Ex Parte Hejza Litwiller - Page 5

                   Appeal 2007-0919                                                                                               
                   Application 10/179,555                                                                                         

                                                   FINDINGS OF FACT                                                               
                          Appellant invented a method for providing audible feedback to                                           
                   enable a visually impaired person to navigate touch screen menu displays                                       
                   typically associated with multi-function office machines (Specification 1,                                     
                   ll. 5-8).  Particularly, the invention aims at audibly informing the user when                                 
                   transitioning from the second mode of operation, which has the audible                                         
                   feedback function enabled, to the first mode of operation, which has the                                       
                   audible feedback function disabled (Specification 7, ll. 19-22).  Appellant’s                                  
                   invention further uses  an ON/OFF switch to transition between the two                                         
                   modes of operation and includes a feedback sound file that is associated with                                  
                   the ON/OFF switch, which audibly informs the user the state of the switch,                                     
                   i.e., whether the audible feedback is enabled or disabled.                                                     
                          Vanderheiden discloses a touch screen system for people with                                            
                   disabilities. (Abstract).  The touch screen system is equipped with a                                          
                   background sound (74) to indicate that an audio mode has been selected and                                     
                   is working properly (col. 7, ll 52-58).  In particular, Vanderheiden explains                                  
                   that in the second (audio) mode of operation, the background sound audibly                                     
                   informs a user that the touch panel is being touched, but not with a virtual                                   
                   button (Id.).  For example, figure 7 illustrates that the background sound is                                  


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