical Field

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of smart home, in particular to a control method, a control device, control equipment and a storage medium for household electrical appliances.

Background

At present, the intelligent control technology for household appliances is developed very rapidly, the voice control technology is an important one, and a large number of intelligent household appliances supporting voice control in the prior art can realize expected effects through voice interaction without manual operation of a user, so that great convenience is brought to the life of the user.

However, in some cases, the home appliance cannot respond according to the real intention of the user, and thus cannot accurately respond to the voice signal.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a control method, a control device, control equipment and a storage medium of household electrical appliance equipment, which can enable the household electrical appliance equipment to respond according to the real intention of a user, so that the household electrical appliance equipment can accurately respond to the voice of the user, and the user experience is improved.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling a home appliance, including:

receiving a voice signal of a user and determining the age of the user;

determining a recognition range of the voice signal based on the age of the user;

and determining a recognition result matched with the voice signal based on the recognition range, and responding to the voice signal based on the recognition result.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for controlling a home appliance, including:

receiving a voice signal of a user;

judging whether the speech signal has keywords of a preset executive language;

and if so, responding according to the number of the keywords.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for controlling a home appliance, where the method is applied to a master control device, and the method includes:

receiving a voice signal of a user and determining the age of the user;

and controlling the household appliance matched with the user age to respond to the voice signal.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for controlling a home appliance, including:

the method comprises the steps that a main control device receives a voice signal of a user and determines the age of the user;

the master control equipment sends a control signal to the household appliance equipment matched with the age of the user;

and the household appliance equipment identifies and responds to the received voice signal based on the control signal.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, including:

one or more processors;

a storage device for storing one or more programs,

when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors are caused to implement the methods provided by the embodiments of the present invention.

In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, where the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the method provided by the present invention.

According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the recognition range of the voice signal is determined through the age of the user, the recognition result matched with the voice signal is determined based on the recognition range, and the response is carried out based on the recognition result, so that the household appliance can respond according to the real intention of the user, the household appliance can accurately respond to the voice of the user, and the user experience is improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a block diagram of a control apparatus of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a block diagram of a control apparatus of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a block diagram of a control apparatus of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not limiting of the invention. It should be further noted that, for the convenience of description, only some of the structures related to the present invention are shown in the drawings, not all of the structures.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the method may be performed by a control apparatus of a home appliance, the apparatus may be implemented by software and/or hardware, and the method may be applied to a case where the home appliance is controlled by voice, and in particular, to a case where users of different ages control a home appliance by voice, and the apparatus may be configured in a home appliance.

As shown in fig. 1, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes:

s110: a voice signal of a user is received and an age of the user is determined.

In the embodiment of the invention, in a scene that a user controls household electrical appliances through voice, when the user sends out a voice signal, the household electrical appliances receive the voice signal of the user; the voice signal may be a wake-up voice for waking up the home appliance, or may also be an operation voice for controlling the home appliance to perform an action, or may also be other voices.

In one implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the determining the age of the user includes: determining an age of the user based on the speech signal, or; acquiring an image of the user through a camera, and determining the age of the user based on the image. Wherein the age of the user can be determined by the sound ray characteristics of the voice signal; or the image of the user can be shot through the camera, and the age of the user can be judged according to the facial image characteristics of the user, for example, the age of the user can be judged through the statute line characteristics in the facial image. Or the age of the user can be judged according to the stature characteristics in the user image; the camera can be arranged on the household appliance, or the camera can be arranged independently.

S120: determining a recognition range of the voice signal based on the age of the user.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the recognition range of the voice signal corresponding to the age of the user can be determined.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, optionally, the determining the recognition range of the voice signal based on the age of the user includes: and if the age of the user is larger than a set age threshold, determining that the preset information containing the keywords corresponding to the voice signal is the recognition range of the voice signal. The set age threshold may be set as needed, and may be, for example, 50 years old or 60 years old. When the age of the user is greater than the set age threshold value, the user can be judged to be the old, the old can arouse the household appliance, or the operation language can be unclear, so when the age of the user is greater than the set age threshold value, the recognition range of the voice signal of the user can be increased, the preset information containing the corresponding keywords of the voice signal is the recognition range of the voice signal, the household appliance can accurately respond, and the user experience is improved. For example, the wake-up language of the home appliance is "Xiaoyou, Xiaoyou", the elderly may have a situation of unclear memory, and the elderly may send a "Xiaoyou" voice signal when they want to wake up the home appliance; when the household electrical equipment receives the voice signal of the user, if the user is judged to be the old, the awakening words containing the small excel (the small excel and the small excel) are used as the recognition range corresponding to the voice signal.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, optionally, the determining the recognition range of the voice signal based on the age of the user includes: and if the age of the user is smaller than the set age threshold, determining the keyword corresponding to the voice signal as the recognition range of the voice signal. When the age of the user is smaller than the set age threshold, the user can be judged to be not the old, the awakening words or the execution words of the household appliance are clearly memorized, frequent response or wrong response of the household appliance is avoided, and when the age of the user is smaller than the set age threshold, the corresponding keywords of the voice signals of the user are used as the recognition range of the voice signals, so that the household appliance can respond according to the intention of the user, and the frequent response is avoided.

S130: and determining a recognition result matched with the voice signal based on the recognition range, and responding to the voice signal based on the recognition result.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, optionally, when the age of the user is greater than a set age threshold, the determining, based on the recognition range, a recognition result of the voice signal matching includes: and determining preset information containing the voice keyword as a recognition result of the matching of the voice signal. When the age of the user is larger than the set age threshold, the preset information containing the keywords corresponding to the voice signals is used as the recognition range of the voice signals, the preset information is used for determining the recognition result matched with the voice signals, the voice signals are responded based on the recognition result, and when the age of the user is older, the condition that the voice response of the household appliance cannot be caused can occur due to the fact that the memory of a wakeup word or an operation word of the household appliance is not clear.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, optionally, when the age of the user is smaller than a set age threshold, the determining, based on the recognition range, a recognition result of the voice signal matching includes: and determining the keyword corresponding to the voice signal as a recognition result corresponding to the voice signal. When the age of the user is smaller than the set age threshold, the memory of the awakening words or the operation words of the household appliance is clearer, and in order to avoid the situation that the household appliance responds due to the fact that the user talks to unintentionally mention the awakening words or part of the content of the execution words, the embodiment of the invention takes the keywords corresponding to the voice signals as the recognition result of the voice signal matching and responds based on the recognition result, so that the household appliance can accurately respond.

According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the recognition range of the voice signal is determined through the age of the user, the recognition result matched with the voice signal is determined based on the recognition range, and the response is carried out based on the recognition result, so that the household appliance can respond according to the real intention of the user, the household appliance can accurately respond to the voice of the user, and the user experience is improved.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for controlling an electrical home device, where the method may be performed by a control apparatus of the electrical home device, the apparatus may be implemented by software and/or hardware, the method may be applied to controlling the electrical home device by voice, the method may be applied to a case where a user talks without mentioning an executive language (including a wakeup language), and the apparatus may be configured in the electrical home device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 2, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes:

s210: a voice signal of a user is received.

S220: and judging whether the speech signal has keywords of a preset executive language.

In the embodiment of the invention, the voice signal can be recognized through the voice recognition module, the voice signal is converted into a text form, and whether the voice signal has keywords of the preset execution language is judged. The preset execution language can be a preset awakening language which can awaken the household appliance; the preset execution language can also be a preset operation language, so that the household appliance in the awakening state can execute corresponding operation according to the voice signal.

S230: and if so, responding according to the number of the keywords.

In the embodiment of the invention, when keywords of the preset executive language exist in the voice signal, response is carried out according to the number of the keywords.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, optionally, the responding according to the number of the keywords includes: if the keywords comprise other characters except for a preset execution language before and/or after the keywords, keeping the state unchanged; and if the characters before and/or after the keyword do not comprise other characters except for a preset execution language, responding based on the keyword.

Specifically, if the voice signal contains other characters except the preset execution language before and/or after the keyword of the preset execution language, the home appliance device does not respond to the voice signal of the user, that is, the state is kept unchanged; and responding to the voice signal if the keywords of the preset execution language in the voice signal do not contain other characters except the preset execution language before and/or after the keywords of the preset execution language. If the preset executive language exists in the voice signal and before and/or after the keyword of the preset executive language, other characters except the preset executive language are included, which indicates that the user and other people may be talking, the unintentionally mentioned preset executive language is not the real intention of the user for operating the household appliance by voice, so that the household appliance does not respond to the voice signal; if the keywords of the preset execution language in the voice signal do not include other characters except the preset execution language before and/or after the keywords of the preset execution language, the user wants to operate the household appliance by voice, so that the household appliance responds to the voice signal.

In the related art, when a user talks with other people, if the user does not mention the keywords of the executive language, the home appliance can respond by voice, and the user experience is poor. According to the embodiment of the invention, the response is carried out according to the number of the keywords of the preset executive words in the voice signal, the response can be carried out according to the real intention of the user, the situation of wrong response caused by the fact that the user does not mention the preset executive words is avoided, and the user experience is improved.

According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, whether the keywords of the preset execution language exist in the voice signal of the user is judged, and the response is carried out according to the number of the existing keywords, so that the response can be carried out according to the real intention of the user, and the condition of wrong response caused by the fact that the user does not mention the preset execution language is avoided.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the method may be executed by a control apparatus of a home appliance, the apparatus may be implemented by software and/or hardware, and the method may be applied to controlling a home appliance by voice, and the apparatus is configured in a main control device, where the main control device may be a home appliance set arbitrarily.

As shown in fig. 3, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes:

s310: a voice signal of a user is received and an age of the user is determined.

In the embodiment of the invention, in a scene that a user controls household electrical appliances through voice, when the user sends out a voice signal, the household electrical appliances receive the voice signal of the user; the voice signal may be a wake-up voice for waking up the home appliance, or may also be an operation voice for controlling the home appliance to perform an action, or may also be other voices.

In one implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the determining the age of the user includes: determining an age of the user based on the speech signal, or; acquiring an image of the user through a camera, and determining the age of the user based on the image. Wherein the age of the user can be determined by the sound ray characteristics of the voice signal; or the image of the user can be shot through the camera, and the age of the user can be judged according to the facial image characteristics of the user, for example, the age of the user can be judged through the statute line characteristics in the facial image. Or the age of the user can be judged according to the stature characteristics in the user image; the camera can be arranged on the household appliance, or the camera can be arranged independently.

S320: and controlling the household appliance matched with the user age to respond to the voice signal.

In the embodiment of the present invention, specifically, the main control device sends a control signal to the home appliance device with the age matched with the user, and the matched home appliance device identifies the voice signal based on the control signal and performs a corresponding response. For example, when the age of the user is greater than a first set age threshold, a television matched with the age of the user can recognize and respond to the voice signal of the user; when the age of the user is smaller than the second set age threshold, another television set can be matched with the age of the user, the television set can recognize the voice signal of the user and respond, and functions of the two television sets are different.

In the embodiment of the invention, the household appliance can adjust the corresponding response according to the age of the user under the condition of identifying the voice signal of the user. Specifically, the corresponding interactive content may be adjusted according to the age of the user. For example, if the user is determined to be an old person, the volume of the interactive sound can be increased, and the speech speed is slowed down; if the user is judged to be a child, the tone of the interactive sound can be changed, or if the user is judged to be a child and the household appliance is a washing machine, the user can not use the household appliance through mild voice prompt; or when the user is judged to be a child and the household appliance is a television, partial functions of the television are forbidden to be used, and the like.

According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the age of the user is determined, and the household appliance matched with the age of the user is controlled to respond to the voice signal, so that the voice signal can be responded according to the characteristics of the user, and the household appliance is more humanized to use.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a method for controlling a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 4, a technical solution according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

s410: the master control device receives a voice signal of a user and determines the age of the user.

S420: and the master control equipment sends a control signal to the household appliance equipment matched with the age of the user.

S430: and the household appliance equipment identifies and responds to the received voice signal based on the control signal.

The introduction of S410-S430 can refer to the above embodiments.

According to the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the main control equipment determines the age of the user and sends the control signal to the household electrical appliance matched with the age of the user, and the matched household electrical appliance responds to the voice signal and can respond to the voice signal according to the characteristics of the user, so that the household electrical appliance is more humanized to use.

It should be noted that the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention may include: when receiving a voice signal of a user, the main control equipment determines the household appliance equipment closest to the user; and controlling the household appliance closest to the user to respond to the voice signal. Specifically, each household appliance can determine the current position of a user through an image shot by a camera or through a sensor, determine the distance between the household appliance and the user, and send the distance to the main control device, when the main control device receives a voice signal, the household appliance closest to the user is determined, and a control signal is sent to the household appliance, so that the household appliance can identify the voice signal based on the control signal and respond based on an identification result, the condition that all household appliances respond to the voice signal of the user can be avoided, and the household appliance can be controlled according to the needs of the user.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a control apparatus of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention, where as shown in fig. 5, the apparatus includes: a receiving/determining module 510, a recognition range determining module 520, and a determining/responding module 530.

Wherein, the receiving/determining module 510 is configured to receive a voice signal of a user and determine an age of the user;

a recognition range determination module 520 for determining a recognition range of the voice signal based on the age of the user;

a determining/responding module 530, configured to determine a recognition result that the voice signal matches based on the recognition range, and respond to the voice signal based on the recognition result.

Optionally, the identification range determining module 520 is configured to determine that the preset information including the keyword corresponding to the voice signal is the identification range of the voice signal if the age of the user is greater than a set age threshold;

the determining the recognition result of the voice signal matching based on the recognition range comprises:

and determining preset information containing the voice keyword as a recognition result of the matching of the voice signal.

Optionally, the identification range determining module 520 determines that the keyword corresponding to the voice signal is the identification range of the voice signal if the age of the user is smaller than the set age threshold;

the determining the recognition result of the voice signal matching based on the recognition range comprises:

and determining the keyword corresponding to the voice signal as a recognition result corresponding to the voice signal.

Optionally, the determining the age of the user includes:

determining an age of the user based on the speech signal, or;

acquiring an image of the user through a camera, and determining the age of the user based on the image.

The device can execute the method provided by any embodiment of the invention, and has the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects of the execution method.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a control apparatus of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 6, the apparatus includes a receiving module 610, a determining module 620, and a responding module 630.

A receiving module 610, configured to receive a voice signal of a user;

a judging module 620, configured to judge whether the speech signal has a keyword of a preset execution language;

a response module 630, configured to respond according to the number of the keywords if yes.

Optionally, the response module 630 is configured to keep the state unchanged if the keyword further includes other characters before and/or after the keyword, except for a preset execution language;

and if the characters before and/or after the keyword do not comprise other characters except for a preset execution language, responding based on the keyword.

The device can execute the method provided by any embodiment of the invention, and has the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects of the execution method.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a control apparatus of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the apparatus is configured to a main control device, and as shown in fig. 7, the apparatus includes a receiving/determining module 710 and a control module 720.

Wherein, the receiving/determining module 710 is configured to receive a voice signal of a user and determine an age of the user;

and the control module 720 is configured to control the home appliance device matched with the user age to respond to the voice signal.

The device can execute the method provided by any embodiment of the invention, and has the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects of the execution method.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 8, the apparatus includes:

one or more processors 810, one processor 810 being illustrated in FIG. 8;

a memory 820;

the apparatus may further include: an input device 830 and an output device 840.

The processor 810, the memory 820, the input device 830 and the output device 840 of the apparatus may be connected by a bus or other means, for example, in fig. 8.

The memory 820 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and can be used for storing software programs, computer-executable programs, and modules, such as program instructions/modules corresponding to a control method of a home device in an embodiment of the present invention (for example, the receiving/determining module 510, the recognition range determining module 520, and the determining/responding module 530 shown in fig. 5, or the receiving module 610, the judging module 620, and the responding module 630 shown in fig. 6, or the receiving/determining module 710 and the controlling module 720 shown in fig. 7). The processor 810 executes various functional applications and data processing of the computer device by executing the software programs, instructions and modules stored in the memory 820, so as to implement the control method of the home appliance of the above method embodiment, that is:

receiving a voice signal of a user and determining the age of the user;

determining a recognition range of the voice signal based on the age of the user;

and determining a recognition result matched with the voice signal based on the recognition range, and responding to the voice signal based on the recognition result. Or;

receiving a voice signal of a user;

judging whether the speech signal has keywords of a preset executive language;

and if so, responding according to the number of the keywords. Alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

receiving a voice signal of a user and determining the age of the user;

and controlling the household appliance matched with the user age to respond to the voice signal.

The memory 820 may include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store an operating system, an application program required for at least one function; the storage data area may store data created according to use of the computer device, and the like. Further, the memory 820 may include high speed random access memory, and may also include non-transitory memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-transitory solid state storage device. In some embodiments, memory 820 may optionally include memory located remotely from processor 810, which may be connected to the terminal device via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

The input device 830 may be used to receive input numeric or character information and generate key signal inputs related to user settings and function control of the computer apparatus. The output device 840 may include a display device such as a display screen.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, where the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements a method for controlling a home appliance, according to an embodiment of the present invention:

receiving a voice signal of a user and determining the age of the user;

determining a recognition range of the voice signal based on the age of the user;

and determining a recognition result matched with the voice signal based on the recognition range, and responding to the voice signal based on the recognition result. Alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

receiving a voice signal of a user;

judging whether the speech signal has keywords of a preset executive language;

and if so, responding according to the number of the keywords. Alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

receiving a voice signal of a user and determining the age of the user;

and controlling the household appliance matched with the user age to respond to the voice signal.

Any combination of one or more computer-readable media may be employed. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated data signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may also be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C + + or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the case of a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

It is to be noted that the foregoing is only illustrative of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles employed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of various obvious changes, rearrangements and substitutions as will now become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in greater detail by the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include other equivalent embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.