CUSTOM NARRATION OF ELECTRONIC BOOKS

• US 20130130216A1
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Murray, Abraham Phelps, Morton, Michael Salomon
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/317
• 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 a recording of a narrator, wherein the recording comprises a first portion that is a reading of a subset of the digital text aloud and a second portion that is an additional utterance, the first portion and the second portion together not corresponding precisely to a selection from the digital text;

determining, by a processor, a first correlation between the first portion of the recording and a first segment of the text;

determining a second correlation between the second portion and a component of the book; and

storing 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 a 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, wherein the component comprises at least one of:

an illustration, a page break, a position in the text, and a chapter break.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

recording additional narration; and

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

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the specific component is selected based at least in part on the specific component not correlating with the first or second portions.

11. A computer-implemented method of correlating an electronic book with a narration, wherein the electronic book includes text, comprising:

determining, by a processor, a match between a first portion of the narration and a first segment of the text;

storing instructions for presenting with emphasis the first segment simultaneously with the first portion;

determining 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;

determining an association between the second portion and a component of the electronic book; and

storing instructions to present with emphasis the component simultaneously with the second portion.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the component is one of:

an illustration, a page break, a position in the text, and a chapter break.

13. The method of claim 11, 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.

14. A computer-implemented method of presenting an electronic book in correlation with a narration, wherein the electronic book includes text, comprising:

responsive to a match between a first portion of the narration and a first segment of the text, presenting with emphasis the first segment simultaneously 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, with a processor, an association between the second portion and a component of the electronic book; and

presenting with emphasis the component simultaneously with the second portion of the narration.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the component is one of:

an illustration, a page break, a position in the text, and a chapter break.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein presenting with emphasis the first segment and the component occurs at substantially the same time as the narration is read aloud by a narrator.

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

a processor;

a data store, storing an electronic representation of a narration, the electronic representation having first and second portions; and

a correlation module, communicatively coupled to the data store and the processor, configured to determine a first correlation between the first portion and a first segment of the text and determine a second correlation between the second portion and a component of the book.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the correlation module is further configured to store the first and second correlations in the data store.

19. The system of claim 18, 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.

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

21. The system of claim 20, 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.

22. The system of claim 17, 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.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the correlation module is further configured to determine a third correlation between a third portion of the electronic representation and a second segment of the text.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the component comprises at least one of:

an illustration, a page break, a position in the text, and a chapter break.

25. A computer program product that comprises a non-transient computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions for correlating a book with a narration, wherein the book includes text, the instructions comprising:

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

instructions to 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;

instructions to determine an association between the second portion of the narration and a component of the electronic book.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the component is one of:

an illustration, a page break, a position in the text, and a chapter break.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising instructions to store the correlation and the match.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising:

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

instructions to overwrite the stored association with the second association.

29. A computer program product that comprises a non-transient computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions for presenting an electronic book in correlation with a narration, wherein the electronic book includes text, the instructions comprising:

instructions to present with emphasis a first segment of the text simultaneously 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;

instructions 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; and

presenting with emphasis the component simultaneously with the second portion of the narration.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the component is one of:

an illustration, a page break, a position in the text, and a chapter break.

31. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein presenting with emphasis the segment and component occurs at substantially the same time as the narration is read aloud by a narrator.