Speech output apparatus, speech output method, and program

• US 7,603,280 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hirota, Makoto, Kuboyama, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Han; Qi
• Application Number:
  US11/612,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 704/278, 704/267, 704/258, 704/270, 704/272
• US Class Current: 704/278
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A speech output apparatus is disclosed, which can allow the user to easily catch synthetic speech when the synthetic speech is output upon being superposed on a music output. The apparatus output can output a music and synthetic speech that indicates contents of information such as an e-mail and is superposed on the music. When the synthetic speech is output to be superposed on the music during output, the apparatus gradually decreases a tone volume of the music.

Claims

1. A speech output apparatus comprising:

conversion means for converting character data into synthetic speech data;

output means for outputting music and synthetic speech based on the synthetic speech data; and

control means for controlling an output timing of the synthetic speech,

wherein said control means begins to output the synthetic speech after completion of output of a tune which is being output.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means begins to output the synthetic speech at a timing between neighboring tunes during output of the music.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for, when the synthetic speech begins to be output, pausing output of the next tune until the output of the synthetic speech ends.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

reception means for receiving information,

wherein said conversion means converts character data contained in the received information into synthetic speech data.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information is sent from a network.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

means for, when the information is received, informing user of reception of the information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

means for checking a priority of the received information,

wherein when the priority of the received information is a predetermined priority, said control means begins to output the synthetic speech of the information even during output of the music.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for allowing a user to select an output timing of the synthetic speech,

wherein said control means controls the output timing of the synthetic speech in accordance with the timing selected by the user.

9. A speech output apparatus comprising:

conversion means for converting character data into synthetic speech data;

output means for outputting synthetic speech based on the synthetic speech data; and

control means for controlling an output timing of the synthetic speech,

wherein when synthetic speech indicating contents of other information is to be output during output of synthetic speech indicating contents of an e-book, said control means begins to output the synthetic speech of the other information in a break of a document of the e-book which is being output.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for, when the synthetic speech of the other information begins to be output, pausing output of the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the e-book until the output of the synthetic speech of the other information ends.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

reception means for receiving the other information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the other information is sent from a network.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for, when the other information is received, informing a user of reception of the other information.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

means for checking a priority of the received other information, and

wherein when the priority of the received other information is a predetermined priority, said control means begins to output the synthetic speech of the other information received even during output of the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the e-book.

15. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for allowing a user to select an output timing of the synthetic speech of the other information,

wherein said control means controls the output timing of the synthetic speech of the other information in accordance with the timing selected by the user.

16. A speech output method comprising:

a conversion step of converting character data into synthetic speech data;

an output step of outputting music and synthetic speech based on the synthetic speech data; and

a control step of controlling an output timing of the synthetic speech,

wherein the control step includes a step of beginning to output the synthetic speech after completion of output of a tune which is being output.

17. A speech output method comprising:

a conversion step of converting character data into synthetic speech data;

an output step of outputting synthetic speech based on the synthetic speech data; and

a control step of controlling an output timing of the synthetic speech,

wherein the control step includes a step of, when the synthetic speech indicating contents of other information is to be output during output of synthetic speech indicating contents of an e-book, beginning to output the synthetic speech of the other information in a break of a document of the e-book which is being output.

18. A computer readable medium storing a program for making a computer execute:

in order to control an output timing of synthetic speech indicating contents of information, in a case of outputting the synthetic speech and music,

a step of checking if the music is being output; and

a step of, when it is determined that the music is being output, beginning to output the synthetic speech after the end of a tune which is being output.

19. A computer readable medium storing a program for execute:

in order to control an output timing of synthetic speech indicating contents of information, in a case of outputting the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the information and synthetic speech indicating contents of an e-book,

a step of checking if the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the e-book is being output; and

a step of, when it is determined that the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the e-book is being output, beginning to output the synthetic speech indicating the contents of the information in a break of a document of the e-book which is being output.