Method and device for providing information

• US 10,468,052 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Wen, Xue
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Matthew H
• Application Number:
  US15/044,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20160240213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/027 Concept to speech synthesisers; Generation of natural phrases from machine-based concepts generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text G10L13/08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/63 for estimating an emotional state

Abstract

A method and a device for providing information are provided. The method includes obtaining, via a communication terminal, speech information provided by at least one participant in a communication conducted using the communication terminal via the communication terminal; obtaining state information indicating a current state of the at least one participant by using at least one from among the speech information and data stored in advance; determining a virtual speech to be provided to the at least one participant based on the speech information and the state information; and outputting the determined virtual speech.

Claims

1. A method of providing information, the method comprising:

obtaining speech information provided by a first participant of two or more participants in a communication conducted using two or more communication terminals;

providing the speech information to a second participant of the participants; and

providing, based on the speech information, a virtual speech to the first participant or the second participant, the speech information being related to a first topic,

wherein the providing the virtual speech includes obtaining state information including emotion information on a current emotion state of the first participant and providing the virtual speech based on the emotion information in response to determining that the current emotion state of the first participant is different from a typical state of the first participant, and

wherein the virtual speech includes content related to a second topic which is different from the first topic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the speech information comprises:

outputting an inquiring virtual speech for obtaining information regarding at least one of the participants; and

obtaining the speech information including additional speech information obtained in response to the inquiring virtual speech that was output.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the state information further comprises at least one selected from schedule information related to at least one of the participants, personal information related to the at least one of the participants, topic information related to the first topic, and personality information related to the at least one of the participants.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the speech information comprises voice information related to the first participant.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein content and expression style of the virtual speech are determined by the emotion information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the emotion information comprises information related to types of emotions and information related to levels of emotions.

16. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for implementing the method of claim 1.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the speech information includes a keyword that is preset.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein expression style of the virtual speech relates to a dialect of a particular region.

21. The method of claim 3, wherein the providing the virtual speech comprises:

obtaining content of the virtual speech by using the speech information;

determining an expression style of the virtual speech by using the state information; and

obtaining or generating the virtual speech in which the obtained content is expressed in the determined expression style.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the virtual speech includes providing the virtual speech based on the emotion information in response to determining that the current emotion state of the first participant continues for a time period equal to or greater than a preset time period.

7. A method of providing information, the method comprising:

obtaining speech information of a first topic provided by a first participant of two or more participants in a communication conducted using two or more communication terminals;

providing the speech information to a second participant of the participants; and

providing, based on the speech information, a first virtual speech and a second virtual speech to the first participant and the second participant respectively,

wherein the method further comprises obtaining emotion information indicating an emotion state of at least one of the participants by using the speech information,

wherein in response to determining that the emotion state of the at least one of the participants is different from a typical state of the at least one of the participants by using the emotion information,

the first virtual speech or the second virtual speech includes content related to a second topic which is different from the first topic.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, whether the emotion state is different from the typical state is determined based on a type of the emotion state and a duration of the emotion state.

9. An information providing device comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to;

obtain speech information provided by a first participant of two or more participants in a communication conducted using two or more communication terminals;

provide the speech information to a second participant of the participants; and

provide, based on the speech information, a virtual speech to the first participant or the second participant, the speech information being related to a first topic,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to obtain state information including emotion information on a current emotion state of the first participant and to provide the virtual speech based on the emotion information in response to determining that the current emotion state of the first participant is different from a typical state of the first participant, and

wherein the virtual speech includes content related to a second topic which is different from the first topic.

10. The information providing device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

output an inquiring virtual speech for obtaining information related to at least one of the participants, and

obtain the speech information including additional speech information obtained in response to the inquiring virtual speech that was output.

11. The information providing device of claim 9,

wherein the state information further comprises at least one selected from schedule information related to at least one of the participants, personal information related to the at least one of the participants, topic information related to the first topic, and personality information related to the at least one of the participants.

12. The information providing device of claim 9, wherein the speech information comprises voice information related to the first participant.

13. The information providing device of claim 11,

wherein content and expression style of the virtual speech are determined by the emotion information.

18. The information providing device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor generates a virtual character related to the virtual speech.

20. The information providing device of claim 9, wherein expression style of the virtual speech relates to a dialect of a particular region.

22. The information providing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

obtain content of the virtual speech by using the speech information;

determine an expression style of the virtual speech by using the state information; and

obtain the virtual speech in which the obtained content is expressed in the determined expression style.

24. The information providing device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to provide the virtual speech based on the emotion information in response to determining that the current emotion state of the first participant continues for a time period equal to or greater than a preset time period.

14. A communication terminal comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to;

obtain speech information provided by a first participant of two or more participants in a communication conducted using the communication terminal and another communication terminal;

transmit the speech information to a second participant of the participants; and

output a virtual speech based on the speech information, the speech information being related to a first topic,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to obtain state information including emotion information on a current emotion state of the first participant and to provide the virtual speech based on the emotion information in response to determining that the current emotion state of the first participant is different from a typical state of the first participant, and

wherein the virtual speech includes content related to a second topic which is different from the first topic.

15. An information providing server comprising:

a memory for storing instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to;

receive speech information provided by a first participant of two or more participants in a communication conducted using two or more communication terminals;

transmit the speech information to a second participant of the participants; and

transmit, based on the speech information, a virtual speech to the first participant or the second participant, the speech information being related to a first topic,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to obtain state information including emotion information on a current emotion state of the first participant and to provide the virtual speech based on the emotion information in response to determining that the current emotion state of the first participant is different from a typical state of the first participant, and

wherein the virtual speech includes content related to a second topic which is different from the first topic.