Interacting with a remote participant through control of the voice of a toy device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10065124-B2
Application number	US-201614996461-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2016
Priority date	Jan 15, 2016
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

Systems, methods and articles of manufacture to perform an operation comprising receiving speech data via a network, modifying the speech data based on a profile associated with a toy device, wherein the modified speech data represents a voice of the toy device, and outputting the modified speech data via a speaker.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving speech data generated based on a speech of a remote user via a network;
modifying the speech data based on a profile associated with a toy device, wherein the modified speech data represents a voice of the toy device, wherein the remote user is associated with the toy device based on one of: (i) a predefined association between the remote user and the toy device, and (ii) a dynamically generated association between the remote user and the toy device; and
outputting the modified speech data via a speaker.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the speech is outputted to a local user interacting with the toy device.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising prior to receiving the speech data:
generating, by the toy device, a request for the remote user to speak through the toy device; and
sending, via an application executing on a computing device of the local user, the request via the network to an application executing on a computing device of the remote user, wherein the computing device of the remote user is configured to receive a speech of the remote user and generate the speech data based on the speech of the remote user.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the application executing on the computing device of the remote user presents a plurality of candidate speech options to the remote user, wherein the remote user speaks at least one of the candidate speech options in response, wherein the speech of the remote user comprises the at least one of the candidate speech options.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the toy device is of a plurality of toy devices.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the speech data comprises:
determining, based on the profile, a pitch and a pacing of the voice of the toy device; and
modifying the speech data the pitch and the pacing of the voice of the toy device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the toy device is communicably coupled with a hub device, wherein the speaker comprises one or more of: (i) a speaker disposed in the hub device, (ii) a speaker device communicably coupled to the hub device, the method further comprising:
while outputting the modified speech data, generating at least one of: (i) movement, (ii) haptic feedback, and (iii) light feedback in at least one of: (i) the toy device, and (ii) a second toy device on a network with the toy device.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by one or more computer processors to perform an operation comprising:
receiving speech data generated based on a speech of a remote user via a network;
modifying the speech data based on a profile associated with a toy device, wherein the modified speech data represents a voice of the toy device, wherein the remote user is associated with the toy device based on one of: (i) a predefined association between the remote user and the toy device, and (ii) a dynamically generated association between the remote user and the toy device; and
outputting the modified speech data via a speaker.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the speech is outputted to a local user interacting with the toy device.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , the operation further comprising prior to receiving the speech data:
generating, by the toy device, a request for the remote user to speak through the toy device; and
sending, via an application executing on a computing device of the local user, the request via the network to an application executing on a computing device of the remote user, wherein the computing device of the remote user is configured to receive a speech of the remote user and generate the speech data based on the speech of the remote user.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the application executing on the computing device of the remote user presents a plurality of candidate speech options to the remote user, wherein the remote user speaks at least one of the candidate speech options in response, wherein the speech of the remote user comprises the at least one of the candidate speech options.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the toy device is of a plurality of toy devices.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein modifying the speech data comprises:
determining, based on the profile, a pitch and a pacing of the voice of the toy device; and
modifying the speech data the pitch and the pacing of the voice of the toy device.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the toy device is communicably coupled with a hub device, wherein the speaker comprises one or more of: (i) a speaker disposed in the hub device, (ii) a speaker device communicably coupled to the hub device, the operation further comprising:
while outputting the modified speech data, generating at least one of: (i) movement, (ii) haptic feedback, and (iii) light feedback in at least one of: (i) the toy device, and (ii) a second toy device on a network with the toy device.

15. A system, comprising:
one or more computer processors; and
a memory containing a program which when executed by the processors performs an operation comprising:
receiving speech data generated based on a speech of a remote user via a network;
modifying the speech data based on a profile associated with a toy device, wherein the modified speech data represents a voice of the toy device;

outputting the modified speech data via a speaker; and
while outputting the modified speech data, generating at least one of: (i) movement, (ii) haptic feedback, and (iii) light feedback in the toy device.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the speech is outputted to a local user interacting with the toy device.

17. The system of claim 16 , the operation further comprising prior to receiving the speech data:
generating, by the toy device, a request for the remote user to speak through the toy device; and
sending, via an application executing on a computing device of the local user, the request via the network to an application executing on a computing device of the remote user, wherein the computing device of the remote user is configured to receive a speech of the remote user and generate the speech data based on the speech of the remote user.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the application executing on the computing device of the remote user presents a plurality of candidate speech options to the remote user, wherein the remote user speaks at least one of the candidate speech options in response, wherein the speech of the remote user comprises the at least one of the candidate speech options.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the toy device is of a plurality of toy devices.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the toy device is communicably coupled with a hub device, wherein the speaker comprises one or more of: (i) a speaker disposed in the hub device, (ii) a speaker device communicably coupled to the hub device, wherein modifying the speech data comprises:
determining, based on the profile, a pitch and a pacing of the voice of the toy device; and
modifying the speech data the pitch and the pacing of the voice of the toy device.

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Goslin Michael P
• Olson Blade A

Classifications

• A63H2200/00

  Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls · CPC title

• G10L21/003

  Changing voice quality, e.g. pitch or formants · CPC title

• G10L21/013

  Adapting to target pitch · CPC title

• A63H5/00 Primary

  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 title

• G10L2021/0135

  Voice conversion or morphing · CPC title