Method for creating a personalized animated storyteller for audibilizing content

• US 20030069732A1
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Olson, Donald E., Stephany, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US09/973,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069732A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/205 driven by audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/105 Synthesis of the lips movements from speech, e.g. for talking heads

Abstract

A method for creating a personalized animated storyteller for audibilizing content, the method comprises the steps of converting a digital image into a wire mesh and a texture model; providing instruction for directing the wire mesh; selecting or creating the content to be made audible; and directing the instructions to move the wire mesh in accordance with the selected content and to audibilize the selected or created content in synchronization with the wire mesh for providing the storyteller that audibilizes the content.

Claims

1. A method for creating a personalized animated storyteller for audibilizing content, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) converting a digital image into a wire mesh and a texture model;

(b) providing instruction for directing the wire mesh;

(c) selecting or creating the content to be made audible; and

(d) directing the instructions to move the wire mesh in accordance with the selected content and to audibilize the selected or created content in synchronization with the wire mesh for providing the storyteller that audibilizes the content.

2. The method as in claim 1 further comprising obtaining a voice sample of the user sufficient to produce an audio file having a full range of the users voice necessary to audibilize the content.

3. The method as in claim 2, wherein step (c) includes selecting a children'"'"'s story to be made audible.

4. The method as in claim 2, wherein step (c) includes selecting educational material or customized content to be made audible.

5. The method as in claim 1 further comprising providing animated characters in a background which enact content and providing an animated storyteller in a foreground as the content is audibilized.