Character models for document narration

• US 8,359,202 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2010
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: T Play Holdings LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: K-NFB Reading Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Kurzweil, Raymond C., Albrecht, Paul, Chapman, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): RIDER, JUSTIN W
• Application Number:
  US12/687,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 704/258, 704/260, 704/270
• US Class Current: 704/258
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques and systems to provide a narration of a text in multiple different voices where the portions of the text narrated using the different voices are selected by a user. Also disclosed are techniques and systems for associating characters with portions of a sequence of words selected by a user. Different characters having different voice models can be associated with different portions of a sequence of words.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

displaying a sequence of words on a user interface rendered on a display device;

applying, by one or more computers, in response to a user-based selection of a first portion of words in the sequence of words, a first indicium to the user-selected first portion of words in the sequence of words;

associating, by the one or more computers, a first character having an associated first voice model to the first portion of words in the sequence of words; and

associating, by the one or more computers, a second, different character having an associated second, different voice model to a second portion of words in the sequence of words, the second portion of the words in the sequence of words being different from the first portion of words in the sequence of words.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of words is organized into a dialog between multiple entities by associating the first and the second characters to the first and second portions of words, with the first portion of words in the dialog associated with a first one of the entities of the multiple entities.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a character comprises:

a graphical element depicting a representation of an entity; and

a voice model that is associated with the entity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a user interface comprising a drop down menu to enable a user to select the first and second characters from the menu that includes a plurality of characters.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the one or more computers, an audible output corresponding to the words in the sequence of words where the words in the first portion of words are narrated using the first voice model for the first character and the words in the second portion of words are narrated using the second voice model for the second character.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an audible output corresponding to the words in the sequence of words using a text-to-speech application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the audible output comprises using an audio recording.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the audio recording is an audio recording of a person speaking the selected words.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first voice model for the first character comprises a voice model associated with a first language and the second voice model for the second character comprises a voice model associated with a second language that is different from the first language.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first character has a first mood and a second mood.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a voice model associated with the first mood for the first character differs from a voice model associated with the second mood for the first character.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the voice model associated with the first mood for the first character comprises a voice model in a first language and the voice model associated with the second mood for the first character comprises a voice model in a second language that is different from the first language.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the voice model associated with the first mood for the first character comprises a voice model configured to read at a first reading speed and the voice model associated with the second mood for the first character comprises a voice model configured to read at a second reading speed that is different from the first reading speed.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the voice model associated with the first mood for the first character comprises a voice model configured to read at a volume and the voice model associated with the second mood for the first character comprises a voice model configured to read at a second volume that is different from the first volume.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first voice model for the first character comprises a voice model configured to read at a first reading speed and the second voice model for the second character comprises a voice model configured to read at a second reading speed that is different from the first reading speed.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first voice model for the first character comprises a voice model configured to read at a volume and the second voice model for the second character comprises a voice model configured to read at a second volume that is different from the first volume.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying images on the user interface with the sequence of words.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of words comprises at one of an electronic version of a book, an electronic version of a magazine, an electronic version of a play and an electronic version of a newspaper and the method further comprises displaying images associated with the one of book, magazine and play on the user interface with the sequence of words.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein modifying one or both of the first and second voice models comprises by at least one of modifying a reading speed associated with the voice model, modifying a volume associated with the voice model, modifying the gender of the character associated with the voice model, modifying the age of the character and modifying a language of the voice model.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicium comprises a visual indicium selected from the group consisting of a semi-transparent color overlaid on portions of the text, a highlighting, a different color for the text, a different font for the text, underlining of the text, italicizing of the text.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a user interface having the plurality of characters having different associated voice models; and

receiving a user selection of characters from the plurality of characters to associate with different portions of the sequence of words.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying one or both of the first and second voice models.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a second indicium to a third portion of words in the sequence of words wherein the third portion of words comprise words to be skipped during a narration of the sequence of words.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the second indicium comprises a skip indicator.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating one or more of a sound effect and a music track with a location in the sequence of words.

26. A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage device, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a processor to:

display a sequence of words on a user interface rendered on a display device;

apply in response to a user-based selection of a first portion of words in the sequence of words, a first indicium to the user-selected first portion of words in the sequence of words;

associate a first character having an associated first voice model to the first portion of words in the sequence of words; and

associate a second character having an associated second, different voice model to a second, different portion of words in the sequence of words, the second portion of the words in the sequence of words being different from the first portion of words in the sequence of words.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions for causing the processor to:

generate an audible output corresponding to the words in the sequence of words where the words in the first portion of words are narrated using the first voice model for the first character and the words in the second portion of words are narrated using the second voice model for the second character.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first character has a first mood and a second mood, wherein a voice model associated with the first mood for the first character differs from a voice model associated with the second mood for the first character.

29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions for causing the processor to:

modify one or both of the first and second voice models by at least one of modifying a reading speed associated with the voice model, modifying a volume associated with the voice model, modifying the gender of the character associated with the voice model, modifying the age of the character and modifying a language of the voice model.

30. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions for causing the processor to:

apply a skip indicator to a third portion of words in the sequence of words wherein the third portion of words comprise words to be skipped during a narration of the sequence of words.

31. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the sequence of words is organized into a dialog between multiple entities by associating the first and the second characters to the first and second portions of words, with the first portion of words in the dialog associated with a first one of the entities of the multiple entities.

32. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprises instructions to provide a character by instructions to:

render a graphical element depicting a representation of an entity; and

associate a voice model with the representation of the entity.

33. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprises instructions to:

generate a user interface comprising a drop down menu to enable a user to select the first and second characters from the menu that includes a plurality of characters.

34. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprises instructions to:

render images from a source material of the sequence of words on the user interface along with the sequence of words, where the source material is at one of an electronic version of a book, an electronic version of a magazine, an electronic version of a play and an electronic version of a newspaper images are from the one of book, magazine and play.

35. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein the first indicium comprises a visual indicium selected from the group consisting of a semi-transparent color overlaid on portions of the text, a highlighting, a different color for the text, a different font for the text, underlining of the text, italicizing of the text.

36. The computer program product of claim 26 further comprises instructions to:

apply a second indicium to a third portion of words in the sequence of words wherein the third portion of words comprise words to be skipped during a narration of the sequence of words with the second indicium being a skip indicator.

37. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a computing device configured to;

display a sequence of words on a user interface rendered on a display device;

apply in response to a user-based selection of a first portion of words in the sequence of words, a first indicium to the user-selected first portion of words in the sequence of words;

associate a first character having an associated first voice model to the first portion of words in the sequence of words; and

associate a second, different character having an associated second, different voice model to a second portion of words in the sequence of words, the second portion of the words in the sequence of words being different from the first portion of words in the sequence of words.