Altering network transmitted content data based upon user specified characteristics

• US 8,108,509 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2001
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Chatani, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/846,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,928 Days
• Field of Search: 709202-206, 709217-219, 709223-224, 709/231, 709/246, 704 2- 5, 704/258, 704/277, 704/275, 704/1, 704/200, 704/200.1, 704/207, 704/9
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1081 Input via voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/226 using non-speech characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/0135 Voice conversion or morphing

Abstract

A system for converting content data transmitted over a computer network from a first computer to a second computer is disclosed. Content data comprising text or audio data is input into the first computer. The content data is digitized to produce digitized content data. If the content data comprises audio data, the data is digitized through a speech to text process. Parameters controlling the modification of the digitized content data are received from a user of a second computer. The parameters are input into a graphical user interface provided for the user and dictate output voice characteristics such as, gender, expression, accent, and language. The digitized content data is altered in accordance with the content data output characteristics specified by the user, and then provided to the second computer for output as modified voice data.

Claims

1. A method of modifying content data transmitted from a first computer to a second computer over a bi-directional communications network, comprising:

specifying content data output characteristics to be associated with the content data upon output by the second computer;

transmitting the content data from the first computer to the second computer over the bi-directional communications network; and

altering the content data that is to be output by the second computer in accordance with the content data output characteristics specified through the first computer, the output characteristics identifying an expression to be applied to the content data, and the altering includes converting an audio component of the content data to text data through a voice recognition process, the text data being processed into converted text data, and the converted text data being synthesized into audio data that includes the applied expression that does not perform language translation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the content data in the first computer; and

outputting the altered content data from the second computer.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the content data output characteristics include location information of the first and second computers, the location information affects the altering of the content data.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the received content data comprises voice data input into the first computer.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the altered content data being transmitted for output through speakers coupled to the second computer.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the content data output characteristics include at least one of character gender, character condition, and character environment.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the content data output characteristics are defined by input received by the first computer through a user interface.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the content data output characteristics are defined by input received by the second computer through a user interface.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the content data output characteristics are stored in a database residing in a memory storage coupled to the second computer.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the first and second computers are coupled to audio speakers, and wherein the content data output characteristics comprise an audio output ratio for outputting content data from the audio speakers.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the location information for the first and second computers are respectively obtained from the first and second computers.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the location information for the first and second computers are respectively determined by the physical location of the first and second computers.

13. A method of modifying content data transmitted from a first computer to a second computer over a bi-directional communications network, comprising:

specifying content data output characteristics to be associated with the content data upon output by the second computer, the content data output characteristics defined by an applied expression, the applied expression not performing language translation but including at least one of character gender, character condition, and character environment;

transmitting the content data from the first computer to the second computer over the bi-directional communications network;

altering the content data that is to be output by the second computer in accordance with the content data output characteristics that are defined by the applied expression, the altering of content data further includes converting an audio component of the content data to text data through a voice recognition process, the text data being processed to converted text data, and the converted text data being synthesized to audio data;

wherein the first computer is coupled to a plurality of client computers over an interactive network, and wherein each user of a client computer is associated with a character represented in a program executed on each computer, each character having associated therewith a specific content data output characteristic, the method further including,

determining a relative location of each character in an environment defined by the program; and

altering the specific output characteristics of the audio output depending upon the relative location of each character associated with each of the users.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the client computers includes a left and right speaker pair, and wherein the content data output characteristics comprise a relative audio output ratio for outputting altered content data from the left and right speakers.

15. A system configured to modify content data transmitted from a first computer to a second computer over a bi-directional communications network, the system comprising:

means for specifying content data output characteristics to be associated with the content data upon output by the second computer;

means for transmitting the content data from the first computer to the second computer over the bi-directional communications network; and

means for altering the content data that is to be output by the second computer in accordance with the content data output characteristics specified through the first computer, the output characteristics identifying an expression to be applied to the content data, the applying of the expression not performing language translation, and the means for altering content data includes a voice recognition means for converting an audio component of the content data into text data, a text conversion means for processing the text data to converted text data, and a voice synthesis means to synthesize the converted text data to audio data that includes the applied expression.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means for receiving content data in the first computer;

means for transmitting the altered content data to the second computer over the bi-directional communications network; and

means for outputting the altered content data from the second computer.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the received content data comprises voice data input into the first computer, and wherein the audio data of the altered content data being transmitted through audio speakers coupled to the second computer.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the content data output characteristics include at least one of character gender, character condition, and character environment.

19. The system according to claim 18, further comprising graphical input means for receiving content data output characteristics input through the second computer.

20. The system according to claim 18, further comprising graphical input means for receiving content data output characteristics input through the first computer.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the content data output characteristics comprise an audio output ratio for outputting altered content data from the audio speakers coupled to the second computer.

22. A server computer coupled to one or more client computers over a bi-directional communications network, comprising:

a circuit to transmit content data to a computer of the one or more client computers over the bi-directional communications network;

a circuit to specify content data output characteristics to be associated with the content data upon output by the computer; and

a circuit to alter the content data that is to be output by the computer in accordance with the content data output characteristics, the content data output characteristics identifying an expression to be applied to the content data and applying the expression does not include performing language translation, the circuit to alter the content data includes voice recognition circuitry to convert an audio component of the content data to text data, circuitry to process the text data to converted text data, and circuitry to synthesize the converted text data to audio data.

23. The server computer of claim 22, further comprising:

a circuit to receive the content data; and

a circuit to transmit the altered content data to the computer over the bi-directional communications network.

24. The server computer of claim 23, wherein the received content data comprises voice data input into a first computer.

25. The server computer according to claim 24, wherein the content data output characteristics include parameters that alter the content data associated with audio output from the computer, the content data output characteristics comprising at least one of character gender, character condition, and character environment.

26. The server computer according to claim 23, wherein the bi-directional communications network comprises an interactive network, and wherein the server computer and the one or more client computers include game consoles configured to execute an interactive game.

27. The server computer according to claim 26, wherein the content data output characteristics are associated with respective characters defined by the game, each one of the respective characters is associated with a particular client computer of the one or more client computers.

28. The server computer according to claim 27, comprising:

a circuit to determine a relative location of each one of the respective characters defined by the game; and

a circuit to alter the content data output characteristics of the audio output depending upon the location of each one of the respective characters associated with each client computer of the one or more client computers.

29. A server computer coupled to one or more client computers over a bi-directional communications network, comprising:

means for transmitting content data to a computer of the one or more client computers over the bi-directional communications network;

means for specifying content data output characteristics to be associated with the content data upon output by the computer; and

means for altering the content data that is to be output by the computer in accordance with the content data output characteristics, the content data output characteristics identifying an expression to be applied to the content data, and applying the expression does not include performing language translation, the means for altering the content data includes voice recognition means for altering an audio component of the content data to text data, means for processing the text data to converted text data, and means for synthesizing the converted text data to audio data for output in a client computer.

30. An interactive network system, comprising;

a first computer;

a second computer, the second computer receiving content data from the first computer, wherein the content data is altered in accordance with content data output characteristics specified by the first computer, the interactive network system further comprising,

a voice recognition component, the voice recognition component converts an audio component of the content data to text data;

a text conversion component, the text conversion component processes the text data to converted text data, and

a voice synthesis component, the voice synthesis component synthesizes the converted text data to audio data for output in the second computer;

wherein audio data to be output at the second computer includes the application of an expression alteration that does not include performing language translation.

31. An interactive network system as recited in claim 30, wherein the content data received at the second computer is altered based on content data output characteristics specified by the first computer the content data output characteristics include location information of the first and second computers, the location information at least partially affecting the altering of the content data when received at the second computer.

32. An interactive network system as recited in claim 31, wherein the location information of the first and second computers are associated with respective characters to be shown on a display of both of the first and second computers.

33. An interactive network system as recited in claim 32, wherein the characters are parts of an interactive networked game in which participation in the game is through the first and second computers.

34. An interactive network system as recited in claim 30, wherein the first and second computers are networked together and a server assists in the communication and data handling between the first and second computers.

35. A gaming system, comprising:

a first gaming computer coupled over a gaming server to a second gaming computer, a respective game character being controlled through each of the first gaming computer and the second gaming computer,

wherein the first gaming computer enables the definition of content data output characteristics for its respective game character;

wherein the second gaming computer enables the definition of content data output characteristics for its respective game character, the content data output characteristics identifying an expression to be applied to the content data and applying the expression does not include performing language translation, the content data output characteristics further including instructions for converting audio data to text data through a voice recognition process, instructions for processing the text data to converted text data, and instructions for synthesizing the converted text data to audio data;

whereby the audio data to be output at the second gaming computer being associated with its respective game character, and the second gaming computer is used in altering audio data to be output at the first gaming computer, the audio data to be output at the first gaming computer being associated with its respective game character.