Method and apparatus for using a vocal sample to customize text to speech applications

• US 20170133005A1
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paul Wendell Mason
• Original Assignee: Paul Wendell Mason
• Inventors: Mason, Paul Wendell
• Granted Patent: US 9,830,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/027 Concept to speech synthesisers; Generation of natural phrases from machine-based concepts generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text G10L13/08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/0335 Pitch control
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/0135 Voice conversion or morphing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/007 characterised by the process used
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

Abstract

Apparatus and methods consistent with the present invention measure one or more of the characteristics of a voice recording and use such measurements to create a synthetic voice that approximates the recorded voice and uses such created synthetic voice to verbalize the content of an electronically conveyed written message such as an SMS text message. The vocal characteristics measured may include frequency, timbre, intensity, rhythm, and rate of speech as well as others.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a client application interface, a recorded sample of a sender'"'"'s voice;

measuring the vocal characteristics of the recorded sample of the sender'"'"'s voice including its frequency, intensity, rhythm and rate of speech;

receiving a text-based message originating from the sender;

converting the text-based message to a speech format wherein the measured vocal characteristics are used to form a synthetic voice that approximates the voice of the sender;

sending an audio file of the sender'"'"'s message as converted to an address that corresponds to the address of the text-based message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the recorded sample of the sender'"'"'s voice is made by sampling at a rate of at least 40,000 Hertz.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the sample of the sender'"'"'s voice consists of a sequence of predetermined words.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the recorded sample is at least 20 syllables long.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sample of the sender'"'"'s voice comprises the sender'"'"'s voicemail greeting.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the sender'"'"'s voicemail greeting is accessed telephonically.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the sample of the sender'"'"'s voice is searched for words or phrases commonly used in the context of a voicemail greeting and the sample of the sender'"'"'s voice subjected to measurement of frequency and intensity characteristics is limited to such commonly used words or phrases.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more acronyms in the text-based message are audibly expressed as full words or phrases.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the measured vocal characteristics include timbre.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein profane words are filtered out of the audio file of the sender'"'"'s message.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the recorded sample of the sender'"'"'s voice was made by sampling at a rate of at least 40,000 Hertz.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the recorded sample of a sender'"'"'s voice is at least 20 syllables long.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the sample of the sender'"'"'s voice comprises the sender'"'"'s voicemail greeting.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10 further comprising an executable instruction that when executed by a processor causes the processor to access the sender'"'"'s voicemail greeting telephonically.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising searching the sample of the sender'"'"'s voice for words or phrases commonly used in the context of a voicemail greeting

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, the operations further comprising measuring one or more vocal characteristics of the commonly used words or phrases.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations further comprising converting acronyms in the text-based message to articulated words in the audio file of the sender'"'"'s message.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, the operations further comprising converting the text-based message to a speech format using formant synthesis.

11. A computer-readable storage medium that is not a propagating signal, the computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to effect operations comprising:

receiving, via a client application interface, a recorded sample of a sender'"'"'s voice;

measuring the vocal characteristics of the recorded sample of the sender'"'"'s voice including its frequency, intensity, rhythm and rate of speech;

receiving a text-based message;

converting the text-based message to a speech format wherein the measured vocal characteristics are used to form a synthetic voice that approximates the voice of the sender;

sending an audio file of the sender'"'"'s message as converted to an address that corresponds to the intended recipient of the text-based message.