System and Method for Integrating Special Effects with a Text Source

• US 20160358620A1
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novel Effect, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Novel Effect, Inc.
• Inventors: Hammersley, Matthew William, Hammersley, Melissa Furze
• Granted Patent: US 10,249,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/38 Picture books with additional toy effects, e.g. pop-up or slide displays picture books B42D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/088 Word spotting

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products relate to special effects for a text source, such as a traditional paper book, e-book, mobile phone text, comic book, or any other form of pre-defined reading material, and for outputting the special effects. The special effects may be played in response to a user reading the text source aloud to enhance their enjoyment of the reading experience and provide interactivity. The special effects can be customized to the particular text source and can be synchronized to initiate the special effect in response to pre-programmed trigger phrases when reading the text source aloud.

Claims

1. A system for providing a special effect associated with an auditory input, the system comprising:

an electronic mobile device configured to;

receive an audible input from a user comprising speech of a user reading one or more portions of a text source;

determine whether the audible input matches one or more pre-determined triggers via a speech recognition algorithm; and

in response to determining that the audible input matches the pre-determined trigger, command a special effect device to output a plurality of special effects associated with the text source;

wherein the special effect device comprises an audio speaker and a light source, and the at least one of the one or more special effects includes audio content and light emission;

wherein the plurality of special effects comprises a first special effect and a second special effect, wherein the first special effect and the second special effect are different, and wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to command the special effect output device to output the second special effect at least partially concurrently with outputting the first special effect.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source is pre-existing.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source comprises a book.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source comprises a comic book.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source comprises a printed text source.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the text source comprises an electronically displayed text source.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to command the special effect device to begin outputting the first special effect before beginning to output the second special effect.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to command the special effect device to stop outputting the first special effect before stopping the output of the second special effect.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to command the special effect device to stop outputting the second special effect before stopping the output of the first special effect.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of special effects comprises a first special effect comprising an audio output, a second special effect comprising an audio output, and a third special effect comprising a light emission.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein a first pre-determined trigger causes output of the first special effect and a second pre-determined trigger causes output of the second special effect, wherein the first pre-determined trigger is different than the second pre-determined trigger;

and

wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to determine when a pre-determined trigger phrase is detected via a speech recognition algorithm at least partly concurrently while outputting the plurality of special effects.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic mobile device is communicably coupled but physically distinct from at least one of the one or more special effect devices.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of special effects comprises animation.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of special effects comprises video.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of special effects comprises a picture.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more pre-determined triggers comprise active pre-determined triggers and inactive pre-determined triggers;

and in response to determining that the audible input matches an active pre-determined trigger command the system to activate an inactive pre-determined trigger; and

, in response to determining that the audible input matches the activated pre-determined trigger, command the special effect device to output one or more special effects.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to deactivate at least one of the active pre-determined trigger phrases after detection of the at least one of the plurality of pre-determined trigger phrases such that a user subsequently reading the at least one of the plurality of pre-determined trigger phrases after detection of the at least one of the plurality of pre-determined trigger phrases does not result in commanding the special effect output device to output a special effect.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the audible input from a user comprising speech of a user reading one or more portions of a text source is pre-recorded and electronically outputted.

19. A system for providing a special effect associated with an auditory input, the system comprising:

an electronic mobile device configured to;

receive an audible input from a user comprising speech of a user reading one or more portions of a text source;

determine whether the audible input matches one or more pre-determined triggers via a speech recognition algorithm, wherein the one or more pre-determined triggers comprise active pre-determined triggers and inactive pre-determined triggers; and

in response to determining that the audible input matches at least one of the one or more pre-determined triggers, command one or more special effect devices to output a plurality of special effects associated with the text source and in response to determining that the audible input matches an active pre-determined trigger command the system to activate an inactive pre-determined trigger;

wherein the one or more special effect device comprises an audio speaker and a light source, and the at least one of the one or more special effects includes audio content and light emission;

wherein the plurality of special effects comprises a first special effect comprising an audio output, a second special effect comprising an audio output different from the first special effect, and a third special effect comprising a light emission;

wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to command the special effect output device to output the second special effect and/or the third special effect at least partially concurrently with outputting the first special effect;

wherein a first pre-determined trigger causes output of the first special effect and a second pre-determined trigger causes output of the second special effect and a third pre-determined trigger causes output of the third special effect, wherein the first pre-determined trigger is at least partly different than the second pre-determined trigger; and

wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to determine when a pre-determined trigger phrase is detected via a speech recognition algorithm at least partly concurrently while outputting the plurality of special effects.

20. A system for providing a special effect associated with an auditory input, the system comprising:

an electronic mobile device configured to;

receive an audible input from a user comprising speech of a user reading one or more portions of a text source, wherein the text source comprises a printed book;

determine whether the audible input matches one or more pre-determined triggers via a speech recognition algorithm; and

in response to determining that the audible input matches the pre-determined trigger, command one or more special effect devices to output a plurality of special effects associated with the text source;

wherein the one or more special effect device comprises an audio speaker and a light source, and the at least one of the one or more special effects includes audio content and light emission;

wherein the plurality of special effects comprises a first special effect comprising an audio output, a second special effect comprising an audio output different from the first special effect, and a third special effect comprising a light emission;

wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to command the special effect output device to output the second special effect and/or the third special effect at least partially concurrently with outputting the first special effect;

wherein a first pre-determined trigger causes output of the first special effect and a second pre-determined trigger causes output of the second special effect and a third pre-determined trigger causes output of the third special effect, wherein the first pre-determined trigger is at least partly different than the second pre-determined trigger; and

wherein the electronic mobile device is configured to determine when a pre-determined trigger phrase is detected via a speech recognition algorithm at least partly concurrently while outputting the plurality of special effects.