Managing playback of synchronized content

• US 8,862,255 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Story, Guy A., Israel, Bruce N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andew C
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIEGEL, DAVID F
• Application Number:
  US13/070,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20120245719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A computing device may provide a control interface that enables the user to manage the synchronized output of companion content (e.g., textual content and corresponding audio content generated by a text-to-speech component). For example, the computing device may display a visual cue to identify a current location in textual content corresponding to a current output position of companion audio content. As the audio content is presented, the visual cue may be advanced to maintain synchronization between the output position within the audio content and a corresponding position in the textual content. The user may control the synchronized output by dragging her finger across the textual content displayed on the touch screen. Accordingly, the control interface may provide a highlight or other visual indication of the distance between the advancing position in the textual content and the location of a pointer to the textual content indicated by the current position of the user'"'"'s finger.

Claims

1. A system for synchronizing output of audio content with textual content, the system comprising:

a data store that stores textual content;

an input device that obtains a location of a an input pointer referencing a location within the textual content;

a display device that presents the textual content;

an output device that outputs audio content; and

a processor in communication with the data store, the input device and the output device, the processor operative to;

generate audio content based at least in part on the textual content;

cause output of the generated audio content via the output device;

cause presentation of the textual content on the display device;

maintain synchronization between an output pointer of the textual content presented on the display device and an associated position of the generated audio content output via the output device, wherein the associated position advances during output of the generated audio content, and wherein the output pointer indicates a position within the textual content corresponding to a current output position of the generated audio content;

obtain the input pointer referencing the location within the textual content presented on the display device from the input device;

during advancement of the output pointer, determine, independent of the obtained input pointer, a position of the output pointer corresponding to the current output position of the generated audio content;

determine a segment of textual content based at least in part on a difference between the determined position of the output pointer and the location within the textual content referenced by the input pointer;

determine a length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content; and

modify a speed at which the generated audio content is output via the output device based at least in part on the determined length of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein modifying the speed at which the generated audio content is output includes at least one of increasing and decreasing the speed at which the generated audio content is output.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein obtaining the input pointer referencing the location within the textual content comprises obtaining a location corresponding to at least one of a word, syllable, letter, sentence, line, paragraph, chapter, stanza, section, or column in the textual content.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises at least one of a touchscreen, a mouse, a stylus, a remote control, a video game controller, or a motion detector.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein modifying the speed at which the generated audio content is output includes modifying the speed if the determined length of time satisfies a threshold value.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content includes generating audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content includes determining a length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content without generating audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content without generating audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content includes estimating a length of time required to output audio content based at least in part on at least one of a number of words in the segment of textual content, a number of syllables in the segment of textual content, a number of phonemes in the segment of textual content;

a number of letters in the segment of textual content, a number of spaces in the segment of textual content, or a length of words in the segment of textual content.

9. A computer implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computing devices,

generating audio content based at least in part on textual content;

causing output of the generated audio content;

causing presentation of the textual content;

maintaining synchronization between an output pointer of textual content being presented and an associated position of the generated audio content being output, wherein the associated position of the generated audio content advances during output of the generated audio content, and wherein the output pointer indicates a position within the textual content corresponding to a current output position of the generated audio content;

obtaining an input pointer referencing a location within the textual content being presented from an input device;

during advancement of the output pointer, determining, independent of the obtained input pointer, a position of the output pointer corresponding to the current output position of the generated audio content;

determining a segment of textual content based at least in part on a difference between the determined position of the output pointer and the location within the textual content referenced by the input pointer;

determining a length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content; and

modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated audio content based at least in part on the determined length of time.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated audio content comprises increasing or decreasing the speed at which the generated audio content is output.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein obtaining the input pointer referencing the location within the textual content comprises obtaining a location corresponding to at least one of a natural feature or a predefined feature of the textual content.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the input device comprises at least one of a touchscreen, a mouse, a stylus, a remote control, a video game controller, or a motion detector.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated audio content comprises modifying the attribute if the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content satisfies a threshold value.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content comprises generating audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content comprises determining a length of time required to output audio content without generating audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content without generating audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content comprises estimating a length of time required to output audio content based at least in part on at least one of a number of words in the segment of textual content, a number of syllables in the segment of textual content, a number of phonemes in the segment of textual content;

a number of letters in the segment of textual content, a number of spaces in the segment of textual content, or a length of words in the segment of textual content.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising:

generating synchronization information based at least in part on the synchronization between the output pointer of the textual content and the associated position of the generated audio content; and

storing the synchronization information.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content includes determining a length of time based at least in part on the stored synchronization information.

19. A system outputting audio content and displaying textual content, the system comprising:

a data store; and

a processor in communication with the data store, the processor operative to;

generate audio content based at least in part on textual content;

cause output of the generated audio content;

cause presentation of the textual content;

obtain an input pointer referencing a position within the textual content being presented;

during advancement of the output pointer, determine, independent of the obtained input pointer, a position in the textual content corresponding to the current output position of the generated audio content;

determine a segment of textual content based at least in part on a difference between the determined position within the textual content and the position within the textual content referenced by the input pointer;

determine a length of the segment of textual content; and

modify an attribute associated with the output of the generated audio content based at least in part on the determined length of the segment of textual content.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the determined position within the textual content corresponds to an output position in the generated audio content that advances during output of the generated audio content.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated audio content includes increasing or decreasing the speed at which the generated audio content is output.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein obtaining the input pointer referencing the position within the textual content comprises obtaining the input pointer from an input device.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated audio content based at least in part on the determined length of the segment of textual content includes modifying the attribute if the determined length satisfies a threshold value.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the threshold value is indicated by at least one of a visual cue, an auditory cue, or a tactile cue.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein determining the length of the segment of textual content comprises determining a length based at least in part on at least one of a number of words in the segment of textual content, a number of syllables in the segment of textual content, a number of phonemes in the segment of textual content;

a number of letters in the segment of textual content, or a number of spaces in the segment of textual content.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein determining the length of the segment of textual content comprises determining a length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the segment of textual content.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the segment of the textual content comprises generating audio content corresponding to the segment of textual content.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the segment of textual content comprises determining a length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the segment of textual content without generating audio content corresponding to the segment of textual content.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the segment of textual content without generating audio content corresponding to the segment of textual content comprises estimating a length of time required to output audio content based at least in part on at least one of a number of words in the segment of textual content, a number of syllables in the segment of textual content, a number of phonemes in the segment of textual content;

a number of letters in the segment of textual content, a number of spaces in the segment of textual content, or a length of words in the segment of textual content.

30. A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium having at least one computer-executable component for providing synchronized content, the at least one computer-executable component comprising:

a content synchronization module operative to;

generate audio content based at least in part on textual content;

cause output of the generated audio content;

cause presentation of the textual content;

maintain synchronization between an output pointer of the textual content and an associated position of the generated audio content, wherein the associated position advances during output of the generated audio content, and wherein the output pointer indicates a position within the textual content corresponding to a current output position of the generated audio content;

obtain an input pointer referencing a location within the textual content from an input device;

during advancement of the output pointer, determine, independent of the obtained input pointer, a position of the output pointer corresponding to the current output position of the generated audio content;

determine a segment of textual content based at least in part on a difference between the determined position of the output pointer and the location within the textual content referenced by the input pointer;

determine a length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content; and

modify an attribute associated with the output of the generated audio content based at least in part on the determined length of time.

31. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 30, wherein modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated audio content comprises increasing or decreasing the speed at which the audio content is output.

32. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 30, modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated audio content comprises modifying the attribute if the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content satisfies a threshold value.

33. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 30, wherein deter lining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content comprises generating audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content.

34. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 30, wherein determining the length of time required to output audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content comprises determining a length of time required to output audio content without generating audio content corresponding to the determined segment of textual content.

35. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computing devices,

generating a first content based at least in part on a second content;

causing output of the generated first content and the second content;

maintaining synchronization between an output pointer of the second content and an associated position of the generated first content being output, wherein the associated position of the generated first content advances during output of the generated first content, and wherein the output pointer indicates a position within the second content corresponding to a current output position of the generated first content;

obtaining an input pointer referencing a position within the second content being output from an input device;

during advancement of the output pointer, determining, independent of the obtained input pointer, a position of the output pointer corresponding to the current output position of the generated first content;

determining a segment of the second content based at least in part on a difference between the determined position of the output pointer and the input pointer;

determining a length of time required to output a segment of the first content corresponding to the determined segment of the second content; and

modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated first content based at least in part on the determined length of time.

36. The computer-implemented method of claim 35, wherein modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated first content comprises increasing or decreasing the speed at which the generated first content is output.

37. The computer-implemented method of claim 35, wherein the first content comprises at least one of audio content or visual content.

38. The computer-implemented method of claim 35, wherein the second content comprises at least one of a text, a music score, a picture or sequence of pictures, a diagram, a chart, or a presentation.

39. The computer-implemented method of claim 35, wherein modifying an attribute associated with the output of the generated first content comprises modifying the attribute if the length of time required to output a segment of the first content corresponding to the determined segment of the second content satisfies a threshold value.