Message assembler using pseudo randomly chosen words in finite state slots

• US 5,966,691 A
• Filed: 04/29/1997
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Terada, Yoshizumi, Kibre, Nicholas, Shaw, Rhonda, Hata, Kazue
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Opsasnick, Michael N.
• Application Number:
  US08/841,043
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/275, 704/260
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

The operating system or application program generates events captured by an event handler mechanism that, in turn, invokes message assembler and graphics assembler modules. The message assembler constructs pseudo-random sentences or notification messages based on the type of event captured and optionally upon selected state variables. The message assembler supplies text strings to a text-to-speech engine. A linguistic database containing a lexicon of predefined words supplies text data that the message assembler concatenates to form the text strings. Text strings are assembled and optionally tagged to alter the message, speaking voice and inflection based on the nature of the message and its context. Graphics elements are assembled by a graphics assembler in response to the event handler and based on optionally supplied user-defined graphics parameters.

Claims

1. A computer personality module for providing pseudo-randomly varied speech messages in response to predetermined conditions in the computer operating system or in an application program, comprising:

an event handler responsive to at least one of said operating system and application program for generating event notification messages in response to predetermined conditions;

a message assembler receptive of said event notification messages for assembling text strings corresponding to said event notification messages; and

text-to-speech engine receptive of said text strings for generating speech messages corresponding to said text strings;

wherein said message assembler employs a finite state grammar that defines finite state slots for insertion of words to construct the event notification message, and wherein said message assembler further employs a pseudo-random word generator for pseudo-randomly selecting and placing words in said finite state slots to thereby vary the text of the event notification message for a given predetermined condition.

2. The personality module of claim 1 wherein said event handler includes data structure for storing state variables used by said event handler in generating said event notification messages.

3. The personality module of claim 2 wherein said event handler stores state variables associated with at least one first event notification message, and wherein said event handler reads said stored state variables in generating at least one second event notification message subsequent to said first event notification message.

4. The personality module of claim 2 wherein said event handler stores state variables associated with predetermined conditions in at least one of said computer operating system and said application program, and wherein said event handler reads said stored state variables in generating at least one event notification message.

5. The personality module of claim 1 wherein said event handler accesses at least one of said computer operating system and said application program to determine state variables associated with predetermined conditions in at least one of said computer operating system and said application program, and wherein said event handler uses said state variables in generating at least one event notification message.

6. The personality module of claim 1 wherein said message assembler includes linguistic database containing predetermined lexicon of words that said message assembler uses in assembling said text strings.

7. The personality module of claim 1 wherein said event handler categorizes event notification messages by event type and wherein said message assembler assembles text strings based at least in part on said event type.

8. The personality module of claim 1 wherein said message assembler includes data store of user-defined configuration parameters and wherein said message assembler assembles text strings based at least in part on said user-defined configuration parameters.

commands and uses said dialog context to select among said plurality of word candidates.

9. The personality module of claim 1 further comprising graphics module responsive to said event notification messages for generating graphical images upon a display screen corresponding to said event notification messages.

10. The personality module of claim 1 further comprising graphics assembler responsive to said event notification messages for assembling graphical image data corresponding to said event notification messages.

11. The personality module of claim 10 further comprising animation engine receptive of said graphical image data for generating animated graphical image sequences corresponding to said graphical image data.

12. The personality module of claim 10 wherein said graphics assembler includes graphics database containing predetermined graphical images that said graphics assembler selects in assembling said graphical image data.

13. The personality module of claim 10 wherein said graphics assembler includes data store of graphics parameters and wherein said graphics assembler assembles graphical image data based at least in part on said graphics parameters.

14. The personality module of claim 13 wherein said graphics parameters are user definable.