ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF ASSOCIATING A VOICE FONT WITH A CONTACT FOR TEXT-TO-SPEECH CONVERSION AT THE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20100217600A1
• Filed: 02/25/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lobzakov, Yuriy
• Granted Patent: US 8,645,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A method of associating a voice font with a contact for text-to-speech conversion at an electronic device includes obtaining, at the electronic device, the voice font for the contact, and storing the voice font in association with a contact data record stored in a contacts database at the electronic device. The contact data record includes contact data for the contact.

Claims

1. A method of associating a voice font with a contact, for text-to-speech conversion at an electronic device, the method comprising:

obtaining, at the electronic device, the voice font for the contact; and

storing the voice font in association with a contact data record stored in a contacts database at the electronic device, the contact data record including contact data for the contact.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining, at the electronic device, a voice font for the contact comprises:

receiving, at the electronic device, an audio stream comprising speech from the contact, and

parsing, at the electronic device, the audio stream into voice units. and

associating, at the electronic device, the voice units with speech units of a target language.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein associating the voice font with a contact data record comprises storing the voice units associated with the speech units as a voice font in the contact data record.

4. The method according to claim 3 comprising providing predetermined text for speech by the contact prior to receiving the audio stream comprising speech from the contact.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein receiving, at the electronic device, an audio stream, comprises receiving, at a microphone at the electronic device, a raw audio stream in the form of speech from the contact.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein receiving, at the electronic device, an audio stream, comprises receiving digital audio data transmitted from a device remote from the electronic device.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the transmitted digital audio data is transmitted in a phone call from the contact.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining a voice font at the electronic device comprises receiving the voice font from a remote device.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

receiving a communication at the electronic device;

matching, at the electronic device, an identifier for an originator of the communication to an identifier of the contact data record;

determining text for conversion to speech;

retrieving the voice font associated with the contact data record;

converting at the electronic device, the text to speech using the voice font associated with the contact data record;

outputting the speech to a speaker at the electronic device to provide audio voice resembling a voice of the contact.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein receiving a communication at the electronic device comprises receiving an electronic message at the electronic device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein retrieving the voice font associated with the contact data record is carried out in response to receipt of a command to open the electronic message.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the communication comprises receiving a phone call or an electronic message and determining text for conversion to speech comprises retrieving a text notification of the communication.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a memory for storage of data;

a receiver for receiving communications;

a speaker for audio output; and

a processor, connected to the receiver, the memory and the speaker, for execution of an application for obtaining a voice font for a contact and for associating the voice font with a contact data record stored in a contacts database at the memory.

14. A computer readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for execution by a processor at an electronic device, the code enabled for:

obtaining, at the electronic device, a voice font for a contact; and

associating the voice font with a contact data record stored in a contacts database at the electronic device.