Claims
- 1. A communication system for communicating information to a telephony user in response to a request for the information from the telephony user, the system comprising:
a text data source having a plurality of text documents; a voice application operable with the telephony user for receiving a request from the telephony user for information, wherein the voice application is operable with the text data source for retrieving a text document related to the information requested by the telephony user; a text-to-speech (TTS) resource manager operable for dividing the text document into text document segments and associating a sequence number with each text document segment, wherein the TTS resource manager places the text document segments and the corresponding sequence numbers in a sequential order within a queue; a TTS engine farm having a plurality of TTS engines operable for receiving text document segments and the corresponding sequence numbers from the queue of the TTS resource manager in the sequential order for converting the text document segments into speech segments, wherein each text document segment is converted into a speech segment by one TTS engine; and a buffer for receiving the speech segments and the corresponding sequence numbers from the TTS engines, wherein the buffer uses the corresponding sequence numbers to reassemble the speech segments in the proper order and then delivers the speech segments in the proper order to the telephony user via the voice application in order to satisfy the request for information from the telephony user.
- 2. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the TTS resource manager is operable to determine the rate at which speech segments are delivered to the telephony user from the buffer, wherein the TTS resource manager divides the text document as a function of the rate at which speech segments are delivered to the telephony user such that the speech segments are delivered from the TTS engines to the buffer and from the buffer to the telephony user continuously.
- 3. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the TTS resource manager is operable to determine the load of each of the TTS engines, wherein the TTS resource manager delivers the text document segments to the TTS engines as a function of the load of the TTS engines.
- 4. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the buffer delivers a first speech segment to the telephony user via the voice application after the buffer has received a second speech segment from a TTS engine and while the buffer is receiving a third speech segment from a TTS engine such that the speech segments are delivered to the telephony user continuously.
- 5. The system of claim 4 wherein:
the buffer delivers the first speech segment to the telephony user via the voice application while a TTS engine is converting a fourth text document segment into a fourth speech segment.
- 6. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the text data source is located on the Internet.
- 7. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the text data source is an email provider and the text document is an email document.
- 8. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the text data source is a content provider.
- 9. The system of claim 8 wherein:
the content provider is a sports content provider and the text document is a sports document.
- 10. The system of claim 8 wherein:
the content provider is a weather content provider and the text document is a weather document.
- 11. The system of claim 8 wherein:
the content provider is a stock quote provider and the text document is a stock quote document.
- 12. The system of claim 8 wherein:
the content provider is a new content provider and the text document is a news document.
- 13. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the request from the telephony user is an audio request, wherein the voice application is operable for converting the audio request into a text request in order to retrieve a text document related to the information requested by the telephony user.
- 14. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the request from the telephony user is a dual tone multi-frequency request, wherein the voice application is operable for converting the dual tone multi-frequency request into a text request in order to retrieve a text document related to the information requested by the telephony user.
- 15. A communication system for communicating information to a telephony user in response to a request for the information from the telephony user, the system comprising:
a text data source having a plurality of text documents; a voice application operable with the telephony user for receiving a request from the telephony user for information, wherein the voice application is operable with the text data source for retrieving a text document related to the information requested by the telephony user; a text-to-speech (TTS) resource manager operable for dividing the text document into text document segments and associating a sequence number with each text document segment, wherein the TTS resource manager places the text document segments and the corresponding sequence numbers in a sequential order within a queue; a TTS engine farm having a plurality of TTS engines operable for receiving respective text document segments and the corresponding sequence numbers from the queue of the TTS resource manager in the sequential order for converting the text document segments into speech segments, wherein a first TTS engine receives a first text document segment and the corresponding sequence number from the queue of the TTS resource manager for converting the first document segment into a first speech segment and then a second TTS engine receives a second text document segment and the corresponding sequence number from the queue of the TTS resource manager for converting the second text document segment into a second speech segment; and a buffer for receiving the first and second speech segments and the corresponding sequence numbers from the first and second TTS engines, wherein the buffer uses the corresponding sequence numbers to reassemble the first and second speech segments in the proper order and then delivers the speech segments in the proper order to the telephony user via the voice application in order to satisfy the request for information from the telephony user.
- 16. The system of claim 15 wherein:
a third TTS engine receives a third text document segment and the corresponding sequence number from the queue of the TTS resource manager for converting the third text document segment into a third speech segment after the first and second TTS engines have received the first and second text document segments, wherein the buffer receives the third speech segment from the third TTS engine and uses the corresponding sequence numbers to reassemble the first, second, and third speech segments in the proper order such that the third speech segment is delivered to the telephony user after the first and second speech segments have been delivered to the telephony user.
- 17. The system of claim 15 wherein:
the first TTS engine receives a third text document segment and the corresponding sequence number from the queue of the TTS resource manager for converting the third text document segment into a third speech segment after the first TTS engine has converted the first text document segment into the first speech segment, wherein the buffer receives the third speech segment from the first TTS engine and uses the corresponding sequence numbers to reassemble the first, second, and third speech segments in the proper order such that the third speech segment is delivered to the telephony user after the first and second speech segments have been delivered to the telephony user.
- 18. The system of claim 15 wherein:
the TTS resource manager is operable to determine the rate at which speech segments are delivered to the telephony user from the buffer, wherein the TTS resource manager divides the text document as a function of the rate at which speech segments are delivered to the telephony user such that the speech segments are delivered to the telephony user continuously.
- 19. The system of claim 15 wherein:
the TTS resource manager is operable to determine the load of each of the TTS engines, wherein the TTS resource manager delivers the text document segments to the TTS engines as a function of the load of the TTS engines.
- 20. The system of claim 15 wherein:
the buffer delivers the first and second speech segments to the telephony user via the voice application while the buffer is receiving a third speech segment and the corresponding sequence number from a TTS engine.
- 21. The system of claim 20 wherein:
the buffer delivers the first and second speech segments to the telephony user via the voice application while a TTS engine is converting a fourth text document segment into a fourth speech segment.
- 22. A communication method for communicating information from a text data source having a plurality of text documents to a telephony user im response to a request for the information from the telephony user, the method comprising:
receiving a request from the telephony user for information; retrieving a text document related to the information requested by the telephony user; dividing the text document into text document segments and associating a sequence number with each text document segment; placing the text document segments and the corresponding sequence numbers in a sequential order within a queue; transferring respective text document segments and the corresponding sequence numbers from the queue in the sequential order to respective text-to-speech (TTS) engines; converting respective text document segments into speech segments using one TTS engine for each respective text document segment; storing the speech segments and the corresponding sequence numbers from the TTS engines in a buffer; using corresponding sequence numbers to reassemble the stored speech segments in the proper order in the buffer; and delivering the speech segments in the proper order from the buffer to the telephony user in order to satisfy the request for information from the telephony user.
- 23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:
determining the rate at which speech segments are delivered to the telephony user from the buffer, wherein dividing the text document into text document segments includes dividing the text document into text document segments as a function of the rate at which speech segments are delivered to the telephony user such that the speech segments are delivered from the buffer to the telephony user continuously.
- 24. The method of claim 22 further comprising:
determining the load of each of the TTS engines, wherein transferring respective text document segments and the corresponding sequence numbers includes transferring the respective text document segments and the corresponding sequence numbers to the respective TTS engines as a function of the load of the TTS engines.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/205,002 filed May 17, 2000.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60205002 |
May 2000 |
US |