IP Library Granted Patent US 9,412,359
Granted Patent B2
US 9,412,359 · App. 14/684,893 · Granted Aug 9, 2016

System and method for cloud-based text-to-speech web services

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,412,359
App. No.
14/684,893
Granted
Aug 9, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for generating speech. One variation of the method is from a server side, and another variation of the method is from a client side. The server side method, as implemented by a network-based automatic speech processing system, includes first receiving, from a network client independent of knowledge of internal operations of the system, a request to generate a text-to-speech voice. The request can include speech samples, transcriptions of the speech samples, and metadata describing the speech samples. The system extracts sound units from the speech samples based on the transcriptions and generates an interactive demonstration of the text-to-speech voice based on the sound units, the transcriptions, and the metadata, wherein the interactive demonstration hides a back end processing implementation from the network client. The system provides access to the interactive demonstration to the network client.

Claims (41)

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a network-based automatic speech processing system and from a network client not having access to information of internal operations of the network-based automatic speech processing system, a request to generate a text-to-speech voice, the request comprising a transcription;

extracting sound units from speech samples based on the transcription;

generating a demonstration of the text-to-speech voice based only on the sound units and the transcriptions, wherein the text-to-speech voice is language agnostic; and

providing access to the demonstration to the network client.

2. The method of claim 1 , the request further comprising the speech samples and metadata describing the speech samples.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the transcription is of the speech samples.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving an additional request from the network client for the text-to-speech voice; and

providing the text-to-speech voice to the network client.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request is received via a web interface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the speech samples are required to meet a minimum quality threshold.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network-based speech processing system comprises a language analysis module, a database, and an acoustic synthesis module.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the text-to-speech voice is language agnostic.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

analyzing the speech samples;

determining a coverage hole in the speech samples for a particular purpose; and

suggesting, to the network client, a type of additional speech sample intended to address the coverage hole.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the analyzing, the determining, and the suggesting is done iteratively until a threshold coverage for the particular purpose is reached.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a log associated with the demonstration.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting the log to the network client.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying one of the sound units and the demonstration based on an intervention from a human expert.

14. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a network-based automatic speech processing system and from a network client not having access to information of internal operations of the network-based automatic speech processing system, a request to generate a text-to-speech voice, the request comprising a transcription;

extracting sound units from speech samples based on the transcription;

generating a demonstration of the text-to-speech voice based only on the sound units and the transcriptions, wherein the text-to-speech voice is language agnostic; and

providing access to the demonstration to the network client.

15. The system of claim 14 , the request further comprising the speech samples and metadata describing the speech samples.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the transcription is of the speech samples.

17. The system of claim 14 , the computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving an additional request from the network client for the text-to-speech voice; and

providing the text-to-speech voice to the network client.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the request is received via a web interface.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the speech samples are required to meet a minimum quality threshold.

20. A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a network-based automatic speech processing system and from a network client not having access to information of internal operations of the network-based automatic speech processing system, a request to generate a text-to-speech voice, the request comprising a transcription;

extracting sound units from speech samples based on the transcription;

generating a demonstration of the text-to-speech voice based only on the sound units and the transcriptions, wherein the text-to-speech voice is language agnostic; and

providing access to the demonstration to the network client.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE (REEL 052935 / FRAME 0584) Recorded Jan 2, 2025
From: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
Reel/Frame 069797/0818 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE REPLACE THE CONVEYANCE DOCUMENT WITH THE NEW ASSIGNMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 050836 FRAME: 0191. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Apr 19, 2022
From: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
Reel/Frame 059804/0186 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 15, 2020
From: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
To: WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 052935/0584 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 12, 2020
From: BARCLAYS BANK PLC
To: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
Reel/Frame 052927/0335 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 7, 2019
From: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
To: BARCLAYS BANK PLC
Reel/Frame 050953/0133 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 050836 FRAME: 0191. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AGREEMENT. Recorded Oct 29, 2019
From: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
Reel/Frame 050871/0001 →
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 23, 2019
From: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
To: CERENCE INC.
Reel/Frame 050836/0191 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 26, 2017
From: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
To: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 041504/0952 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 13, 2015
From: BEUTNAGEL, MARK CHARLES; CONKIE, ALISTAIR D.; KIM, YEON-JUN; SCHROETER, HORST JUERGEN
To: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
Reel/Frame 035395/0634 →