Speech Modification for Distributed Story Reading

• US 20140195222A1
• 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, Longbottom, Simon Andrew, Thywissen, Kurt A.
• Application Number:
  US13/735,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195222A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/201
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/067 Combinations of audio and projected visual presentation, e.g. film, slides
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/0135 Voice conversion or morphing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/003 Changing voice quality, e.g. pitch or formants

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;

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 augmenting is to morph the voice of the reader to sound like a character in the electronic story.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said augmenting takes place at a computing device of the reader.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said augmenting takes place at a computing device other than the computing device of the reader.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said augmenting takes place at a server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said augmenting takes place at a computing device associated with one or more of the remote participants.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said enabling is performed, at least in part, using a peer-to-peer network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said enabling is performed, at least in part, using a network other than a peer-to-peer network.

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

establishing a communication connection between multiple participants to enable the participants to share an interactive reading experience in which an electronic story is shared amongst the participants;

receiving audio data associated with a reader of the electronic story that is being shared;

augmenting the audio data to morph a voice of the reader; and

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

10. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said establishing is performed by establishing a peer-to-peer connection between the multiple participants.

11. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said establishing is performed by establishing a connection other than a peer-to-peer connection.

12. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said augmenting morphs the voice of the reader to sound like a character in the electronic story.

13. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said augmenting takes place at a computing device of the reader.

14. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said augmenting takes place at a computing device other than the computing device of the reader.

15. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said augmenting takes place at a server.

16. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 9, wherein said augmenting takes place at a computing device associated with one or more of the remote participants.

17. 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;

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

augmenting the audio data to morph a voice of the reader to sound like a character in the electronic story; and

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

18. The computing device of claim 17 further comprising a voice over IP (VoIP) application embodying the augmentation effect module, and wherein the method further comprises establishing a peer-to-peer communication connection between the one or more remote participants over which the electronic story can be shared.

19. The computing device of claim 17, wherein said enabling is performed, at least in part, using a network other than a peer-to-peer network.

20. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the computing device comprises a tablet computing device.