Systems and methods for multiple voice document narration

• US 10,088,976 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: T Play Holdings LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: EM Acquisition Corp., Inc.
• Inventors: Kurzweil, Raymond C., Albrecht, Paul, Chapman, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn, Gregory
• Application Number:
  US14/444,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20160027431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• Field of Search: 715200, 715201, 715203, 715255, 715265
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0291 for reading, e.g. e-books constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/117 Tagging; Marking up details of markup languages G06F40/143; Designating a block; Setting of attributes style sheets, e.g. eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation [XSLT], G06F40/154
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques and systems to provide a narration of a text in multiple different voices. In some aspects, systems and methods described herein can include receiving a user-based selection of a first portion of words in a document where the document has a pre-associated first voice model and overwriting the association of the first voice model, by the one or more computers, with a second voice model for the first portion of words.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprises:

receiving by a processor device a user-based selection of first portions of a document displayed in a user interface on a display device in communication with the processor device, with the document having plural passages at least one of which is pre-associated with a default voice that is pre-associated with a first voice model, and with the first portions including tags that are association indicators;

generating by the processor device in response to the user selection, a first visual indicium over the user-based selection, and a second, different visual indicium over second, different portions of the document that are not pre-associated with the default voice and the pre-associated first voice model;

causing by the processor device the document to be displayed on the display device according to the generated first visual indicium and the second visual indicium;

receiving a user selection of an action to override the pre-associated default voice; and

overwriting by the processor, the default voice of one or more passages corresponding to the first portions, with a second voice and a second, different voice model according to the tag association indicators.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second voice is a different voice than the first voice.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the second voice is the same as the first voice.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a first one of the first visual indicium and the second visual indicium is a visible visual indicium, and a second, different one of the first visual indicium and the second visual indicium is an absence of a visible indicium, and the processor device is part of a hand-held device and user selection of the first portions comprises:

receiving by the processor the selection from a user input device.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving by the processor the selection from a user input device further comprises:

receiving by the processor device the selection from one or more of a keyboard, computer mouse, a touchscreen display, and stylus pointing device.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein receiving by the processor the selection from a user input device further comprises:

causing the processor device to send to the display a menu of available characters each associated with a character voice model and a character voice, for selection from the display of the second voice model;

receiving by the processor device a user selection of a character from the menu.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein upon receiving by the processor the selection of a character, the method further comprises:

associating by the processor device the selected portion of the text with the character voice model for the selected character; and

generating by the processor device a visual indication that is applied to the selected portion of the text to indicate that the selected portion of text is associated with the second voice model.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein upon receiving by the processor the selection of a character, the method further comprises:

determining whether the user made a selection of an additional portion of the text to associate with a particular character;

receiving the user'"'"'s selection of the additional portion of the text;

displaying the menu of available characters;

receiving the user'"'"'s selection of an additional character;

associating the additional character with the additional portion of text; and

generating a third visual indication to apply to the additional portion of text.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein a character indicates a particular entity and stored as a data structure or file on computer storage media, and data structure or file includes a graphical representation of the entity and associated voice model.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein a character further includes a mood for the entity where a mood is an instantiation of the associated voice model that is rendered according to one or more particular mood attributes.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the one or more particular mood attributes for the character are user selectable through the menu and are generated by the processor varying features of the voice model including one or more of speed of playback, volume, and pitch.

12. A portable electronic device comprises:

a display device;

a processor device; and

a memory device storing a computer program to configure the processor to;

receive a user-based selection of first portions of a document displayed in a user interface on a display device in communication with the processor device, with the document having plural passages each of which is pre-associated with tags that are association indicators, and with the first portions being pre-associated with a first voice model;

generate in response to the user selection a first visual indicium over the user-based selection, and a second, different visual indicium over second, different portions of the document that are not pre-associated with any voice model;

cause the document to be displayed on the display device according to the generated first visual indicium and the second visual indicium;

receive a user selection of an action to override the pre-associated first voice model;

overwrite the first voice model of corresponding passages in response to the user selection of the action, with the second voice model according to the tag association indicators; and

render by the portable electronic device as speech the first portions of text.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 12 wherein the first voice model is associated with the document prior to the user-based selection of the first portions.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 13 wherein the first voice model comprises a default voice model.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 12 wherein a first one of the first visual indicium and the second visual indicium is a visible visual indicium, and a second, different one of the first visual indicium and the second visual indicium is an absence of a visible indicium, and the computer program product further configures the processor to:

receive the selection from a user input device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the processor devices receives the selection from a user input device selected from one or more of a keyboard, computer mouse, a touchscreen display, and stylus pointing device.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 15 wherein the computer program product further configures the processor to:

send to the display device a graphical menu of available characters each associated with a character voice model and a character voice, for selection from the display of the second voice model;

receive a user selection of a character from the menu.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 17 wherein the computer program product further configures the processor to:

associate the selected portion of the text with the character voice model for the selected character; and

generate a visual indication that is applied to the selected portion of the text to indicate that the selected portion of text is associated with the second voice model.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 17 wherein the computer program product further configures the processor to:

determine whether the user made a selection of an additional portion of the text to associate with a particular character;

receive the user'"'"'s selection of the additional portion of the text;

display the menu of available characters;

receive the user'"'"'s selection of an additional character;

associate the additional character with the additional portion of text; and

generate a visual indication to apply to the additional portion of text.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 17 wherein a character indicates a particular entity and stored as a data structure or file on computer storage media, and data structure or file includes a graphical representation of the entity and associated voice model.

21. The portable electronic device of claim 17 wherein a character further includes a mood for the entity where a mood is an instantiation of the associated voice model that is rendered according to one or more particular mood attributes.

22. The portable electronic device of claim 21 wherein the one or more particular mood attributes for the character are user selectable through the menu and generated by the processor varying features of the voice model including one or more of speed of playback, volume, and pitch.

23. A computer readable hardware storage device storing a computer program to configure a processor device to:

send to a display device a graphical menu of available characters each associated with a voice model;

receive a user selection of a character from the menu;

receive a user-based selection of first portions of a document displayed in a user interface on a display device in communication with the processor device;

generate in response to the user selection, a first visual indicium over the first portions of the document, which first portions are pre-associated with a first voice model and which portions have association tag indicators, and a second, different visual indicium over second, different portions of the document that are not pre-associated with any voice model;

cause the document to be displayed on the display device according to the visual indicium and absence of the visual indicium;

receive a user selection of an action to override the pre-associated default voice; and

overwrite the first voice model of corresponding passages in response to the user selection of the action, with the second, different voice model according to the association tag indicators.

24. The computer readable hardware storage device of claim 23 wherein the computer program product further configures the processor to:

associate the selected portions with the second voice model for the character, with a character being data structure or file that includes a graphical representation of an entity and control for selection of one or more voice models associated with a mood where a mood is an instantiation of the associated voice model that is rendered according to one or more particular mood attributes.