Custom narration of electronic books

• US 9,031,493 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Morton, Michael Salomon, Murray, Abraham Phelps
• Primary Examiner(s): GEBREMICHAEL, BRUK A
• Application Number:
  US13/299,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20130130216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 434/308, 434/317, 434/319
• US Class Current: 434/308
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for correlating an electronic book with a narration. A correlation is determined between a first portion of the narration and a first segment of the text within the electronic book. The correlation is stored as instructions to present the first segment of the text with emphasis simultaneously with playback of the first the portion of the narration. A determination is made that a second portion of the audio recording, immediately following the first portion, does not match a second segment of the text that immediately follows the first segment. A correlation between the second portion and a component of the electronic book is determined and stored as instructions to present the component with emphasis simultaneously with playback of the second portion of the narration.

Claims

1. A method for creating a custom narration for a book, the book comprising text, the method comprising:

making an audio recording of a narrator, wherein the audio recording comprises a first portion and a second portion that immediately follows the first portion;

determining, using one or more processors, that the first portion is a reading of a first segment of the text;

generating, using one or more processors, a first correlation between the first portion of the recording and the first segment of the text;

determining, using one or more processors, that the second portion does not correspond to a second segment of the text, the second segment being a subset of the text that immediately follows the first segment;

applying, using one or more processors and responsive to determining that the second portion does not correspond to the second segment of the text, a correlation algorithm to identify a component of the book to which the second portion is likely to correspond, applying the correlation algorithm comprising;

responsive to determining the second portion is a repeat of the first portion, identifying the first segment of the text as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the second segment of text is spatially proximate to an illustration, identifying the illustration as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the first segment of the text is immediately followed by a chapter break, identifying the chapter break as the component of the book; and

responsive to determining the second portion corresponds to a third segment of the text that follows the second segment of the text, identifying the third segment of the text as the component of the book;

generating, using one or more processors, a second correlation between the second portion and the component of the book; and

storing, using one or more processors, the first and second correlations such that upon playback, the first portion is presented as corresponding to the first segment and the second portion is presented as corresponding to the component.

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

determining a third correlation between a third portion of the audio recording and the second segment of the text; and

storing the third correlation such that upon playback, the third portion is presented as corresponding to the second segment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion and the first segment are individual words.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion and the first segment are individual syllables.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the first correlation comprises adding metadata to the audio recording.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the metadata comprises an indication of the beginning of the first portion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the first correlation comprises writing correlation data to a correlation file stored in a computer readable medium.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an additional component of the electronic book that is not correlated with a portion of the audio recording;

prompting the narrator to record additional narration for the additional component of the electronic book;

recording additional narration; and

storing a third correlation between the additional narration and the additional component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the correlation algorithm comprises:

analyzing the second portion to identify a keyword therein; and

selecting the component from a plurality of candidate components based on the keyword.

10. A computer-implemented method of correlating an electronic book with a narration, the electronic book including text, the method comprising:

determining, using one or more processors, a match between a first portion of the narration and a first segment of the text;

storing, using one or more processors, instructions for presenting with emphasis the first segment simultaneously with the first portion;

determining, using one or more processors, that a second portion of the narration that immediately follows the first portion does not match a second segment of the text that immediately follows the first segment;

applying, using one or more processors and responsive to determining that the second portion does not match the second segment, a correlation algorithm to determine an association between the second portion and a component of the electronic book, applying the correlation algorithm comprising;

responsive to determining the second portion is a repeat of the first portion, identifying the first segment of the text as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the second segment of text is spatially proximate to an illustration, identifying the illustration as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the first segment of the text is immediately followed by a chapter break, identifying the chapter break as the component of the book; and

responsive to determining the second portion corresponds to a third segment of the text that follows the second segment of the text, identifying the third segment of the text as the component of the book; and

storing, using one or more processors, instructions to present with emphasis the component simultaneously with the second portion.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a second association between the second portion and a second component of the electronic book responsive to user input; and

overwriting the stored instructions with new instructions to present with emphasis the second component simultaneously with the second portion.

12. A computer-implemented method of presenting an electronic book in conjunction with a narration, the electronic book including text, the method comprising:

responsive to a match between a first portion of the narration and a first segment of the text, presenting the first segment with emphasis on a display in conjunction with the first portion of the narration; and

responsive to a second portion of the narration that immediately follows the first portion not matching a second segment of the text that immediately follows the first segment, determining, using one or more processors, an association between the second portion and a component of the electronic book, determining the association comprising;

responsive to determining the second portion is a repeat of the first portion, identifying the first segment of the text as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the second segment of text is spatially proximate to an illustration, identifying the illustration as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the first segment of the text is immediately followed by a chapter break, identifying the chapter break as the component of the book; and

responsive to determining the second portion corresponds to a third segment of the text that follows the second segment of the text, identifying the third segment of the text as the component of the book; and

presenting the component with emphasis on the display in conjunction with the second portion of the narration.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein presenting the first segment with emphasis occurs at substantially the same time as the first portion of the narration is read aloud by a narrator, and presenting the component with emphasis occurs at substantially the same time as the second portion of the narration is read aloud by the narrator.

14. A system for creating a custom narration for a book, the book comprising text, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

a data store, storing an electronic representation of a narration, the electronic representation including a first portion and a second portion that, during playback, immediately follows the first portion; and

a correlation module, communicatively coupled to the data store and the one or more processors, configured to determine, using the one or more processors, a first correlation between the first portion and a first segment of the text, and apply, responsive to the second portion not corresponding to a second segment of the text that immediately follows the first segment, a correlation algorithm to determine a second correlation between the second portion and a component of the book, applying the correlation algorithm comprising;

responsive to determining the second portion is a repeat of the first portion, identifying the first segment of the text as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the second segment of text is spatially proximate to an illustration, identifying the illustration as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the first segment of the text is immediately followed by a chapter break, identifying the chapter break as the component of the book; and

responsive to determining the second portion corresponds to a third segment of the text that follows the second segment of the text, identifying the third segment of the text as the component of the book.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the correlation module is further configured to store the first and second correlations in the data store.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the correlation module is further configured to:

determine a third correlation between the second portion and a second component of the electronic book, responsive to user input; and

overwrite the second correlation with the third correlation in the data store.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a recording module, communicatively coupled to the data store, configured to create the electronic representation of the narration by recording a narrator reading a subset of the text aloud.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a display module, communicatively coupled to the recording module, configured to prompt the narrator to record additional narration for a specific component of the book that is not correlated with a portion of the electronic representation of the narration.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising a playback module, communicatively coupled to the data store, the playback module configured to present the first portion as corresponding to the first segment and the second portion as corresponding to the component.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the correlation module is further configured to determine a third correlation between a third portion of the electronic representation and the second segment of the text.

21. A computer program product that comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions for correlating a book with a narration, the book including text, the instructions comprising instructions to:

determine a match between a first portion of the narration and a first segment of the text;

determine that a second portion of the narration that immediately follows the first portion does not match a second segment of the text that immediately follows the first segment;

apply, responsive to determining that the second portion does not match the second segment, a correlation algorithm to determine a correlation between the second portion of the narration and a component of the electronic book, applying the correlation algorithm comprising;

responsive to determining the second portion is a repeat of the first portion, identifying the first segment of the text as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the second segment of text is spatially proximate to an illustration, identifying the illustration as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the first segment of the text is immediately followed by a chapter break, identifying the chapter break as the component of the book; and

responsive to determining the second portion corresponds to a third segment of the text that follows the second segment of the text, identifying the third segment of the text as the component of the book.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein determining the correlation comprises:

analyzing the second portion to identify a keyword therein; and

selecting the component from a plurality of candidate components based on the keyword.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to:

store the correlation in a data store;

determine a corrected correlation between the second portion of the narration and a second component of the electronic book responsive to user input; and

overwrite the correlation stored in the data store with the corrected correlation.

24. A computer program product that comprises a non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions for presenting an electronic book in conjunction with a narration, the electronic book including text, the instructions comprising instructions to:

present a first segment of the text with emphasis in conjunction with a first portion of the narration responsive to a match between the first portion of the narration and the first segment of the text;

apply a correlation algorithm to determine an association between a second portion of the narration, that immediately follows the first portion, and a component of the electronic book, responsive to the second portion not matching a second segment of the text that immediately follows the first segment, applying the correlation algorithm comprising;

responsive to determining the second portion is a repeat of the first portion, identifying the first segment of the text as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the second segment of text is spatially proximate to an illustration, identifying the illustration as the component of the book;

responsive to determining the first segment of the text is immediately followed by a chapter break, identifying the chapter break as the component of the book; and

responsive to determining the second portion corresponds to a third segment of the text that follows the second segment of the text, identifying the third segment of the text as the component of the book; and

present the component with emphasis in conjunction with the second portion of the narration.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein presenting the first segment with emphasis occurs at substantially the same time as the first portion of the narration is read aloud by a narrator, and presenting the component with emphasis occurs at substantially the same time as the second portion of the narration is read aloud by the narrator.