Patent ID: 7516073

Claim:
An electronic-book read-aloud device comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with at least one electronic book; a storage unit configured to store data on the electronic book; a speech-output unit configured to receive the electronic-book data transmitted from the storage unit, convert the electronic-book data into a speech signal, and externally transmit the speech signal; and a control unit configured to control the communication unit, the storage unit, and the speech-output unit, wherein the control unit reads electronic-book data and electronic-bookmark data from the electronic book through the communication unit, stores the read data in the storage unit, sets a read-aloud-start position based on the electronic-bookmark data, and writes data indicating a position at which the read-aloud processing is stopped and data on the date the read-aloud processing is performed into the electronic book, as electronic-bookmark data, at the time the read-aloud processing is stopped, and wherein the control unit adjusts the read-aloud-start position according to the time elapsed since a date when previous read-aloud processing was performed, based on the electronic-bookmark data read from the bookmark, at the time that the read-aloud processing is started.