Voice synthesis system

• US 20050187773A1
• Filed: 02/02/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Hinard, Edouard, Miquel, Paul, Filoche, Pascal
• Application Number:
  US11/047,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20050187773A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

A voice synthesis system for interactive voice services comprises a voice server connected to a packet network dispensing a voice service to a user terminal by executing a service file associated with the voice service. An HTTP client in the voice server transmits a request containing a text to be synthesized during execution of the service file. The service file includes an address designating a resource in a voice synthesis server connected to the packet network and a command responsive to the audio format for commanding the transmitting of the request to the voice synthesis server. An HTTP server in the voice synthesis server transmits to the voice server an audio response including the text that has been synthesized by the voice synthesis server independently of the voice server.

Claims

1. A voice synthesis system for interactive voice services comprising an interactive voice server connected to a packet network dispensing a voice service to a user terminal by executing a service file associated with said voice service, and a voice synthesis server connected to the packet network and including voice synthesis means,

said interactive voice server comprising means for transmitting a request containing a text to be synthesized during the execution of said service file, said service file including an address designating a resource in said voice synthesis server and a command responsive to an audio format for commanding transmitting of said request to said voice synthesis server, and

said voice synthesis server comprising means for transforming said text to be synthesized into a transformed text as a function of a formatting file that is a parameter of the resource address in order for said voice synthesis means to synthesize said transformed text into a synthesized text, and means for transmitting an audio response including said synthesized text to said interactive voice server.

2. A system according to the claim 1, wherein said text to be synthesized is located by another resource address that is a parameter of said resource address.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the transforming means transforms said text to be synthesized as a function of characteristics of said text to be synthesized before said voice synthesis means synthesizes said text to be synthesized.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said characteristics of said text to be synthesized are a type, a format and a language of said text to be synthesized.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said type of said text to be synthesized may indicates one of an electronic mail, a short message and a multimedia message.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said transforming means transforms said text to be synthesized as a function of characteristics of said voice synthesis means before the voice synthesis means synthesizes said text to be synthesized.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said voice synthesis server comprises means for determining the language of said text to be synthesized and means for translating said text to be synthesized into a translated text in a translation language different from said language of said text to be synthesized that has been determined, said voice synthesis means synthesizing said translated text into a synthesized text in said translation language.

8. A system according to claim 1, comprising plural voice synthesis means in order for said voice synthesizer server to select one of said plural voice synthesis means to synthesize said text to be synthesized as a function of characteristics of said text to be synthesized.

9. A system according to claim 1, comprising a plural voice synthesis means, and wherein said voice synthesis server comprises means for segmenting said text to be synthesized into respective consecutive segments progressively as a function of recognized languages and selects one of said plural voice synthesis means for each segment as a function of the language of said segment in order for said segment to be synthesized in the language of said segment.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein said plural voice synthesis means are divided between voice synthesis servers connected via said packet network.

11. A voice synthesis method for interactive voice services comprising execution of a service file in an interactive voice server connected to a packet network in order to dispense to a user terminal a voice service associated with said service file, said method comprising the following steps:

transmitting a request containing a text to be synthesized to a voice synthesis server connected to said packet network during the execution of said service file, said service file including an address designating a resource in said voice synthesis server and a command responsive to an audio format to command transmitting of said request,

transforming said text to be synthesized into a transformed text as a function of a formatting file that is a parameter of the resource address in order for voice synthesis means in said voice synthesis server to synthesize said transformed text into a synthesized text, and

transmitting an audio response including said synthesized text to the interactive voice server.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said transformation of said text to be synthesized into said transformed text is effected as a function of characteristics of said text to be synthesized before said voice synthesis server synthesizes said text to be synthesized.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein said transformation of said text to be synthesized into said transformed text is effected as a function of characteristics of said voice synthesis means before said voice synthesis server synthesizes said text to be synthesized.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said transformation of said text to be synthesized into said transformed text is effected as a function of characteristics of said voice synthesis means before said synthesis server synthesizes said text to be synthesized.

15. A voice synthesis server for interactive voice services connected via a packet network to an interactive voice server dispensing a voice service to a user terminal by executing a service file associated with said voice service,

said voice synthesis server including:

voice synthesis means,

means for transforming a text to be synthesized, transmitted by said interactive voice server during execution of said service file in a request, said service file containing an address designating a resource in said voice synthesis server and a command responsive to an audio format for commanding transmitting of the request, into a transformed text as a function of a formatting file that is a parameter of the address of the resource in order for said voice synthesis means to synthesize said transformed text into a synthesized text, and

means for transmitting an audio response including said synthesized text to said interactive voice server.