INTELLIGENT TEXT-TO-SPEECH CONVERSION

• US 20160240187A1
• Filed: 04/04/2016
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: FLEIZACH, Christopher Brian, HUDSON, Reginald Dean
• Granted Patent: US 9,626,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/027 Concept to speech synthesisers; Generation of natural phrases from machine-based concepts generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text G10L13/08
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal

Abstract

Techniques for improved text-to-speech processing are disclosed. The improved text-to-speech processing can convert text from an electronic document into an audio output that includes speech associated with the text as well as audio contextual cues. One aspect provides audio contextual cues to the listener when outputting speech (spoken text) pertaining to a document. The audio contextual cues can be based on an analysis of a document prior to a text-to-speech conversion. Another aspect can produce an audio summary for a file. The audio summary for a document can thereafter be presented to a user so that the user can hear a summary of the document without having to process the document to produce its spoken text via text-to-speech conversion.

Claims

1-33. -33. (canceled)

34. A method for converting text to speech, the method comprising:

at an electronic device with a processor and memory storing one or more programs for execution by the processor;

parsing a document to identify a plurality of text elements in the document to be converted to speech, the subset of text having a markup tag;

creating an announcement comprising a spoken description of a context related to the markup tag; and

generating audio that includes the spoken form of the subset of text and the announcement, wherein the announcement is spoken prior to the spoken form of the subset of text.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the context is a footnote.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the context is a title.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

identifying a second subset of text while parsing the document, the second subset of text having a second markup tag that is different from the markup tag; and

creating a second announcement comprising a spoken description of a second context;

wherein the generated audio includes a spoken form of the second subset of text and the second announcement, wherein the second announcement is spoken prior to the spoken form of the second subset of text.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the document does not include text corresponding to the announcement.

39. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

identifying a non-text element of the document while parsing the document; and

creating an audio cue that represents the non-text element in the document, wherein the generated audio includes the audio cue.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the non-text element is an image.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the non-text element is a hyperlink.

42. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

generating a text-to-speech processing script that includes the subset of text and the announcement, wherein the text-to-speech processing script is processed to generate the audio.

43. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for causing one or more processors to:

parse a document to identify a plurality of text elements in the document to be converted to speech, the subset of text having a markup tag;

create an announcement comprising a spoken description of a context related to the markup tag; and

generate audio that includes the spoken form of the subset of text and the announcement, wherein the announcement is spoken prior to the spoken form of the subset of text.

44. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein the context is a footnote.

45. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein the context is a title.

46. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 43, further comprising instructions for:

identifying a second subset of text while parsing the document, the second subset of text having a second markup tag that is different from the markup tag; and

creating a second announcement comprising a spoken description of a second context;

wherein the generated audio includes a spoken form of the second subset of text and the second announcement, wherein the second announcement is spoken prior to the spoken form of the second subset of text.

47. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 43, wherein the document does not include text corresponding to the announcement.

48. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 43, further comprising:

identifying a non-text element of the document while parsing the document; and

creating an audio cue that represents the non-text element in the document, wherein the generated audio includes the audio cue.

49. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the non-text element is an image.

50. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 48, wherein the non-text element is a hyperlink.

51. An electronic device comprising:

one or more processors;

memory;

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

parsing a document to identify a plurality of text elements in the document to be converted to speech, the subset of text having a markup tag;

creating an announcement comprising a spoken description of a context related to the markup tag; and

generating audio that includes the spoken form of the subset of text and the announcement, wherein the announcement is spoken prior to the spoken form of the subset of text.

52. The electronic device of claim 51, wherein the context is a footnote.

53. The electronic device of claim 51, wherein the context is a title.

54. The electronic device of claim 51, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

identifying a second subset of text while parsing the document, the second subset of text having a second markup tag that is different from the markup tag; and

creating a second announcement comprising a spoken description of a second context;

wherein the generated audio includes a spoken form of the second subset of text and the second announcement, wherein the second announcement is spoken prior to the spoken form of the second subset of text.

55. The electronic device of claim 51, wherein the document does not include text corresponding to the announcement.

56. The electronic device of claim 51, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

identifying a non-text element of the document while parsing the document; and

creating an audio cue that represents the non-text element in the document, wherein the generated audio includes the audio cue.

57. The electronic device of claim 56, wherein the non-text element is an image.

58. The electronic device of claim 56, wherein the non-text element is a hyperlink.