Dynamic prosody adjustment for voice-rendering synthesized data

• US 20070100628A1
• Filed: 11/03/2005
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark S. Walker
• Original Assignee: Mark S. Walker
• Inventors: Jaramillo, David, Bodin, William, Redman, Jerry, Thorson, Derral
• Granted Patent: US 8,694,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/261
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/04 Details of speech synthesis systems, e.g. synthesiser structure or memory management

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for dynamic prosody adjustment for voice-rendering synthesized data that include retrieving synthesized data to be voice-rendered; identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice-rendered, a particular prosody setting; determining, in dependence upon the synthesized data to be voice-rendered and the context information for the context in which the synthesized data is to be voice-rendered, a section of the synthesized data to be rendered; and rendering the section of the synthesized data in dependence upon the identified particular prosody setting.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for voice-rendering synthesized data comprising:

retrieving synthesized data to be voice rendered;

identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting;

determining, in dependence upon the synthesized data to be voice rendered and the context information for the context in which the synthesized data is to be voice rendered, a section of the synthesized data to be rendered;

rendering the section of the synthesized data in dependence upon the identified particular prosody setting.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting further comprises retrieving a prosody identification from the synthesized data to be voice rendered.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting further comprises identifying a particular prosody in dependence upon a user instruction.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting further comprises selecting the particular prosody setting in dependence upon user prosody history.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting further comprises:

determining current voice characteristics of the user; and

selecting the particular prosody setting in dependence upon the current voice characteristics of the user.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining, in dependence upon the synthesized data to be voice rendered and the context information for the context in which the synthesized data is to be voice rendered, a section of the synthesized data to be rendered further comprises:

determining the context information for the context in which the synthesized data is to be voice rendered;

identifying in dependence upon the context information a section length; and

selecting a section of the synthesized data to be rendered in dependence upon the identified section length.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the section length comprises a quantity of synthesized content.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein identifying in dependence upon the context information a section length further comprises:

identifying in dependence upon the context information a rendering time; and

determining a section length to be rendered in dependence upon the prosody settings and the rendering time.

9. A system for voice-rendering synthesized data, the system comprising:

a computer processor;

a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of;

retrieving synthesized data to be voice rendered;

identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting;

determining, in dependence upon the synthesized data to be voice rendered and the context information for the context in which the synthesized data is to be voice rendered, a section of the synthesized data to be rendered;

rendering the section of the synthesized data in dependence upon the identified particular prosody setting.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of retrieving a prosody identification from the synthesized data to be voice rendered.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of identifying a particular prosody in dependence upon a user instruction.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of selecting the particular prosody setting in dependence upon user prosody history.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

determining current voice characteristics of the user; and

selecting the particular prosody setting in dependence upon the current voice characteristics of the user.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

determining the context information for the context in which the synthesized data is to be voice rendered;

identifying in dependence upon the context information a section length; and

selecting a section of the synthesized data to be rendered in dependence upon the identified section length.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the section length comprises a quantity of synthesized content.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

identifying in dependence upon the context information a rendering time; and

determining a section length to be rendered in dependence upon the prosody settings and the rendering time.

17. A computer program product for voice-rendering synthesized data, the computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising:

computer program instructions for retrieving synthesized data to be voice rendered;

computer program instructions for identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting;

computer program instructions for determining, in dependence upon the synthesized data to be voice rendered and the context information for the context in which the synthesized data is to be voice rendered, a section of the synthesized data to be rendered; and

computer program instructions for rendering the section of the synthesized data in dependence upon the identified particular prosody setting.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein computer program instructions for identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting further comprise computer program instructions for retrieving a prosody identification from the synthesized data to be voice rendered.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein computer program instructions for identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting further comprise computer program instructions for identifying a particular prosody in dependence upon a user instruction.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein computer program instructions for identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting further comprise computer program instructions for selecting the particular prosody setting in dependence upon user prosody history.

21. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein computer program instructions for identifying, for the synthesized data to be voice rendered, a particular prosody setting further comprise:

computer program instructions for determining current voice characteristics of the user; and

computer program instructions for selecting the particular prosody setting in dependence upon the current voice characteristics of the user.

22. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein computer program instructions for determining, in dependence upon the synthesized data to be voice rendered and the context information for the context in which the synthesized data is to be voice rendered, a section of the synthesized data to be rendered further comprise:

computer program instructions for determining the context information for the context in which the synthesized data is to be voice rendered;

computer program instructions for identifying in dependence upon the context information a section length; and

computer program instructions for selecting a section of the synthesized data to be rendered in dependence upon the identified section length.

23. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein the section length comprises a quantity of synthesized content.

24. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein computer program instructions for identifying in dependence upon the context information a section length further comprise:

computer program instructions for identifying in dependence upon the context information a rendering time; and

computer program instructions for determining a section length to be rendered in dependence upon the prosody settings and the rendering time.