Talking paper authoring tools

• US 9,406,340 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2012
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Toyama, Kentaro, Chu, Gerald, Balakrishnan, Ravin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US13/493,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20120253815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-202, 715/204, 715/205, 715/209, 715/231, 715/234, 715/239, 715/249, 715/255, 715/256, 715/273, 715/274, 715/700, 715/719, 715727-729, 715/731, 715/760, 704/2, 704/4, 704/5, 704/200, 704/203, 704/251, 704/260, 704/269, 704/270.1, 704/277, 704/278
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals

Abstract

A range of unified software authoring tools for creating a talking paper application for integration in an end user platform are described herein. The authoring tools are easy to use and are interoperable to provide an easy and cost-effective method of creating a talking paper application. The authoring tools provide a framework for creating audio content and image content and interactively linking the audio content and the image content. The authoring tools also provide for verifying the interactively linked audio and image content, reviewing the audio content, the image content and the interactive linking on a display device. Finally, the authoring tools provide for saving the audio content, the video content and the interactive linking for publication to a manufacturer for integration in an end user platform or talking paper platform.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

under control of one or more processors configured with executable instructions;

creating an audio component and an image component, the creating comprising;

converting a printed or computer document into audio and images using at least one of optical character recognition, text summarization or text-to-speech technology; and

providing a user interface for a user to customize the audio and the images to create the audio component and the image component;

linking a portion of the audio component with a portion of the image component with a link;

presenting the audio component, the image component and the link on an electronic viewing device for review by the user, the presenting enabling verification of at least one of;

whether the link between the audio component and the image component exists,

whether the link between the audio component and the image component includes an end to avoid infinite looping, or

whether a link path of the link between the audio component and the image component is accessible; and

saving the audio component, the image component and the link in a format to allow for integration into an end user platform, the format being selected from a plurality of formats for presenting the image component in a digital medium or printed medium upon integration in the end user platform and the audio component to be activated upon accessing the portion of the image component in the digital medium or the printed medium, wherein the format is selected from the plurality of formats based at least in part on a determination of whether the image component is to be presented in the digital medium or printed medium.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the creating further comprises:

enabling a selection of an audio file from a library of audio content to create the audio component; and

enabling a selection of an image file from a library of image content to create the image component.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising adding a number or symbol on the image component to enable playing of the audio component when consuming the image component using a mobile device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the end user platform comprises at least one of an educational talking book, an electronic greeting card or an audio tourbook.

7. The one or more storage devices as recited in claim 1, the acts further comprising providing a user interface for a user to customize the audio and the images to create the audio component and the image component.

5. One or more storage devices configured with executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

converting an electronic or printed document into audio and images using at least one of optical character recognition, text summarization or text-to-speech technology;

interactively linking a portion of the audio component with a portion of the image component with a link; and

saving the audio component, the image component and the link in a format to allow for integration into an end user platform, the format being selected from a plurality of formats for presenting the image component in an electronic medium or a printed medium upon integration in the end user platform and the audio component to be activated upon accessing the portion of the image component in the electronic medium or the printed medium, wherein the format is selected from the plurality of formats based at least in part on a determination of whether the image component is to be presented in the electronic medium or the printed medium.

6. The one or more storage devices as recited in claim 5, the acts further comprising:

enabling a selection of an audio file from a library of audio content to create the audio component; and

enabling a selection of an image file from a library of image content to create the image component.

8. The one or more storage devices as recited in claim 5, the acts further comprising presenting the audio component, the image component and the link on an electronic viewing device for review by a user, the presenting enabling verification of whether the link between the audio component and the image component is accurate and/or compatible.

9. The one or more storage devices as recited in claim 8, wherein the verification of whether the link between the audio component and the image component is accurate and/or compatible comprises verification of at least one of:

whether the link between the audio component and the image component exists;

whether the link between the audio component and the image component includes an end to avoid an infinite looping;

or

whether a link path of the link between the audio component and the image component is accessible.

10. The one or more storage devices as recited in claim 8, the acts further comprising in response to verifying that the link between the audio component and the image component is not accurate and/or compatible, presenting an interface allowing a user to revise some or all of the audio component, the image component and the link on the electronic viewing device.

11. The one or more storage devices as recited in claim 5, the acts further comprising adding a number or symbol on the image component to enable playing of the audio component when consuming the image component using a mobile device.

12. The one or more storage devices as recited in claim 5, wherein the end user platform comprises an educational talking book, an electronic greeting card and/or an audio tourbook.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory, communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

creating an audio component and an image component, the creating comprising;

providing a first option to allow a user to select an audio file from a library of audio content to create the audio component, and

providing a second option to allow the user to select an image file from a library of image content to create the image component;

linking a portion of the audio component with a portion of the image component with a link;

presenting the audio component, the image component and the link on an electronic viewing device for review by the user; and

saving the audio component, the image component and the link in a format to allow for integration into an end user platform, the format being selected from a plurality of formats for presenting the image component in a digital medium or a printed medium upon integration in the end user platform and the audio component to be activated upon accessing the portion of the image component in the digital medium or the printed medium, wherein the format is selected from the plurality of formats based at least in part on a determination of whether the image component is to be presented in the digital medium or the printed medium.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the creating further comprises:

converting a digital or printed document into audio and images using optical character recognition, text summarization and/or text-to-speech technology; and

providing a user interface for the user to customize the audio and the images to create the audio component and the image component.

15. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the presenting enables verification of:

whether the link between the audio component and the image component exists,

whether the link between the audio component and the image component includes an end to avoid an infinite looping, or

whether a link path of the link between the audio component and the image component is accessible.

16. The system as recited in claim 13, the acts further comprising adding a number or symbol on the image component to enable playing of the audio component when consuming the image component using a mobile device, the number or symbol being unique across all content at a page level, a specific content level or a global level in the end user platform.

17. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the end user platform comprises at least one of an educational talking book, an electronic greeting card or an audio tourbook.

18. The system as recited in claim 13, the acts further comprising saving the audio component, the image component and the link in another format to allow for integration into another end user platform.