OVERLAPPING SCREEN READING OF NON-SEQUENTIAL TEXT

• US 20080243510A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Lawrence C.
• Application Number:
  US11/692,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243510A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/259
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to screen reading non-sequential text and provide a method, system and computer program product for overlapping screen reading of non-sequential text, such as a tag cloud or Web page header. In an embodiment of the invention, an overlapping screen reading method for a non-sequential list of words can include computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words, generating different audio forms for each of the different words according to the different speech synthesis parameters, and overlappingly merging the generated different audio forms into a single audio stream. The speech synthesis parameters can include, for instance, separation, volume, tone and location speech synthesis parameters. Thereafter, the method can include playing back the single audio stream to simulate a natural visual scanning of the non-sequential list of words.

Claims

1. An overlapping screen reading method for a non-sequential list of words, the method comprising:

computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words;

generating different audio forms for each of the different words according to the different speech synthesis parameters;

overlappingly merging the generated different audio forms into a single audio stream; and

,

playing back the single audio stream to simulate a natural visual scanning of the non-sequential list of words.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

re-computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words;

generating additionally different audio forms for each of the different words according to the different speech synthesis parameters;

overlappingly merging the generated additionally different audio forms into a different single audio stream; and

,

playing back the different single audio stream to simulate a natural visual re-scanning of the non-sequential list of words.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

overlappingly merging the generated different audio forms in a different ordering into a different single audio stream; and

,

playing back the different single audio stream to simulate a natural visual re-scanning of the non-sequential list of words.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words, comprises computing different separation, volume, tone and location speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words, comprises computing different speech synthesis parameters for different tags in a tag cloud.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words, comprises computing different speech synthesis parameters for different index entries in a Web site header.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer usable program code for computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words, comprises computer usable program code for computing different speech synthesis parameters for different tags in a tag cloud.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer usable program code for computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words, comprises computer usable program code for computing different speech synthesis parameters for different index entries in a Web site header.

7. A screen reading data processing system comprising:

a screen reader coupled to a speech synthesizing text-to-speech (TTS) engine; and

,

overlapping non-sequential text screen reading logic comprising program code enabled to compute different speech synthesis parameters for the TTS engine for different words in a non-sequential list of words, to generate through the TTS engine different audio forms for each of the different words according to the different speech synthesis parameters, to overlappingly merge the generated different audio forms into a single audio stream, and to provide the single audio stream to the screen reader for playback in order to simulate a natural visual scanning of the non-sequential list of words.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the non-sequential list of words comprises a tag cloud.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the non-sequential list of words comprises a Web page header.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the speech synthesis parameters comprise separation, volume, tone and location speech synthesis parameters.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium embodying computer usable program code for overlapping screen reading for a non-sequential list of words, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words;

computer usable program code for generating different audio forms for each of the different words according to the different speech synthesis parameters;

computer usable program code for overlappingly merging the generated different audio forms into a single audio stream; and

,

computer usable program code for playing back the single audio stream to simulate a natural visual scanning of the non-sequential list of words.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for re-computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words;

computer usable program code for generating additionally different audio forms for each of the different words according to the different speech synthesis parameters;

computer usable program code for overlappingly merging the generated additionally different audio forms into a different single audio stream; and

,

computer usable program code for playing back the different single audio stream to simulate a natural visual re-scanning of the non-sequential list of words.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for overlappingly merging the generated different audio forms in a different ordering into a different single audio stream; and

,

computer usable program code for playing back the different single audio stream to simulate a natural visual re-scanning of the non-sequential list of words.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for computing different speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words, comprises computer usable program code for computing different separation, volume, tone and location speech synthesis parameters for different words in a non-sequential list of words.