System and method for integrating special effects with a text source

• US 10,249,205 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novel Effect, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Novel Effect, Inc.
• Inventors: Hammersley, Matthew William, Hammersley, Melissa Furze
• Primary Examiner(s): Mishra, Richa
• Application Number:
  US15/095,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20160358620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/38 Picture books with additional toy effects, e.g. pop-up or slide displays picture books B42D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10
• 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 2015/088 Word spotting

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products relate to special effects for a text source, such as a traditional paper book, e-book, mobile phone text, comic book, or any other form of pre-defined reading material, and for outputting the special effects. The special effects may be played in response to a user reading the text source aloud to enhance their enjoyment of the reading experience and provide interactivity. The special effects can be customized to the particular text source and can be synchronized to initiate the special effect in response to pre-programmed trigger phrases when reading the text source aloud.

Claims

1. A system for providing a special effect associated with an auditory input, the system comprising:

an electronic device configured to;

receive an audible input from a user comprising speech of the user reading one or more portions of a text source, wherein the electronic device is physically separate and distinct from the text source;

access a plurality of pre-determined triggers associated with the text source, wherein the plurality of pre-determined triggers comprise two or more active pre-determined triggers included in a current window of active triggers and one or more inactive pre-determined triggers that are not included in the current window, wherein the two or more active pre-determined triggers included in the current window of active triggers are determined based on a position within the text source of the one or more portions of the text source read by the user, wherein the electronic device is configured to cause one or more special effects upon matching the audible input to any of the two or more active pre-determined triggers but configured to not cause special effects upon matching the audible input to one of the one or more inactive pre-determined triggers;

determine whether the audible input matches at least one active trigger of the two or more active pre-determined triggers via a speech recognition algorithm;

in response to determining that the audible input matches a first active trigger of the two or more active pre-determined triggers, command a special effect device to output a first special effect associated with the text source, wherein the special effect device comprises an audio speaker, and wherein the first special effect comprises first audio content;

in response to determining that the audible input matches the first active trigger of the one or more active pre-determined triggers, modify the current window of active triggers to deactivate the first active trigger to an inactive pre-determined trigger that is not included in the current window; and

during playback of the first audio content by the special effect device;

continuously listen for and receive additional audible input from the user;

determine whether the additional audible input matches at least one active trigger via the speech recognition algorithm;

in response to determining that the additional audible input matches a second active trigger, command the special effect device to output a second special effect associated with the text source at least partially concurrently with output of the first special effect, wherein the second special effect is different than the first special effect; and

in response to determining that the additional audible input matches the second active trigger, modify the current window of active triggers to deactivate the second active trigger to be an inactive pre-determined trigger that is not included in the current window.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source is pre-existing.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source comprises a book.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source comprises a comic book.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source comprises a printed text source.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source comprises an electronically displayed text source.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to command the special effect device to begin outputting the first special effect before beginning to output the second special effect.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to command the special effect device to stop outputting the first special effect before stopping the output of the second special effect.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to command the special effect device to stop outputting the second special effect before stopping the output of the first special effect.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second special effect comprises a second audio output, and the electronic device is configured to cause output of a third special effect comprising a light emission.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is communicably coupled but physically distinct from the special effect device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or the second special effects comprises animation.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or the second special effects comprises video.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or the second special effects comprises a picture.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein in response to determining that the audible input matches the first active trigger of the one or more active pre-determined triggers the electronic device is configured to activate one of the one or more inactive pre-determined triggers.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the audible input from the user comprising speech of the user reading one or more portions of the text source is pre-recorded and electronically outputted.

17. A system for providing a special effect associated with an auditory input, the system comprising:

an electronic device configured to;

receive an audible input from a user comprising speech of the user reading one or more portions of a text source;

access a plurality of pre-determined triggers associated with the text source, wherein the plurality of pre-determined triggers comprise two or more active pre-determined triggers included in a current window of active triggers and one or more inactive pre-determined triggers that are not included in the current window, wherein the two or more active pre-determined triggers included in the current window of active triggers are determined based on a position within the text source of the one or more portions of the text source read by the user, wherein the electronic device is configured to cause one or more special effects upon matching the audible input to any of the two or more active pre-determined triggers but configured to not cause special effects upon matching the audible input to one of the one or more inactive pre-determined triggers;

determine whether the audible input matches at least one active trigger of the two or more active pre-determined triggers via a speech recognition algorithm, wherein the one or more pre-determined triggers comprise active pre-determined triggers and inactive pre-determined triggers;

in response to determining that the audible input matches the at least one active trigger of the two or more active pre-determined triggers, command one or more special effect devices to output a plurality of special effects associated with the text source; and

in response to determining that the audible input matches the at least one active trigger of the two or more active pre-determined triggers modify the current window of active triggers to deactivate the at least one active trigger to an inactive pre-determined trigger that is not included in the current window;

wherein the one or more special effect devices comprises an audio speaker, and the at least one of the one or more special effects includes audio content;

wherein the plurality of special effects comprises a first special effect comprising an audio output and a second special effect comprising an audio output different from the first special effect;

wherein the electronic device is configured to command the one or more special effect devices to output the second special effect at least partially concurrently with outputting the first special effect;

wherein the at least one active trigger comprises a first active trigger that causes output of the first special effect and a second active trigger that causes output of the second special effect, wherein the first active trigger is at least partly different than the second active trigger; and

wherein the electronic device is configured to determine when an additional active trigger phrase is detected via the speech recognition algorithm at least partly concurrently while the one or more special effect devices are outputting the plurality of special effects.

18. A system for providing a special effect associated with an auditory input, the system comprising:

an electronic device configured to;

receive an audible input from a user comprising speech of the user reading one or more portions of a text source, wherein the text source comprises a printed book;

access a plurality of pre-determined triggers associated with the text source, wherein the plurality of pre-determined triggers comprise two or more active pre-determined triggers included in a current window of active triggers and one or more inactive pre-determined triggers that are not included in the current window, wherein the two or more active pre-determined triggers included in the current window of active triggers are determined based on a position within the text source of the one or more portions of the text source read by the user, wherein the electronic device is configured to cause one or more special effects upon matching the audible input to any of the two or more active pre-determined triggers but configured to not cause special effects upon matching the audible input to one of the one or more inactive pre-determined triggers;

determine whether the audible input matches at least one active trigger of the two or more active pre-determined triggers via a speech recognition algorithm;

in response to determining that the audible input matches the at least one active trigger of the two or more active pre-determined triggers, command one or more special effect devices to output a plurality of special effects associated with the text source; and

in response to determining that the audible input matches the at least one active trigger of the two or more active pre-determined triggers, modify the current window of active triggers to deactivate the at least one active trigger to an inactive pre-determined trigger that is not included in the current window;

wherein the one or more special effect devices comprises an audio speaker and at least one of the plurality of special effects includes audio content;

wherein the plurality of special effects comprises a first special effect comprising an audio output, and a second special effect comprising an audio output different from the first special effect;

wherein the at least one active trigger comprises a first active trigger that causes output of the first special effect and a second active trigger that causes output of the second special effect, wherein the first active trigger is at least partly different than the second active trigger; and

wherein the electronic device is configured to determine when an additional pre-determined trigger phrase is detected via the speech recognition algorithm at least partly concurrently while the one or more special effect devices are outputting the plurality of special effects.