Session text-to-speech conversion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10311857-B2
Application number	US-201715491854-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2017
Priority date	Dec 9, 2016
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

Examples described herein provide various devices that enable users to participate in a multiplayer session. The examples allow a user that is unable to speak, or that is incapable of speaking, to participate in an in-session voice chat by inputting text and having the text converted to speech (e.g., synthesized voice data) that can then be sent to other devices participating in the session. The user enables a text-to-speech conversion feature on his or her own device. Based on the enabled feature, functionality enabling text to be entered is activated and the entered text is converted into speech data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for converting text to speech within a session comprising:
receiving data indicating that a feature that converts text to speech has been enabled for a first player using a first device to participate in the session;
receiving, from the first device, text data that is included in a category of words or phrases that captures responses to one or more actions performed by other players using other devices to participate in the session;
determining a title of the session;
accessing, based on the category of words or phrases, a conversion model that includes a library of utterances commonly spoken by players while participating in the title of the session;
using the conversion model to convert, by one or more processors, the text data into speech data; and
sending the speech data to at least one of the first device or the other devices.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a setting associated with the enabled feature indicates whether synthesized voice communications comprises a female synthesized voice or a male synthesized voice.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using machine learning techniques to update the conversion model based on the text data converted into the speech data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the speech data comprises synthesized voice.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data indicating that the feature that converts text to speech has been enabled is received from a voice chat component of the first device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the voice chat component is an operating system component called upon, via an application programming interface, by program code of the title to provide voice chat communications during the session.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the category of words or phrases comprises common replies to a specific action performed by one of the other players.

8. A device for converting text to speech within a session, the device comprising:
one or more processing units; and
a computer-readable medium having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions to configure the one or more processing units to:
receive data indicating that a feature that converts text to speech has been enabled for a first player using a first device to participate in the session;
receive, from the first device, text data that is included in a category of words or phrases that captures responses to one or more actions performed by other players using other devices to participate in the session;
determine a title of the session;
access, based on the category of words or phrases, a conversion model that includes a library of utterances commonly spoken by players while participating in the title of the session;
use the conversion model to convert the text data into speech data; and
send the speech data to at least one of the first device or the other devices.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further configure the one or more processing units to use machine learning techniques to update the conversion model based on the text data converted into the speech data.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the speech data comprises synthesized voice.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein a setting associated with the enabled feature indicates whether synthesized voice communications comprises a female synthesized voice or a male synthesized voice.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the data indicating that the feature that converts text to speech has been enabled is received from a voice chat component of the first device.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the voice chat component is an operating system component called upon, via an application programming interface, by program code of the title to provide voice chat communications during the session.

14. The device of claim 8 , wherein the category of words or phrases comprises common replies to a specific action performed by one of the other players.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processing units, cause a system to:
receive data indicating that a feature that converts text to speech has been enabled for a first player using a first device to participate in a session;
receive, from the first device, text data that is included in a category of words or phrases that captures responses to one or more actions performed by other players using other devices to participate in the session;
determine a title of the session;
access, based on the category of words or phrases, a conversion model that includes a library of utterances commonly spoken by players while participating in the title of the session;
use the conversion model to convert the text data into speech data; and
send the speech data to at least one of the first device or the other devices.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the system to use machine learning techniques to update the conversion model based on the text data converted into the speech data.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the speech data comprises synthesized voice.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the data indicating that the feature that converts text to speech has been enabled is received from a voice chat component of the first device.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 18 , wherein the voice chat component is an operating system component called upon, via an application programming interface, by program code of the title to provide voice chat communications during the session.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein a setting associated with the enabled feature indicates whether synthesized voice communications comprises a female synthesized voice or a male synthesized voice.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Kepner Jason
• Thomas Evelyn R
• Ruzyski David
• Dewey Jeremy L
• Hall Martin
• Mccammon Joshua R
• Giscombe Stephen E
• Cooper Thomas
• Ludwig Dana

Classifications

• G10L13/08 Primary

  Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination · CPC title

• H04L51/04

  Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] · CPC title

• H04L51/046

  Interoperability with other network applications or services · CPC title

• G10L13/043

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04L51/066

  Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression · CPC title