Patent Application
20070288571
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are show in the illustrations and are described below in greater detail, in which;
The term “formal feature” is used below to mean that a message is characterized with respect to its form, which means with respect to its presentation in particular. Included here are acoustic and visual features in particular.
The term “semantic feature” is used below to mean a feature that characterizes the content of a message. The content of the message is characterized in particular by a communication that the recipient can perceive, which is transported by the message. The semantic feature of the message, which means its content, is independent of the formal features of the message, which means independent of the form and manner in which the communication is processed optically and acoustically, for example.
According to the invention, a message that is to be transmitted is characterized by at least one semantic feature that defines the meaning of the content of the message, and a number of formal features that define the form of the message. A multitude of versions of this message are produced for the message to be transmitted, whereby each version of the message differs to a certain degree from other versions of the message with respect to the formal features. Each version of the message is sent to at least one recipient in a VoIP communications network, for example.
The difference between two versions of the message can turn out to be more or less, depending on the method used to produce the versions. However, because the semantic meaning of the message, in other words the communication transmitted, remains unchanged in each case, each recipient perceives the same communication, despite receiving a version of the message that differs from all other versions of the message.
For all variants shown below for the production of versions of a message to be sent, the semantic feature of the message is described by a communication to be transmitted, in particular an acoustic speech information reproduced by means of the voice medium in particular, also referred to below as the speech portion. Speech is to be understood here as spoken and/or sung speech, which means speech reproduced melodically. The different versions of the message are sent to a multitude of recipients. At the same time, the versions of the message are produced in accordance with at least one of the variants presented below. A combination of the variants and/or individual features of the variants is conceivable.
Variant 1:
A different caller name as identified during the course of the message is used for each version of the message. After recording and saving a series of spoken first and last names, they can be recombined for each version of the message. At the same time, multiple first and last names can be combined, for example three first names and two last names combined as a compound name. A very large number of different name combinations can be produced in this manner. The transmitted communication is not changed by this measure, because the caller name is a feature that is simply unimportant for the communication. The semantics in the sense defined above are not thereby changed.
In addition, in each version of the message the volume of the caller's voice is variably modulated on the basis of an example, by repeatedly increasing and/or decreasing the volume of the caller's voice for example.
Variant 2:
The message includes an acoustic portion. This acoustic portion is superimposed with background sounds having high levels of impulsive sound. Recorded or artificially created pub or train station sounds which are recomposed and/or regenerated for each version of the message are suitable here for instance.
Variant 3:
A spoken portion included in the acoustic portion of the message includes individual words and/or sentences as well as pauses between these parts. The pauses are randomly varied with respect to their temporal duration.
Variant 4:
The spoken portion of the message is produced by means of synthetic speech production on the basis of a text file that contains, in written form, the communication to be transmitted. Each version of the message is produced with individualized caller characteristics (for example, with respect to fundamental frequency, formants, intonation, speed of speech, and so forth).
In addition, the caller characteristics can be changed from sentence to sentence and/or from word to word, whereby the change is made on the basis of an example. The example can be changed for each version of the message.
Variant 5:
The spoken portion of the message is produced by means of synthetic speech production on the basis of a text file that contains, in written form, the communication to be transmitted, whereby a melodic variation of the caller characteristics is used for the production of sung speech for each version of the message.
Variant 6:
Versions are produced for the message in the form of multimedia messages that contain an audio and video portion. An animated caller face moves in sync with the spoken portion of the message. At the same time, a different caller face can be used for each version of the message. In addition, a different background for the video portion can be selected for each version of the message. The background can also be created dynamically, using lighting effects and/or moving objects for example, in order to prevent automatic detection of the message as an advertising message.
Variant 7:
Versions are produced for the message in the form of multimedia messages that contain an audio and video portion. A video clip with cartoon character dance scenes can also be generated, whereby the video clip is in turn different from version to version of the message.
In a first step S11, the name information NA is compiled by means of a systematic or pseudo-random selection of first and last names from appropriate storage locations VNS, NNS. The example-based name selection NA provides for the selection of a sequence of first and last name, which are then included in at least one position in the version AN of the message N, and between message header NE and message body NH in the example shown.
In a second step S12, the volume of the compiled version AN of the message is modulated on the basis of a randomly produced example, and the new version AN of the message is thus produced.
The version AN of the message N is then sent in a third step S13 via a dispatch agent to a new telephone number or SIP address in a communications network, whereby the telephone number or SIP address is taken from the target number list ZL.
This third and final step S13 for sending the version AN of the message N is no longer shown separately in the following figures.
In a first step S31, pauses are initially established automatically between words and/or sentences in the message N.
In a second step S32, these pauses are randomly extended in the version AN of the message N. These extensions can occur in the form of a pre-processing, for example by inserting gaps or background sounds, or by detecting pauses during a playback process, whereby the playback process is interrupted for a specific period in the case of a detected pause.
The communication to be transmitted in the message N exists as a text file TD, which is converted into an audio file by means of a speech synthesis process in a first step S41.
At the same time, the parameters for this conversion are changed after each pause in speech in a second step S42 (after the conversion of a sentence or a word, for example). At the same time, the parameters include caller characteristics such as fundamental frequency, formants, intonation or speed of speech, for example. The first step S41 and the second step S42 are repeated until the text file TD is completely converted into an audio file.
In a first step S51, an audio message wav is generated from the text file TD using speech synthesis.
In a parallel step S52, a new musical composition is produced by a music generator. This musical composition is then advantageously available in the form of two midi files, with one file that includes the melody with harmonies, and one file that includes the accompaniment.
In a third step S53, the accompaniment is converted into an audio file using a midi expander.
In a fourth step S54, the melody and the audio file for the message are input into a vocoder (harmony creator, vocalist, vocalizer) that produces an audio file with one or more sung voices from the spoken text.
In a fifth step S55, the generated components are mixed with the audio file for the accompaniment. As in variant 4, it is possible to modify the caller characteristics, for example.
In a first step S71, the audio file is forwarded to a caller animation module that shows the caller face selected for the version AN of the message N from a certain perspective, and animates it with the spoken message.
The position of the caller in the image, and the zoom factor, can be changed repeatedly. These changes, as well as the selection of the caller face from a storage for caller faces SG, are to be different for each version AN of the message N, in order to make automatic detection of the same messages in storage systems difficult. The changes in caller position and zoom factor can also be integrated with collectively processed changes in perspective.
In parallel with the foreground film produced with the caller animation, in a second step S72 a background film can be produced, which consists of a randomly selected and/or dynamically modified background image taken from a background image storage HG, and optional additional background elements taken from a background element storage HE, which in turn can optionally move randomly.
In a third step S73, the foreground and background films can be combined and can be integrated in a fourth step S74 with the soundtrack into a new version AN of the message N.
With respect to variant 7, it allows the video clip to be controlled by means of midi data for the musical accompaniment from variant 5.
In an additional version of the invention, individual or multiple method steps can be implemented as software or hardware.
In an additional version of the invention, the music generator in accordance with variant 5 has multiple melody outputs that can create complex sets of voices when coupled with multiple speech generators.
In an additional version of the invention, the speech synthesis in accordance with variant 5 can be synchronized using the music generator.
In an additional version of the invention, the systems described in variants 5 and 7 can be used independently of the dispatch in order to produce new versions AN of a message N, which can then be compared in competitions. For this purpose, it is recommended that the parameters be changed not only randomly, but also that they are made manually adjustable.
In additional development stages, a system in accordance with variants 5, 6 or 7 could also form its own subculture in which particularly attractive versions AN of the messages N are picked up and forwarded. Finally, it is also conceivable that advertisers would pass along to the public a system in accordance with variant 5, and would hold competitions with respect to particularly successful and popular advertising messages.
In an additional version of the invention, the message N to be sent, as well as the versions AN of the message N, represent voice over IP messages that are sent into a voice over IP communications network.
The systems introduced are directed primarily at professional advertisers, but can also be used in botnets, for example. There, a high level of computing power is available for each message as a result of the parallel use of a large number of PCs. Alternatively, parts of the system can also be implemented in hardware.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102006026484.3 | Jun 2006 | DE | national |
