Communicating across voice and text channels with emotion preservation

• US 7,983,910 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2006
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Deepa, Subramanian, Balan, Salahshoor, Mohamad Reza
• Primary Examiner(s): Lerner; Martin
• Application Number:
  US11/367,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20070208569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• Field of Search: 704/240, 704/246, 704/247, 704/250, 704/251, 704/252, 704/255, 704/4
• US Class Current: 704/250
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/04 Details of speech synthesis systems, e.g. synthesiser structure or memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/0018 Speech coding using phonetic or linguistical decoding of the source; Reconstruction using text-to-speech synthesis

Abstract

Communicating across channels with emotion preservation includes: receiving, by a processor in a communication device, a voice communication; analyzing, by the processor in the communication device, the voice communication for first emotion content; analyzing, by the processor in the communication device, textual content of the voice communication for second emotion content; and marking up, by the processor in the communication device, the textual content with emotion metadata for one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content.

Claims

1. A computer program product for communicating across channels with emotion preservation, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer useable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code to receive a voice communication;

computer usable program code to analyze the voice communication for first emotion content;

computer usable program code to analyze textual content of the voice communication for second emotion content; and

computer usable program code to mark up the textual content with emotion metadata for one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content;

wherein one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content is identified using context information stored in a profile for a specific audience of the voice communication, the profile existing prior to receiving the voice communication.

2. The computer program product recited in claim 1 further comprising:

computer usable program code to analyze the voice communication for textual content.

3. The computer program product recited in claim 2, wherein the computer usable program code to analyze the textual content of the voice communication for second emotion content further comprises:

computer usable program code to obtain at least one word of the textual content;

computer usable program code to access a plurality of text-to-emotion definitions; and

computer usable program code to compare the at least one word from the textual content to the plurality of text-to-emotion definitions.

4. The computer program product recited in claim 3 further comprising:

computer usable program code to obtain one of a word phrase, punctuation, lexicon and syntax of the textual content;

computer usable program code to access a plurality of text-to-emotion definitions; and

computer usable program code to compare the one of a word phrase, punctuation, lexicon and syntax to the plurality of text-to-emotion definitions.

5. The computer program product recited in claim 3, further comprising:

computer usable program code to select a plurality of voice pattern-to-emotion definitions based on a language for the voice communication, a dialect for the voice communication and a speaker for the voice communication; and

computer usable program code to select a plurality of text-to-emotion definitions based on a language for the voice communication, a dialect for the voice communication and a speaker for the voice communication.

6. The computer program product recited in claim 5, wherein the voice pattern-to-emotion definitions comprises voice patterns for one of pitch, tone, cadence and amplitude.

7. The computer program product recited in claim 3, further comprising:

computer usable program code to select a plurality of text-to-emotion definitions based on a speaker for the voice communication, an audience for the speaker of the voice communication and the circumstance of the voice communication; and

computer usable program code to select a plurality of voice pattern-to-emotion definitions based on a speaker for the voice communication, an audience for the speaker of the voice communication and the circumstance of the voice communication.

8. The computer program product recited in claim 2, wherein computer usable program code to analyze the voice communication for first emotion content further comprises:

computer usable program code to assess the second emotion content; and

computer usable program code to select a voice analysis model based on the assessment of the emotion content.

9. The computer program product recited in claim 2, wherein computer usable program code to mark up the textual content with emotion metadata for one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content further comprises:

computer usable program code to compare the first emotion content and the second emotion content; and

computer usable program code to identify the one of the first emotion content and the second emotion based on the comparison of the first emotion content and the second emotion content.

10. The computer program product recited in claim 2, wherein the computer usable program code to mark up the textual content with emotion metadata for one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content further comprises:

computer usable program code to rank the analysis of the voice communication based on an attribute of the analysis of the voice communication;

computer usable program code to rank the analysis of the textual content based on an attribute of the analysis of the textual content; and

computer usable program code to identify the one of the first emotion content and the second emotion based on the ranking of the analysis of the voice communication and the ranking of analysis of the textual content.

11. The computer program product recited in claim 10, wherein the attribute of the analysis of the voice communication and the attribute of the analysis of the textual content is one of accuracy of the respective analysis and operating efficiency.

12. A method for communicating across channels with emotion preservation, comprising:

receiving, by a processor in a communication device, a voice communication;

analyzing, by the processor in the communication device, the voice communication for first emotion content;

analyzing, by the processor in the communication device, textual content of the voice communication for second emotion content; and

marking up, by the processor in the communication device, the textual content with emotion metadata for one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content;

wherein one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content is identified using context information stored in a profile for one of a speaker of the voice communication and an audience of the voice communication, the profile existing prior to receiving the voice communication.

13. The method recited in claim 12 further comprising:

analyzing, by the processor in the communication device, the voice communication for textual content.

14. The method recited in claim 13, wherein analyzing, by the processor in the communication device, the voice communication for textual content further comprises:

extracting voice patterns from the voice communication;

accessing a plurality of voice pattern-to-text definitions; and

comparing the extracted voice patterns to the plurality of voice pattern-to-text definitions; and

analyzing, by the processor in the communication device, the textual content of the voice communication for second emotion content further comprises;

obtaining at least one word of the textual content;

accessing the plurality of text-to-emotion definitions; and

comparing the at least one word from the textual content to the plurality of text-to-emotion definitions.

15. The method recited in claim 14, wherein analyzing, by the processor in the communication device, the voice communication for second emotion content further comprises:

obtaining at least one word of the textual content;

accessing a plurality of text-to-emotion definitions; and

comparing the at least one word from the textual content to the plurality of text-to-emotion definitions.

16. The method recited in claim 15 further comprising:

obtaining, by the processor in the communication device, one of a word phrase, punctuation, lexicon and syntax of the textual content;

accessing, by the processor in the communication device, a plurality of text-to-emotion definitions; and

comparing, by the processor in the communication device, the one of a word phrase, punctuation, lexicon and syntax to the plurality of text-to-emotion definitions.

17. The method recited in claim 15, further comprising:

selecting, by the processor of the communication device, a plurality of voice pattern-to-emotion definitions based on a language for the voice communication, a dialect for the voice communication and a speaker for the voice communication; and

selecting, by the processor of the communication device, a plurality of text-to-emotion definitions based on a language for the voice communication, a dialect for the voice communication and a speaker for the voice communication.

18. The method recited in claim 17, wherein the voice pattern-to-emotion definitions comprise voice patterns for one of pitch, tone, cadence and amplitude.

19. The method recited in claim 15, further comprising:

selecting, by the processor of the communication device, a plurality of text-to-emotion definitions based on a speaker for the voice communication, an audience for the speaker of the voice communication and the circumstance of the voice communication; and

selecting, by the processor of the communication device, a plurality of voice pattern-to-emotion definitions based on a speaker for the voice communication, an audience for the speaker of the voice communication and the circumstance of the voice communication.

20. The method recited in claim 13, wherein analyzing, by the processor in the communication device, the voice communication for first emotion content further comprises:

assessing the second emotion content; and

selecting a voice analysis model based on the assessment of the emotion content.

21. The method recited in claim 13, wherein marking up, by the processor in the communication device, the textual content with emotion metadata for one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content further comprises:

comparing the first emotion content and the second emotion content; and

identifying the one of the first emotion content and the second emotion based on the comparison of the first emotion content and the second emotion content.

22. The method recited in claim 13, wherein marking up, by the processor in the communication device, the textual content with emotion metadata for one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content further comprises:

ranking the analysis of the voice communication based on an attribute of the analysis of the voice communication;

ranking the analysis of the textual content based on an attribute of the analysis of the textual content; and

identifying the one of the first emotion content and the second emotion based on the ranking of the analysis of the voice communication and the ranking of analysis of the textual content.

23. The method recited in claim 22, wherein the attribute of the analysis of the voice communication and the attribute of the analysis of the textual content is one of accuracy of the respective analysis and operating efficiency.

24. The method recited in claim 12, wherein the communication device comprises one of an information network, PSTN network, wireless network, media distribution network, personal computer, laptop, PDA, mobile phone and landline telephone.

25. A communication device comprising:

a receiver that receives a voice communication; and

a processor coupled to the receiver, wherein the processor is programmed to;

analyze the voice communication for first emotion content;

analyze textual content of the voice communication for second emotion content; and

mark up the textual content with emotion metadata for one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content;

wherein one of the first emotion content and the second emotion content is identified using context information stored in a profile for a specific audience of the voice communication, the profile existing prior to receiving the voice communication.