METHOD FOR STORING AND RETRIEVING VOICE FONTS

• US 20100153116A1
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Szalai, Zsolt, Pucci, Bernard, Viale, Joel, Bazot, Philipe
• Application Number:
  US12/368,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153116A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

The present invention is a system for storing text-to-speech files which includes a means for storing a plurality of voice fonts wherein each voice font has associated therewith a universal voice identifier (UVI). The invention includes delivering a voice font to a receiver of a message containing text wherein the message contains the UVI and the receiver requests the voice font associated with the UVI from the means for storing.

Claims

1. A storage and delivery system for text-to-speech files comprising:

system for storing a plurality of voice fonts wherein each voice font has associated therewith a universal voice identifier (UVI);

system for retrieving a voice font by a receiver of a message containing text, wherein the message contains the UVI and the receiver requests the voice font associated with the UVI from the means for storing; and

system for converting text to speech using the voice font associated with the UVI.

2. The storage and delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the message comprises an email or a text message.

3. The storage and delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the UVI is generated by a voice naming service.

4. The storage and delivery system according to claim 1, the system for storing comprises a central database.

5. The storage and delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the system for storing comprises a memory cache.

6. The storage and delivery system according to claim 1, wherein storage of a voice font associated with a UVI requires a fee.

7. The storage and delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the voice fonts are embodied in a data structure that associates basic phonetic units with corresponding speech segments.

8. A method for converting text to speech comprising:

storing a plurality of voice fonts wherein each voice font has associated therewith a universal voice identifier (UVI);

retrieving a voice font by a receiver of a message containing text wherein the message contains the UVI;

converting text to speech of the message using the voice font associated with the UVI.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the voice font is embodied in a data structure that associates basic phonetic units with corresponding speech segments.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising retrieving a text-to-speech (TTS) engine by the receiver, the TTS engine being operable to synthesize the speech based on the voice font.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein retrieving comprises obtaining the voice font from a central database.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the message comprises an email or a text message.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of voice fonts are embodied in a data structure that associates basic phonetic units with corresponding speech segments.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform a process comprising:

storing a plurality of voice fonts wherein each voice font has associated therewith a universal voice identifier (UVI);

retrieving a voice font by a receiver of a message containing text wherein the message contains the UVI; and

converting text to speech of the message using the voice font associated with the UVI.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the message comprises an email or a text message.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein retrieving the voice font comprises obtaining the voice from a central database.

17. A method for for deploying a system for converting text to speech comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

store a plurality of voice fonts wherein each voice font has associated therewith a universal voice identifier (UVI);

retrieve a voice font by a receiver of a message containing text wherein the message contains the UVI; and

convert text to speech of the message using the voice font associated with the UVI.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the voice font is embodied in a data structure that associates basic phonetic units with corresponding speech segments.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the message comprises an email or a text message.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the voice font is stored in a central database.