Voice communication with simulated speech data

• US 7,593,387 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2002
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NortonLifeLock Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Leviton, Dan'l, Isenberg, Henri
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HANH N
• Application Number:
  US10/215,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20020193993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,602 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/400, 370/412, 704/1, 704/200, 704/246, 704/251, 704/277, 704/231, 704/258, 704/9, 704/260, 704/270, 704/88.13, 379/88.07, 379/88.13
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/0018 Speech coding using phonetic or linguistical decoding of the source; Reconstruction using text-to-speech synthesis

Abstract

Voice conversations by way of communications devices are conducted by transmitting symbols representative of a user'"'"'s voice from a transmitting communications device and recreating the user'"'"'s voice at a receiving communications device. The communications devices each include a processing engine responsive to a user'"'"'s voice input for generating speech sample data indicative of predetermined portions of the user'"'"'s voice. A storage device is coupled to the processing engine and stores the speech sample data. The processing engine also includes a communication module that generates transmission data, indicative of the user'"'"'s voice spoken during a communication session as a function of the speech sample data and causes transmission of the transmission data to a remotely located recipient of the communication session.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a processing engine responsive to a user'"'"'s voice input for generating digitized speech sample data indicative of predetermined portions of said user'"'"'s voice; and

a storage device, coupled to said processing engine, for storing said digitized speech sample data;

said processing engine adapted to generate transmission data indicative of said user'"'"'s voice spoken during a communication session as a function of said stored speech sample data, and further adapted to cause transmission of said speech sample data and said transmission data to a recipient of said communication session, wherein the recipient is programmed to recreate the user'"'"'s voice spoken during the communication session using the transmission data and as a function of the speech sample data;

wherein said transmission data comprises less data than a mere digitization of said user'"'"'s voice spoken during said communication session.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said processing engine encrypts said transmission data prior to transmission to said recipient.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said speech sample data comprises a plurality of alphabetic letters.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said speech sample data comprises a plurality of single digit integers.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said speech sample data comprises a plurality of phonemes.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said speech sample data comprises calendar days and months.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said processing engine transmits said speech sample data to said recipient prior to transmission of said transmission data.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said processing engine comprises means for transmitting ancillary information to said recipient simultaneously with said transmission data, said ancillary information comprising at least one of video data, a spreadsheet, a word processing program, and a database.

9. A method for transmitting voice data, said method comprising:

generating, at a processing engine, speech sample data indicative of a sample of a user'"'"'s voice in response to voice inputs from said user;

responding to a request for a communication session by generating digital voice transmission data as a function of said user'"'"'s voice spoken during said communication session and further as a function of said speech sample data; and

causing transmission of said digital voice transmission data to a receiving station designated in said communication session, the receiving station having received the generated speech sample data, wherein the receiving station is configured to recreate the user'"'"'s voice using the transmission data and as a function of the speech sample data;

wherein said digital voice transmission data comprises less data than a mere digitization of said user'"'"'s voice spoken during said communication session.

10. A method as set forth in claim 9 comprising the further step of encrypting said voice transmission data prior to transmission.

11. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said voice transmission data is converted by said receiving station to audible sounds indicative of said user'"'"'s spoken voice.

12. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said voice transmission data is converted by said receiving station to a visual representation indicative of said user'"'"'s spoken voice.

13. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein speech sample data is also transmitted to said receiving station and wherein said voice transmission data is converted by said receiving station to an audible representation of said user'"'"'s voice spoken during said communication session as a function of said speech sample data.

14. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said speech sample data comprises a plurality of alphabetic letters.

15. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said speech sample data comprises a plurality of single digit integers.

16. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said speech sample data comprises phonemes.

17. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said speech sample data comprises calendar days and months.

18. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said communication session comprises transmission of said sample speech data to said recipient.

19. A method as set forth in claim 9 comprising the further step of said user receiving, from said receiving station, voice data in the form of signals corresponding to a spoken voice of an operator of said receiving station.

20. A method as set forth in claim 9 comprising the further step of said user receiving, from said receiving station, voice transmission data indicative of words spoken by an operator of said receiving station and generating, as a function of speech sample data indicative of a sample of voice characteristics of said operator of said receiving station, audible sounds indicative of said words spoken by said operator of said receiving station.

21. A method as set forth in claim 9 comprising the further step of said user receiving, from said receiving station, voice transmission data indicative of words spoken by an operator of said receiving station and generating a visual representation of said words spoken by said operator of said receiving station.

22. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein, simultaneously with the transmission of the digital voice transmission data to the receiving station, ancillary information is transmitted to the receiving station, said ancillary information comprising at least one of video data, a spreadsheet, a word processing program, and a database.

23. A computer-readable storage medium containing a set of computer executable programming instructions stored thereon for causing two-way voice communication over a shared communications medium, the set of computer programming instructions comprising:

a voice sampling module for generating speech sample data as a function of a user'"'"'s spoken voice; and

a voice conversion module, responsive to establishment of a communication session between said user and a second party, for converting said user'"'"'s spoken voice, as a function of said speech sample data, to voice transmission data, and for causing transmission of said speech sample data and said voice transmission data to said second party via said shared communications medium to enable recreation by the second party of the user'"'"'s spoken voice;

wherein said voice transmission data contains less data than a mere digitization of said user'"'"'s spoken voice.

24. A computer-readable storage medium as set forth in claim 23 wherein said voice sampling module comprises means for causing said speech sample data to be converted to audible outputs for review by said user prior to transmission to the second party.

25. A computer-readable storage medium as set forth in claim 23 wherein the set of computer programming instructions further comprises a transmission module for transmitting ancillary information to said second party simultaneously with the transmission of said voice transmission data to said second party, said ancillary information comprising at least one of video data, a spreadsheet, a word processing program, and a database.

26. An apparatus for recreating a user'"'"'s voice during a communication session, the apparatus comprising:

a memory storing digitized speech sample data indicative of predetermined portions of the user'"'"'s voice;

an interface for receiving from a transmitting system transmission data indicative of the user'"'"'s voice spoken during the communication session as a function of the stored speech sample data, wherein the transmission data comprises less data than a mere digitization of the user'"'"'s voice spoken during the communication session; and

a processing engine programmed to recreate the user'"'"'s voice spoken during the communication session using the transmission data and as a function of the speech sample data.

27. A method for recreating a user'"'"'s voice during a communication session, the method comprising:

storing, in a storage device, speech sample data indicative of a sample of a user'"'"'s voice based on voice inputs from the user;

during a communication session, receiving digital voice transmission data as a function of said user'"'"'s voice spoken during the communication session and further as a function of the speech sample data, wherein the digital voice transmission data comprises less data than a mere digitization of the user'"'"'s voice spoken during the communication session; and

recreating the user'"'"'s voice spoken during the communication session using the digital voice transmission data and as a function of the speech sample data.