IP Library Granted Patent US 7,912,718
Granted Patent B1
US 7,912,718 · App. 11/469,089 · Granted Mar 22, 2011

Method and system for enhancing a speech database

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,912,718
App. No.
11/469,089
Granted
Mar 22, 2011
Kind
B1
Abstract

A system, method and computer readable medium that enhances a speech database for speech synthesis is disclosed. The method may include labeling audio files in a primary speech database and a secondary speech database, enhancing the primary speech database by placing the labeled audio files from the secondary speech database into the primary speech database, and storing the enhanced primary speech database for use in speech synthesis.

Claims (33)

1. A method for enhancing a speech database for speech synthesis, comprising:

labeling audio files in a primary speech database and a secondary speech database, wherein the primary speech database and the secondary speech database are for the same language;

enhancing the primary speech database by placing the labeled audio files from the secondary speech database into the primary speech database; and

storing the enhanced primary speech database for use in unit selection concatenative speech synthesis.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first database and the second database differ with respect to at least one of dialect, geographic language, regional language, accent, national language, idiosyncratic speech and database coverage.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the enhanced primary speech database includes speech segments that are one of syllables, phones, half-phones, diphones, triphones, phonemes, half-phonemes, demi-syllables, and polyphones.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the audio files in the primary speech database are labeled using a different scheme than the audio files in the secondary speech database.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the audio files in the primary speech database are labeled using a same scheme as the audio files in the secondary speech database.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the primary speech database contains voice recordings of a speaker's voice in a first language, and the secondary speech database contains voice recordings of a speaker's voice in a second language, wherein the first language and the second language differ by at least one of dialect differences, geographic language differences, regional language differences, accent differences, national language differences, idiosyncratic speech differences, and database coverage differences.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining whether duplicate audio files exist in the enhanced primary speech database; and

deleting at least one of the duplicate audio files from the enhanced primary speech database.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for controlling a computing device to enhance a speech database for speech synthesis, the instructions comprising:

labeling audio files in a primary speech database and a secondary speech database, wherein the primary speech database and the secondary speech database are for the same language;

enhancing the primary speech database by placing the labeled audio files from the secondary speech database into the primary speech database; and

storing the enhanced primary speech database for use in unit selection concatenative speech synthesis.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the first database and the second database differ with respect to at least one of dialect, geographic language, regional language, accent, national language, idiosyncratic speech and database coverage.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the enhanced primary speech database includes speech segments that are one of syllables, phones, half-phones, diphones, triphones, phonemes, half-phonemes, demi-syllables, and polyphones.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the audio files in the primary speech database are labeled using a different scheme than the audio files in the secondary speech database.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the audio files in the primary speech database are labeled using a same scheme as the audio files in the secondary speech database.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the primary speech database contains voice recordings of a speaker's voice in a first language, and the secondary speech database contains voice recordings of a speaker's voice in a second language, wherein the first language and the second language differ by at least one of dialect differences, geographic language differences, regional language differences, accent differences, national language differences, idiosyncratic speech differences, and database coverage differences.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining whether duplicate audio files exist in the enhanced primary speech database; and

deleting at least one of the duplicate audio files from the enhanced primary speech database.

15. A system that enhances a speech database for speech synthesis, comprising:

a primary speech database;

a secondary speech database; and

a speech database enhancement module that labels audio files in the primary speech database and the secondary speech database, wherein the primary speech database and the secondary speech database are associated with the same language, enhances the primary speech database by placing the labeled audio files from the secondary speech database into the primary speech database, and stores the enhanced primary speech database for use in unit selection concatenative speech synthesis.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first database and the second database differ with respect to at least one of dialect, geographic language, regional language, accent, national language, idiosyncratic speech and database coverage.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the enhanced primary speech database includes speech segments that are one of syllables, phones, half-phones, diphones, triphones, phonemes, half-phonemes, demi-syllables, and polyphones.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the speech database enhancement module labels the audio files in the primary speech database using a different scheme than the audio files in the secondary speech database.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the speech database enhancement module labels the audio files in the primary speech database using a same scheme as the audio files in the secondary speech database.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the speech database enhancement module determines whether duplicate audio files exist in the enhanced primary speech database; and deletes at least one of the duplicate audio files from the enhanced primary speech database.

Assignments (7)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 9, 2023
From: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 065532/0152 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE/ASSIGNOR PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 034467 FRAME 0822. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jun 23, 2017
From: AT&T PROPERTIES, LLC
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY II, L.P.
Reel/Frame 042961/0879 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 26, 2017
From: AT&T ALEX HOLDINGS, LLC
To: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 041495/0903 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 10, 2014
From: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY II, L.P.
To: AT&T ALEX HOLDINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 034467/0822 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 23, 2014
From: AT&T CORP.
To: AT&T PROPERTIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 033799/0888 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 23, 2014
From: AT&T PROPERTIES, LLC
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY II, L.P.
Reel/Frame 033799/0960 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 31, 2006
From: CONKIE, ALISTAIR D.; SYRDAL, ANN K.
To: AT&T CORP.
Reel/Frame 018195/0936 →