US 6,983,250 B2 | ||
Method and system for enabling a user to obtain information from a text-based web site in audio form | ||
David Guedalia, Beit Shemesh (Israel); and Jacob Guedalia, Newton, Mass. (US) | ||
Assigned to NMS Communications Corporation, Framingham, Mass. (US) | ||
Filed on Oct. 22, 2001, as Appl. No. 10/21,760. | ||
Claims priority of provisional application 60/243244, filed on Oct. 25, 2000. | ||
Prior Publication US 2002/0091524 A1, Jul. 11, 2002 | ||
Int. Cl. G10L 13/00 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 704—260 | 8 Claims |
1. A method of enabling a user to obtain information from a text-based web site in audio form, comprising:
A. in a first operation to prepare the text-based web site for delivery in audio form:
(i) accessing content of a text-based web site to collect a vocabulary of textual information appearing therein;
(ii) analyzing the collected vocabulary to determine a plurality of limited vocabulary domains into which the textual information
of the web site can be grouped, the textual information of each limited vocabulary domain sharing a content-based closeness
metric;
(iii) comparing the limited vocabulary domains with existing recorded audio content to determine whether additional audio
content is necessary to deliver the web site in audio form, and if so then obtaining such additional audio content; and
(iv) storing formatting configuration information specifying how to deliver the text-based web site in audio format according
to the limited vocabulary domains using the existing and additional audio content; and
B. in a second operation performed upon a user's request for audio delivery of textual information from the text-based web
site:
(i) obtaining the requested textual information from the text-based web site and parsing the textual information into phrases;
(ii) based on the stored formatting configuration information, mapping the parsed phrases to respective ones of the vocabulary
domains and providing each parsed phrase to a corresponding limited vocabulary domain server capable of converting the parsed
phrase to an audio component;
(iii) receiving audio components from the limited vocabulary domain servers, the audio component resulting from the conversion
of the parsed phrases by the limited vocabulary domain servers; and
(iv) generating audio to the user based on the audio components received from the limited vocabulary domain servers.
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