Electronic conference program

• US 20040001065A1
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Learn.com (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Learn.com (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Wyatt, Trent M., Grayson, George D., Gillespie, Douglas W., Bell, James W., Hickman, French E.
• Application Number:
  US10/439,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20040001065A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/205 driven by audio data
• 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 19/0018 Speech coding using phonetic or linguistical decoding of the source; Reconstruction using text-to-speech synthesis
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/105 Synthesis of the lips movements from speech, e.g. for talking heads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/27 involving both synthetic and natural picture components, e.g. synthetic natural hybrid coding [SNHC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text

Abstract

Electronic conferencing is provide over a computer network, such as the Internet, by passing streams of text with embedded explicit audio and graphics commands. Text is translated to audible speech at the end-user computers by a text-to-speech processor to reduce the amount of data transferred between computers. Implicit commands are generated from the text at the end-user computers as the audible speech is generated. Implicit command may control, for example, the animation of lips to provide a realistic image of the words of the text being spoken. Explicit commands can be used to control the voice characteristics by the text-to-speech processor or to control animation.

Claims

1. A method of communicating over a network, comprising the steps of:

transferring a data stream of text and explicit commands from a transmitting computer to one or more receiving computers;

generating audible speech at the one or more receiving computers responsive to said text;

generating implicit commands responsive to said text; and

generating animation at said one or more receiving computers responsive to said implicit and explicit commands.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein step of transferring a data stream includes the step of transferring explicit animation commands and explicit speech commands.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said explicit speech commands define voice characteristics and said step of generating audible speech comprises the step of generating audible speech responsive to said text and said explicit speech commands.

7. The method of claim 1 where said one or more receiving computers comprise at least two receiving computers and further comprising the step of transferring said data stream from one of said receiving computers to said transmitting computer and transferring said data stream from said transmitting computer to receiving computers to allow communication between said receiving computers.

8. The method of claim 1 and further comprising the steps of storing graphic image files in said receiving computers prior to transferring said data stream.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of generating animation comprises the step of manipulating said graphic image files responsive to said explicit commands.

10. The method of claim 8 and further comprising the step of storing background files in said receiving computers.

2. The method of claim I wherein said step of generating implicit commands includes the step of generating lip synch commands for generating lip movements corresponding to the audible speech.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said lip synch commands comprise phoneme identifiers corresponding to the audible speech.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of generating implicit commands further comprises the step of generating gesture commands for animating gestures responsive to punctuation.

11. A method of generating a presentation on a plurality of participant computers from host computer over a network, comprising the steps of:

downloading a data stream including text and animation control signals from said host to said participant computers over a network connection, said animation control signals defining an animation sequence using a plurality of image files stored on the participant computers;

generating animation on said participant computers by displaying said image files responsive to said animation control signals;

generating audible speech on said participant computers responsive to said text; and

generating additional animation on said participant computers responsive to said text.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of generating additional animation on said participating computers comprises the step of generating lip movement animation.

13. The method of claim 12 and further comprising the step of generating phoneme information as the audible speech is generated.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of generating additional animation on said participating computers comprises the step of generating facial expressions responsive to punctuation in said text.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of downloading includes downloading speech control signals for defining voice characteristics associated with said text.

16. A method of enabling two or more participant computers to communicate over a network, comprising the steps of:

transferring a data stream including text from one of said participant computers to others of said participant computers;

generating audible speech on said other participant computers responsive to said text; and

generating animation on said other participant computers responsive to said data stream.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of generating animation comprises the steps of:

generating phoneme identifiers corresponding the audible speech; and

mapping said phoneme identifiers to image files stored on said other participant computers.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said uploading step comprises the step of uploading a data stream including text and explicit commands from said one participant computers to said other participant computers.

19. The method of claim 18 and further comprising the step of generating animation responsive to one or more of said explicit commands.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said step of generating audible speech comprises the step of generating audible speech on said other participant computers responsive to said text and one or more of said explicit commands as the data stream is received.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein said transferring step comprises the step of transferring a data stream including text from said one participant computers to said other participant computers via a host computer.