Apparatus, process, and program for combining speech and audio data

• US 10,229,669 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2017
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Tetsuo, Miyashita, Ken, Nashida, Tatsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Abebe, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/491,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20170229114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 704275
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/02 Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/055 for synchronising with other signals, e.g. video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/81 for discriminating voice from music

Abstract

There is provided a speech processing apparatus including: a data obtaining unit which obtains music progression data defining a property of one or more time points or one or more time periods along progression of music; a determining unit which determines an output time point at which a speech is to be output during reproducing the music by utilizing the music progression data obtained by the data obtaining unit; and an audio output unit which outputs the speech at the output time point determined by the determining unit during reproducing the music.

Claims

1. A speech processing apparatus, comprising:

circuitry configured to;

obtain content data representative of content and timing data associated with one or more time points or one or more time periods of the content data;

obtain speech content based on the content data and reproduction history data related to the content, wherein the reproduction history data includes a content ID and a time and date when the related content was reproduced or includes the content ID a number of reproductions of the related content within a predetermined time period;

log the reproduction history data in a history logging unit comprising a storage device;

determine an output time point, based on the timing data, at which the speech content is to be output;

reproduce the content data; and

output the speech content at the determined output time point during reproducing the content data based on the timing data.

2. The speech processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein speech content includes a recommendation of another content based on the logged reproduction history data.

3. The speech processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein speech content includes personal information of a user based on the logged reproduction history data.

4. The speech processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive reproduction history data from another speech processing apparatus.

5. The speech processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the speech content is based on the received reproduction history data.

6. The processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the speech content includes a recommendation of another content based on the received, reproduction history data.

7. The speech processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to smit the reproduction history data to another speech processing apparatus.

8. The speech processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to obtain category data that indicates at least one property of the content data at one or more time points or one or more time periods defined by the timing data.

9. A method for processing speech using a speech processing apparatus, the method comprising:

obtaining content data representative of content timing data associated with one or more time points or one or more time periods of the content data;

obtaining speech content based on the content data and reproduction history data related to the content, wherein the reproduction history data includes a content ID and a time and date when the related content was reproduced or includes the content ID and a number of reproductions of the related content within a predetermined time period;

logging the reproduction history data in a history logging unit comprising a storage device;

determining an output time point, based on the timing data, at which the speech content is to he output;

reproducing the content data; and

outputting the speech content at the determined output time point during reproducing the content data based on the timing data.

10. The method for processing speech according to claim 9, wherein the speech content includes a recommendation of another content based on the logged reproduction history data.

11. The method for processing speech according to claim 9, wherein the speech content includes personal information of a user based on the logged reproduction history data.

12. The method for processing speech according to claim 9, further comprising receiving reproduction history data from another speech processing apparatus.

13. The method for processing speech according to claim 12, wherein the speech content is based on the received reproduction history data.

14. The method for processing speech according to claim12, wherein the speech content includes a recommendation of another content based on the received reproduction history data.

15. The method for processing speech according to claim 9, further comprising transmitting the reproduction history data to another speech processing apparatus.

16. The method for processing speech according to claim 9, further comprising obtaining category data that indicates at least one property of the content data at one or more time points or one or more time periods defined by the timing data.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer, causes the computer to control a speech processing method comprising:

obtaining content data representative of content and timing data associated with one or more time points or one or more time periods of the content data;

obtaining speech content based on the content data and reproduction history data related to the content, wherein the reproduction history data includes a content ID and a time and date when the related content was reproduced or includes the content ID and a number of reproductions of the related content within a predetermined time period;

logging the reproduction history data in a history logging unit comprising a storage device;

determining an output time point, based on the timing data, at which the speech content is to be output;

reproducing the content data; and

outputting the speech content at the determined output time point during reproducing the content data based on the timing data.