Patent ID: 8831952

Claim:
A voice input device for receiving a voice input from a user and for executing an operation command based on the voice input, comprising: a mastery level identifying device identifying a mastery level of the user with respect to the voice input; and an input mode setting device switching and setting a voice input mode between a guided input mode and an unguided input mode, wherein, in the guided input mode, preliminary registered contents of the voice input are presented to the user, wherein, in the unguided input mode, the preliminary registered contents of the voice input are not presented, wherein the input mode setting device sets the voice input mode to the unguided input mode at a starting time when the voice input device starts to receive the voice input, wherein the input mode setting device switches the voice input mode from the unguided input mode to the guided input mode at a switching time, and wherein the input mode setting device sets a time interval between the starting time and the switching time in proportion to the mastery level; the voice input device further comprising: a switching timing storing device storing switching timing information, wherein the switching timing information represents a relationship between the mastery level and the time interval, and wherein the input mode setting device switches the input mode based on the switching timing information.