Synchronizing translated digital content

• US 9,317,500 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Audible Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hwang, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): BIAGINI, CHRISTOPHER D
• Application Number:
  US13/483,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20140250219A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/45 Example-based machine translation; Alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to one or more configured computing systems identifying when content includes a base content and a translated content that can be synchronously presented. Once a content match is identified, a device to receive synchronization information can also be identified. The synchronization information can enable one or more devices to synchronously present translated content while consuming a base content. For example, an English language audio book may be output synchronously with a Spanish language eBook.

Claims

1. A system for synchronizing output of translated content during consumption of base content, the system comprising:

one or more data stores that store;

a base content;

translated content corresponding to the base content, wherein the translated content differs from the base content by at least one of language, dialect, or alphabet; and

content synchronization information that identifies;

one or more positions within the base content, and

for each of the one or more positions within the base content,

a corresponding position within the translated content;

at least one input device configured to at least receive user interaction information during consumption of the base content, the user interaction information relating to interaction by a user with the base content during consumption of the base content;

at least one output device configured to at least output the base content and the translated content; and

at least one processor in communication with the one or more data stores, the at least one input device, and the at least one output device, the at least one processor configured to at least;

cause output of the base content via the at least one output device;

analyze the user interaction information to detect a current position of consumption of the base content, wherein the current position of consumption advances during consumption of the base content;

determine that the content synchronization information identifies a first position within the base content that corresponds to the current position of consumption of the base content;

identify, based at least in part on the content synchronization information, a first position within the translated content that corresponds to the first position within the base content;

cause synchronization of output of the base content and output of the translated content from the current position of consumption of the base content and the first position within the translated content; and

maintain, based at least in part on the content synchronization information, synchronization of the output of the base content and the output of the translated content as the current position of consumption of the base content advances during consumption of the base content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to at least maintain synchronization of the output of the base content and the output of the translated content by repeatedly:

determining that the current position of consumption has advanced during consumption of the content;

determining that the content synchronization information identifies a next position within the base content that corresponds to the current position of consumption as advanced;

identifying, based at least in part on the content synchronization information, a next position within the translated content that corresponds to the next position within the base content; and

causing synchronization of the output of the base content and the output of the translated content from the current position of consumption of the base content as advanced and the next position within the translated content.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the current position of consumption of the base content is monitored based at least in part on at least one of touch input, page turns, eye movement, or voice recognition.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one input device comprises at least one of a touch screen, a mouse, a stylus, a remote control, a game controller, a motion detector, a camera, and a microphone.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to at least:

determine that the current position of consumption of the base content has advanced during consumption of the content;

determine a lead interval based at least in part on a difference between the current position of consumption of the base content as advanced and a current position of the output of the translated content; and

modify a speed of the output of the translated content based at least in part on the lead interval.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interaction information comprises at least one of a touch input location, spoken word, page turn, or eye movement, and wherein analyzing the user interaction information to detect a current position of consumption of the base content comprises identifying, as the current position of consumption, a position within the base content that corresponds to user interaction information.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interaction information comprises a frequency of page turns within the base content, and wherein analyzing the user interaction information to detect a current position of consumption of the base content comprises estimating the current position of consumption of the base content based at least in part on a frequency of page turns within the base content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interaction information comprises user input corresponding to a magnitude, and wherein analyzing the user interaction information to detect a current position of consumption of the base content comprises calculating the current position of consumption based at least in part on a previously detected position of consumption and the user input corresponding to the magnitude.

9. A computer-implemented method for providing content synchronization information regarding a base content and a corresponding translated content, the computer-implemented method comprising:

as implemented by one or more computing devices configured with specific executable instructions,

identifying a content match indicating that a base content can be synchronized with a corresponding translated content;

identifying at least one device to receive the content synchronization information, the content synchronization information identifying one or more positions within the base content and a position within the translated content corresponding to each of the one or more positions within the base content, the at least one device configured to at least;

store the base content and the translated content,

determine that the content synchronization information identifies a position within the base content that corresponds to a current position of consumption of the base content, and

output the translated content synchronously with the base content from the position within the translated content corresponding to the position within the base content and the current position of consumption of the base content; and

transmitting of the content synchronization information from the data store to the device via a network.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the at least one device comprises a first device storing the base content and at least one second device storing the translated content, wherein the first device is configured to at least monitor the current position of consumption of the base content as the current position of consumption changes, and wherein the at least one second device is configured to at least output the translated content synchronously with the base content based at least in part on the current position of consumption as the current position of consumption changes.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the base content comprises at least one of an audio book or an eBook.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the translated content comprises at least one of an audio book or an eBook, and wherein the translated content differs from the base content in at least one of language, dialect, or alphabet.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising generating the content synchronization information in response to identifying the content match.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising determining a match score for the content match, the match score indicating how well the base content can be synchronized with the corresponding translated content.

15. A computer-implemented method for synchronizing output of translated content corresponding to a translation of a base content during consumption of the base content, the computer-implemented method comprising:

causing output of the base content;

monitoring a current position of consumption of the base content based at least in part on at least one input device, wherein the current position of consumption of the base content changes during consumption of the base content;

determining that content synchronization information associated with the base content and the translated content identifies a position within the base content that corresponds to the current position of consumption of the base content, wherein the content synchronization information identifies one or more positions within the base content and, a position within the translated content that corresponds to each of the one or more positions within the base content; and

causing synchronization of output of the base content and output of the translated content from an output position of the translated content that is synchronized to the current position of consumption of the base content based at least in part on the content synchronization information.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 further comprising modifying an output speed of the translated content based at least in part on determining a difference between the current position of consumption of the base content and a current output position of the translated content.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 further comprising determining a lead interval reflecting the difference between the current position of consumption of the base content and the current output position of the translated content.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 further comprising indicating the lead interval by causing output of at least one of a visual cue, an auditory cue, and a tactile cue.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the base content comprises text, and wherein the visual cue comprises highlighting a position in the text that corresponds to the current output position of the translated content.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein output of the base content and output of the translated content are performed by the same computing device.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein output of the base content and output of the translated content are performed by different computing devices.

22. A system for providing synchronization information regarding a base content and a translated content, the system comprising:

a data store configured to at least store content information; and

one or more computing devices in communication with the data store, the one or more computing devices configured to at least;

identify a content match based at least in part on the content information, the content match indicating that a base content and a translated content can be synchronized, wherein the translated content corresponds to a translation of the base content;

obtain synchronization information related to the content match, wherein the synchronization information identifies one or more positions within the base content and a position within the translated content corresponding to each of the one or more positions within the base content;

identify a device to receive the synchronization information; and

cause transmission of the synchronization information to the device, wherein the synchronization information is used by the device to;

determine that the synchronization information identifies a position within the base content that corresponds to a current position of consumption of the base content, and

output the translated content synchronously with output of the base content from the position within the translated content corresponding to the position within the base content and the current position of consumption of the base content.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the content information is associated with a translation of the base content to conform with the translated content.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the content information is associated with a translation of the translated content to conform with the base content.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the content match is identified automatically or at the direction of a user.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to at least determine a match score of the base content and the translated content, and wherein the match score is indicative of how well the translated content correlates to the base content.

27. A non-transitory computer readable medium having at least one computer-executable component for synchronizing output of translated content corresponding to a translation of a base content during consumption of the base content, the at least one computer-executable component comprising:

a translated content management component configured to at least;

cause output of the base content;

determine a current position of consumption of the base content based at least in part on input from at least one input device, wherein the current position of consumption changes during consumption of the base content;

determine that synchronization information identifies a first position within the base content that corresponds to the current position of consumption of the base content, wherein the synchronization information identifies one or more positions within the base content and a position within the translated content corresponding to each of the one or more positions in the base content; and

cause output of the translated content in synchronization with output of the base content from the current position of consumption of the base content and a first position within the translated content corresponding to the first position within the base content.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the translated content management component is further configured to at least:

determine, based at least in part on the input from the at least one input device, that the current position of consumption of the base content has changed during consumption of the content;

determine that the synchronization information identifies a second position within the base content that corresponds to the current position of consumption of the base content as changed; and

modify a speed of the output of the translated content based at least in part on a difference between the second position within the base content and a current output position of the translated content.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the base content and the translated content are output by a single computing device.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the base content is output by a first computing device, and wherein the translated content is output by a second computing device.

31. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the translated content management component is further configured to at least update a current output position of the translated content in response to a determination that the current position of consumption of the base content has changed.

32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein determining the current position of consumption of the base content is based at least in part on monitoring at least one of touch input, page turns, eye movement, or voice recognition.