US 6,983,249 B2
Systems and methods for voice synthesis
Hideo Sakai, Yokohama (Japan)
Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. (US)
Filed on Jun. 26, 2001, as Appl. No. 9/891,717.
Claims priority of application No. 2000-191573 (JP), filed on Jun. 26, 2000.
Prior Publication US 2002/0055843 A1, May 09, 2002
Int. Cl. G10L 13/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 704—258 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A voice synthesis system established between a customer and a service provider who maintains voice characteristic data for multiple speakers, via a network comprising:
a terminal of the customer used by the customer to select a specific speaker from among a list of speakers who are available for the customers selection, wherein the service provider furnishes the list of the speakers via the network, and said terminal used to designate text data for which voice synthesis is to be performed; and
a server of the service provider which employs voice characteristic data for the specific speaker to perform voice synthesis using the text data that is specified by the customer at the terminal to generate voice synthesis data,
whereby the service provider furnishes the customer, together with the list of the speakers, a list of devices into which voice synthesis data can be loaded; whereby the customer notifies the service provider, via the network, which device was selected from the list; and whereby the service provider generates voice synthesis data based on the voice characteristic data of the sneaker selected by the customer and loads the obtained voice synthesis data into the device selected by the customer.