Patent ID: 7809573

Claim:
A voice output apparatus comprising: a text display unit that displays a text message which is information to be transmitted to a user; a delay determination unit that determines a delay time according to a form of the text message displayed by said text display unit, the delay time being a time necessary for an action taken by the user to visually identify a text message after the text message is displayed by said text display unit; a voice output unit that outputs, via a voice message, the information to be transmitted, such that the output voice message represents the entire text message displayed by said text display unit, the voice message being output only when the delay time determined by said delay determination unit has passed after the text message is displayed by said text display unit; and a size obtainment unit that obtains a size of characters included in the displayed text message, wherein said delay determination unit estimates the delay time based on a previously determined relationship between the obtained size of the characters and the delay time, such that: the estimated delay time decreases as the obtained size of the characters increases; and the estimated delay time increases as the obtained size of the characters decreases.