Location Based Augmentation For Story Reading

• US 20140191976A1
• Filed: 01/07/2013
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Peevers, Alan W., Tang, John C., Gok, Nizamettin, Venolia, Gina Danielle, Quinn, Kori Inkpen, Khanna, Nitin, Longbottom, Simon Andrew, Thywissen, Kurt A.
• Application Number:
  US13/735,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20140191976A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/067 Combinations of audio and projected visual presentation, e.g. film, slides
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/10 Transforming into visible information

Abstract

Various embodiments provide an interactive, shared, story-reading experience in which stories can be experienced from remote locations. Various embodiments enable augmentation or modification of audio and/or video associated with the story-reading experience. This can include augmentation and modification of a reader'"'"'s voice, face, and/or other content associated with the story as the story is read.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving audio data associated with a reader of an electronic story that is being shared with one or more remote participants;

ascertaining a location within the electronic story;

responsive to ascertaining the location, at least augmenting the audio data to morph a voice of the reader; and

enabling the one or more remote participants to consume augmented audio data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said ascertaining is performed using speech recognition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said ascertaining is performed, at least in part, using touch input.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising augmenting visual content of the electronic story.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said augmenting is performed, at least in part, based on metadata included in a file associated with electronic story.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said ascertaining is performed by ascertaining a page or paragraph from which the reader is reading.

7. One or more computer readable storage media embodying computer readable instructions which, when executed, implement a method comprising:

receiving a touch input of a user interface element associated with an electronic story that is being shared with one or more remote participants;

responsive to receiving the touch input, augmenting one or more properties or characteristics of the electronic story; and

enabling the remote participants to consume the electronic story as augmented.

8. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the user interface element comprises part of a story'"'"'s content.

9. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the user interface element does not comprise part of the story'"'"'s content.

10. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 7, further comprising receiving audio data associated with a reader of the electronic story and wherein said augmenting comprises augmenting a voice of the reader of the electronic story.

11. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein said augmenting comprises applying an effect other than a voice augmentation.

12. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein said augmenting comprises augmenting visual content of the electronic story.

13. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein said receiving a touch input comprises receiving a touch input from a reader of the electronic story.

14. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein said receiving a touch input comprises receiving a touch input from a participant who is co-located with a reader of the electronic story.

15. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

an augmentation effect module embodied on the one or more computer readable storage media and configured to be executed, by the one or more processors, effective to implement a method comprising;

capturing a gestural input associated with an electronic story that is being shared with one or more remote participants;

responsive to capturing the gestural input, mapping the gestural input to an augmentation effect;

augmenting one or more properties or characteristics of electronic story using the augmentation effect; and

enabling the one or more remote participants to consume electronic story as augmented.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the gestural input comprises a non-touch-based input.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the gestural input comprises a touch-based input.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises receiving audio data associated with a reader of an electronic story, and said augmenting comprises augmenting a voice of the reader of the electronic story.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein said augmenting comprises an augmentation other than voice morphing.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein said enabling is performed using, at least in part, a peer-to-peer network.