Narration of network content

• US 9,087,024 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hayden, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US13/359,028
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/201, 715/202, 715/205, 715/234, 715/249, 715/255, 715/256, 715/273, 715/704, 715/723, 715/727, 715/746, 715/760, 704/2, 704/214, 704/254, 704/269, 704/5, 704/E15.001
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/686 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title or artist information, time, location or usage information, user ratings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/001 Teaching or communicating with blind persons G09B21/02 - G09B21/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/009 Teaching or communicating with deaf persons G09B21/04 takes precedence; deaf and dumb persons G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/30 Distributed recognition, e.g. in client-server systems, for mobile phones or network applications
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/30 using neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A process is directed to the generation, maintenance, and provision of narrations for requested network content. A client computing device transmits a narration of a network resource, such as a web page, to a network computing provider. The narration can be separated into portions, each portion corresponding to a portion of the network resource. A second client computing device can request the network resource and the narration. The network computing provider can determine whether there has been any change in the requested network resource since the narration was received, and can modify the narration provided to the second client computing device accordingly. The second client computing device can playback appropriate portions of the narration while still being capable of regular interaction with the requested network resource.

Claims

1. A system including at least one processor for providing narration of dynamic network content, the system comprising:

a network computing component executing on one or more physical network computing devices, wherein the one or more physical network computing devices are programmed by executable instructions to at least;

receive a web page narration from a first client computing device, the narration comprising a plurality of audio clips including a first audio clip, each of the plurality of audio clips comprising an aural description, by a user of the first client computing device, of a portion of the web page, wherein the web page narration is generated separately from the web page;

determine whether a portion of the web page has changed after the narration comprising the first audio clip describing the portion was received, wherein the one or more physical network computing devices are programmed to determine whether the portion of the web page has changed by at least;

receiving change information comprising at least one of;

a user notification regarding a change to the portion of the web page;

a pixel analysis of the portion of the web page, or a hash of the portion of the web page; and

in response to receiving the change information, comparing a present version of the portion with a previously received version of the portion;

in response to determining that the portion of the web page has changed;

obtain a second audio clip describing an updated version of the portion of the web page; and

replace the first audio clip with the second audio clip describing the updated version of the portion of the web page;

cause playback, on a second client computing device, of at least a portion of the web page narration, the portion of the web page narration comprising at least the second audio clip, wherein the playback is caused in response to receiving a user interaction from the second client computing device; and

enable a user of the second client computing device to interact directly with the web page during playback of the at least one of the plurality of audio clips.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the aural description of the portion of the web page comprises at least one of a verbal transcription of text displayed in the portion, a verbal description of textual content displayed in the portion, or a verbal description of visual content displayed in the portion.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the web page narration includes at least one visual indication of the portion of the web page described by at least one of the plurality of audio clips.

4. A computer-implemented method for providing narration of dynamic network content, the method comprising:

under the control of a network computing component executing on one or more physical computing components of a network computing provider, the physical computing components configured to execute specific instructions,

receiving a network resource narration from a first client computing device, the network resource narration corresponding to a first aural presentation of at least a portion of the network resource, wherein the network resource narration is generated separately from the network resource;

determining whether a portion of the network resource has changed since the network resource narration comprising the first aural presentation of the portion was received, wherein the determining comprises;

receiving an indication of at least one of;

a user notification regarding the portion of the network resource;

a pixel analysis of the portion of the network resource;

or a hash of the portion of the network resource; and

in response to receiving the indication, comparing a present version of the portion with a previously received version of the portion;

in response to determining that the portion of the network resource has changed;

obtain a second aural presentation of an updated version of the portion of the network resource; and

replace the first aural presentation with the second aural presentation of the updated version of the portion of the network resource;

causing playback, on a second client computing device, of at least a portion of the network resource narration comprising the second aural presentation, wherein the playback is caused in response to receiving a user interaction from the second client computing device; and

enabling a user of the second client computing device to perform actions available to users of the network resource when no network resource narration is played back.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the network resource comprises at least one of a web page, image, video, applet, or document.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the portion of the network resource narration comprises at least one of an aural description, an aural recitation, an aural translation, a textual transcription, a textual translation, a textual description, a visual transcription, or a visual annotation of a portion of the network resource.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein at least one visual transcription of the portion of the network resource comprises a sign language translation of at least a portion of a spoken element of the network resource.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein at least one aural description of the portion of the network resource comprises a verbal description of an image or video displayed in the portion of the network resource.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein at least one aural description of the portion of the network resource comprises a verbal description of a result of an action taken on an element displayed in the portion of the network resource.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the element comprises one of a link, button, dropdown, menu, or input control, and wherein the action taken comprises one of clicking on, typing in, or activating the element.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the network resource narration further comprises at least one visual effect.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the visual effect indicates the portion of the network resource described by the first aural presentation.

13. A system including at least one processor for providing narration of interactive network content, the system comprising:

a network computing component executing on one or more physical network computing devices, wherein the one or more physical network computing devices are programmed by executable instructions to at least;

receive a narration from a first client computing device, the narration comprising a first audio clip describing a portion of the network resource, wherein the narration is generated separately from the network resource;

determine whether a portion of the network resource has changed since the narration comprising the first audio clip describing the portion was received, wherein the one or more physical network computing devices are programmed to determine whether the portion of the network resource has changed by at least;

receiving an indication of at least one of;

a user notification regarding the portion of the network resource;

a pixel analysis of the portion of the network resource;

or a hash of the portion of the network resource; and

in response to receiving the indication, comparing a present version of the portion with a previously received version of the portion;

in response to determining that the portion of the network resource has changed;

obtain a second audio clip describing an updated version of the portion of the network resource; and

replace the first audio clip with the second audio clip describing the updated version of the portion of the network resource; and

cause playback, on a second client computing device, of at least a portion of the narration comprising at least the second audio clip.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the network resource comprises at least one of a web page, image, video, applet, or document.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the portion of the narration comprises at least one of an aural description, an aural recitation, an aural translation, a textual transcription, a textual translation, a textual description, a visual transcription, or a visual annotation of a portion of the network resource.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one visual transcription of the portion of the network resource comprises a sign language translation of at least a portion of a spoken element of the network resource.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one aural description of the portion of the network resource comprises a verbal description of an image or video displayed in the portion of the network resource.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one aural description of the portion of the network resource comprises a verbal description of a result of an action taken on an element displayed in the portion of the network resource.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the element comprises one of a link, button, dropdown, menu, or input control, and wherein the action taken comprises one of clicking on, typing in, or activating the element.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the narration further comprises at least one visual effect.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the visual effect indicates the portion of the network resource described by the second audio clip.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein determining whether a portion of the network resource has changed since the narration comprising the first audio clip was received comprises processing third-party communications associated with the portion.

23. The system of claim 13, wherein determining whether a portion of the network resource has changed since the narration comprising the first audio clip was received comprises analyzing layout tags corresponding to display areas of the network resource.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein a user of the second client computing device may continue to interact directly with the network resource during playback of at least the portion of the narration.