Voice rendering of E-mail with tags for improved user experience

• US 7,672,436 B1
• Filed: 01/23/2004
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Landers, Brian, Kates, Jesse, Thenthiruperai, Balaji S., Roche, Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/764,066
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.04, 379/93.24, 704/260, 704/257, 704/235, 704/270, 455/414.3, 455/412.2, 709/206, 718/100
• US Class Current: 379/88.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

Tags, such as XML tags, are inserted into email to separate email content from signature blocks, privacy notices and confidentiality notices, and to separate original email messages from replies and replies from further replies. The tags are detected by a system that renders email as speech, such as voice command platform or network-based virtual assistant or message center. For example, the system can detect the signature block or privacy notice tags and not render the signature block or privacy notice as speech. The system can render an original email message in one voice mode and the reply in a different voice mode. The tags can be inserted to identify a voice memo in which a user responds to a particular portion of an email message. Preferably, an email server that receives and stored the email message inserts the tags into the email. Alternatively, the tags could be inserted by an email client application. The tags are detected by an email parser, which can be incorporated into the system rendering email as speech, or, alternatively implemented in a separate logical entity.

Claims

1. A method of rendering content of an email as speech, comprising the steps of:

an email server inserting a tag into the email, wherein said tag separates a first content in said email provided by a first source from a second content in said email provided by a second source;

transmitting said email to a voice command platform for rendering said email as speech wherein said system supports two or more different voice modes; and

the voice command platform detecting said tag, wherein, when said email is rendered as speech, said first content is rendered in a first voice mode and said second content is rendered in a second voice mode, with the second voice mode being different from the first voice mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first content comprises an original email message and wherein said second content comprises a reply email message to said original email message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said second content comprises a voice response.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said second content comprises a text response.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said email further comprises a third content provided by a third source, wherein said third content comprises a text response.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said second content and said third content are rendered as speech, with said second content and said third content are rendered as speech in second and third distinct voice modes, respectively, each distinct from said first voice mode.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a command from a user listening to said email, said command comprising a navigational command to control the rendering of the email as speech.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said command requests rendering a desired portion of said email.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said command comprises a voice command.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said desired portion comprises email content from a source indicated in the command.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein said command comprises a command to cease rendering of the email as speech.

12. A method of rendering an email message as speech, comprising the steps of:

a voice command platform processing said email message to identify an original email message and a reply message to said original email message;

the voice command platform rendering said original email message as speech in a first voice mode; and

the voice command platform rendering said reply message as speech in a second voice mode, said second voice mode being different from said first voice mode.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of processing said email message to identify content from a third source, and wherein said content from said third source is rendered in a third voice mode different from said first and second voice modes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said first voice mode is different from said second voice mode in at least one of the following speech attributes:

sex of speaker, accent, intonation, speech rate, and pitch.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of (1) processing said email message to detect at least one of the following:

a) a signature block to either said original email message or said reply message, b) a privacy notice, or c) a confidentiality notice; and

(2) not rendering at least one of said detected signature block, confidentiality notice or privacy notice as speech.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said reply message comprises a voice memo in response to a specific portion of said original email message, and wherein the method further comprises the step of processing said email message to detect a tag associated with said voice memo, and responsively rendering said voice memo as speech.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said tag comprises a pointer to an object comprising said voice memo.

18. A method of rendering content of an email as speech, comprising the steps of:

an email client application inserting a tag into the email, wherein said tag separates a first content in said email provided by a first source from a second content in said email provided by a second source;

transmitting said email to a voice command platform for rendering said email as speech wherein said system supports two or more different voice modes; and

the voice command platform detecting said tag, wherein, when said email is rendered as speech, said first content is rendered in a first voice mode and said second content is rendered in a second voice mode, with the second voice mode being different from the first voice mode.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said first content comprises an original email message and wherein said second content comprises a reply email message to said original email message.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said second content comprises at least one of a voice response and a text response.