Electronic device and method of associating a voice font with a contact for text-to-speech conversion at the electronic device

1. A method of associating a voice font with a contact, for text-to-speech conversion, the voice font comprising voice units corresponding to speech units of a target language, the method comprising:

receiving, at an electronic device, an audio stream, comprising speech from the contact;

segmenting a portion of the audio stream into voice units;

obtaining at least one of each speech unit of the target language;

associating the voice units with corresponding speech units of a target language;

storing the voice font in data record associated with the contact;

receiving a telephone call from the contact;

retrieving the voice font for the contact;

determining text for conversion to speech based on profile settings; and

converting the text to speech using the voice font for the contact,

wherein the text for conversion to speech is a notification of identity of the contact making the telephone call.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein storing the voice font in association with a contact data record comprises storing the voice units associated with the speech units as a the voice font in the contact data record.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing predetermined text for speech by the contact prior to receiving the audio stream comprising speech from the contact.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein receiving, at the electronic device, an audio stream, comprises receiving, at a microphone at the electronic device, a raw audio stream in the form of speech from the contact.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the audio stream comprises a digital audio data .

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the digital audio data is transmitted in a phone call from the contact.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an electronic message at the electronic device;

matching, at the electronic device, an identifier for an originator of the electronic message to an identifier of the contact data record;

determining text for conversion to speech for the electronic message;

retrieving the voice font associated with the contact data record;

converting at the electronic device, the text to speech for the electronic message using the voice font associated with the contact data record; and

outputting the speech to a speaker at the electronic device to provide audio voice resembling a voice of the contact.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein retrieving the voice font associated with the contact data record is carried out in response to receipt of a command to open the electronic message.

9. An electronic device for text-to-speech conversion using a voice font comprising voice units corresponding to speech units of a target language, the device comprising:

a memory for storage of data;

a receiver for receiving communications;

a speaker for audio output;

a processor, coupled to the receiver, the memory and the speaker, for execution of an application for:

receiving an audio stream including speech from a contact,

segmenting a portion of the audio stream into voice units;

obtaining at least one of each speech unit of the target language;

associating the voice units with corresponding speech units;

storing the voice font in a data record associated with the contact;

receiving a telephone call from the contact;

retrieving the voice font for the contact;

determining text for conversion to speech based on profile settings; and

converting the text to speech using the voice font for the contact,

wherein the text for conversion to speech is a notification of identity of the contact making the telephone call.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium for text-to-speech conversion using a voice font comprising voice units corresponding to speech units of a target language having computer-readable code embodied therein executable by a processor at an electronic device to:

receive, at the electronic device, an audio stream comprising speech from the contact;

segment a portion of the audio stream into voice units;

obtaining at least one of each speech unit of the target language;

associate the voice units with corresponding speech units;

store the voice font in a contact data record associated with the contact;

receiving a telephone call from the contact;

retrieving the voice font for the contact;

determining text for conversion to speech based on profile settings; and

converting the text to speech using the voice font for the contact,

wherein the text for conversion to speech is a notification of identity of the contact making the telephone call.