FR2800548A1 - Internet communications network speech/sound transmission having transmitter sound messages HTML document text converted and internet passed then receiver reformatted and speech output. - Google Patents

Abstract

The speech and sound transmission method has a transmitter (Se) which converts sound into text and then to HTML document format (DM). The document is then transmitted across the internet (R) and received by a receiver (Pr) converting the HTML text to sound.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for transmitting voice or sound information via a communication network. It is also aimed at a system for its implementation.

There is considerable development in the use of sound and voice on the Internet, whether in the field of telephony and audio conferencing over the Internet, or in the field of animation of websites for artistic or commercial music.

Now, the transmission of sound, and therefore the voice, on the Internet requires the sending of "sound" files relatively large, so long to download, and impractical to integrate in an interactivity perspective.

The object of the invention is to overcome this drawback by proposing a voice transmission method that can provide quick and easy access to voice or sound information in combination with documents in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) or equivalent.

This objective is achieved by proposing a method for transmitting voice or sound information over a communication network, in particular the Internet network, from a sender site to one or more receiving computer stations connected to said communication network.

According to the invention, this method comprises the sender site, an inclusion, in a document such as a document in HTML format, of data, in particular text, and parameters necessary for the synthesis of voice or sound information, these documents thus processed on the communication network, the receivers, an interpretation of the data and parameters included in the received documents, and a voice synthesis of the information transmitted from the data and parameters interpreted in the documents received. Thus, with the method of transmission according to the invention, it is no longer necessary the receivers are equipped with computer cards dedicated specifically to speech synthesis.

use of the speech synthesis allows an effective integration and a very short download time because of a simple sending of integrated text to the HTML code or equivalent of the rest of the document.

Moreover, the content of messages does not require registration, which saves time and equipment. Messages can be edited or updated by simply replacing text.

included data may be visible or not by the user of a post receiving modified documents.

The transmission method according to the invention can be interactive. Receiving stations are then arranged to perform interactively operations including, in pages including HTML format, data and parameters necessary for the synthesis of voice information, and transmission of said pages thus processed to a site transmitter.

The transmission method according to the invention furthermore preferably comprises, on the sending site, an editing sequence for generating data and speech synthesis parameters in a plurality of pages in HTML format or equivalent. It can also include, on the receiving stations, access to a library of voice or sound.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for transmitting voice information via a communication network, in particular the Internet network, from a sender site to one or more receiving computer stations connected to said communication network, implementing the method according to the invention, characterized in that it comprises transmitting site, - means for including, in at least one document in HTML format or equivalent, data, especially text, and parameters necessary for the synthesis of voice or sound information, means for transmitting these documents thus processed on the communication network, on receiving stations, means for interpreting data, in particular text, and parameters included in the received documents, and means for to perform a voice synthesis of the information transmitted from the data, including text, and interpreter parameters ties in the documents received.

Moreover, the text data included in a document such as an HTML document may comprise a plurality of elementary texts each associated with an action predefined by the author of the document. Each elementary text is for example associated with an active zone within the document. Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description. In the accompanying drawings given by way of nonlimiting examples: FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a voice transmission system according to the invention; and FIG. 2 illustrates the main steps of the voice transmission method according to the invention.

We will now describe, with reference to the above figures, an embodiment of a voice transmission system according to the invention, at the same time as the method implemented in this system.

A voice transmission system S implements on the one hand a station or an emitting work station SE, for example ensuring the management and control of a website and, on the other hand, a set of connected receivers PR stations. on the Web via COM communication equipment.

The sending station is equipped with a WYSIWYG HTML editor software ('What You See Is What You Get', meaning 'what you see is what you get'.) This editor software, provided with a graphical user interface , is used to generate the code needed for voice synthesis at the receiving stations.

Using this editor software, a workstation operator inserts, in an original document in HTML format containing HTML code, text (I) and code necessary for speech synthesis, which may also have been generated. by the software editor or be imported from an external source.

This code necessary for speech synthesis contains action parameters, voice, language, and text to be interpreted by speech synthesis. For example, this text may be the written version of a sentence intended to be synthesized vocally or a transcription of a musical score.

One obtains (II) an HTML document modified by insertion of code and text can then be put on line on the Internet network and in particular on Web. Any PR receiving station, for example a computer, a workstation, an interactive terminal or a mobile phone, connected to the Internet, can receive (IV) this modified HTML document using conventional navigation software of the Netscape or MS Internet Explorer type. , and, on the one hand, interpret (V) the HTML codes, and on the other hand, treat (VI) included data and codes for speech synthesis purposes if it is equipped with a voice synthesis software module and a library or library of voices (VII).

This speech synthesis module and voice library can be downloaded from a service provider site, or transmitted along with a modified HTML document, or provided on a CD-ROM.

interpretation of the speech synthesis codes and the transmitted text leads to the generation, by a conventional sound card CS generally equipping any current multimedia computer, of an acoustic signal, which is finally applied to acoustic transducers such as HP loudspeakers. In particular, it is possible to use a sound card of the SoundBlaster type. It is recalled that a major advantage of the system and method according to the invention lies in the fact that it is not necessary to equip the receivers with speech synthesis card, a simple conventional sound card sufficient for the implementation Use this process. The interpretation of the HTML codes of the modified document received the receiving station is conventionally processed to generate graphic data (VIII) applied to a conventional graphics card (CG) associated with an SC display screen.

The final result of the implementation of the transmission method according to the invention is thus on the one hand the display of the original HTML document on the screen of the receiving station, and on the other hand the transmission of information The voice tag associated with the document displays on the screen.

An embodiment of the method according to the invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 2, from the design of a sound HTML page to its reception.

A designer of a sound page P in HTML format uses a conventional HTML editor to create this page. It also has a software module for implementing the method according to the invention in the form of a graphical configuration interface.

During the design phase, it defines in particular active zones Zl, Z2, Z3 which will be associated with sound messages <B> mi, </ B> M2 or more specifically a voice message M3. It can also provide that this voice message also appears in clear on the screen.

There follows a generation of a "modified" HTML document in which texts T1, T2, T3 associated with the sound or voice messages Ml, M2, M3 are inserted into the original HTML document or from the graphic design phase. This modified HTML document is then online and transmitted or disseminated on the Web.

If this document comes to be collected at the end of a navigation phase from a receiving station already equipped with a voice synthesis module and a library of suitable voice for the implementation of the transmission method according to the invention. invention, it follows, on the one hand, an interpretation of the HTML codes to generate a replica screen page of the page designed on the sender site and containing the active areas Z1, Z2, and plain text, and on the other hand, a text processing and parameterization codes inserted in the modified HTML document, for generating voice or voice messages M1, M2, M3 which will be activated in response to determined actions on the associated active areas Z1, Z3.

It should be noted that the method of transmitting voice or sound information can be implemented in the form of plug-in software accessible to Internet users by downloading from a supplier Web site.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples that have just been described and many adjustments can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the number, the nature and the characteristics of the speech synthesis parameters can evolve according to the technologies. In addition, the method according to the invention is not related to a type of browser or to a particular language for writing a document. In particular, the method and the transmission system according to the invention are not limited to documents or pages in HTML format but can also take into account documents in SGML or GML (Generalized markup Language) format as well as any markup variant. present or future language in domain.

Claims (3)

A method for transmitting voice or sound information via a communication network (R), in particular an Internet network, from a sending site (SE) to a plurality of receiving computer stations (PR) connected to said communication network, characterized in that it includes the sender site (SE), an inclusion, in a document (DO), such as a document in HTML format, of data and parameters necessary for the synthesis of voice or sound information, a transmission of this document as well as processed on the communication network (R), the receivers (PR), an interpretation of the data and parameters included in the received documents, and - a voice synthesis of the information transmitted from the data and parameters interpreted in the received documents. 2. Transmission method according to the claim characterized in that the data included in the document, including an HTML document include text. 3. Transmission method according to claim 2, characterized in that the included data are visible to the user of a station receiving the modified documents. Voice transmission method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that receiving stations (PR) are arranged for interactively performing inclusion operations, in HTML or equivalent format pages, of parameter data necessary for the synthesis of voice information, and transmission of said pages thus processed to an emitter site (SE). 5. Voice transmission method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises, on the transmitter site (SE), editing sequence for generating data and speech synthesis parameters in one or more pages in HTML format or equivalent. 6. Voice transmission method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises, on the receiving stations (, access to a voice library or its system (S) for transmitting information voice communication network (R), including the Internet, from a transmitter site (SE) to or several receiving computer stations (PR) connected to said communication network (R), implementing the method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises on the transmitter site (SE), - means (EI) for including, in at least one document such as a document in HTML format, data, in particular text, and parameters necessary for the synthesis of voice or sound information, - means for transmitting these documents thus processed on the communication network (R), on the receivers, - means for in interpreting data, including text, and parameters included in the received documents, and - means (MS) for performing a voice synthesis of information transmitted from data, including text, and parameters interpreted in these documents. 8. Transmission system according to claim, characterized in that receiving stations also comprise means for including, in documents in HTML format or equivalent, data and parameters necessary for the synthesis of voice information, and means for transmit said documents thus processed to an emitter site. 9. System according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that it further comprises, on the transmitter site, editing means for generating data, including text, and voice synthesis parameters in a or several pages in equivalent HTML format. 10. System (S) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the text data included in a document in HTML format or equivalent comprises a plurality of elementary texts (T1, T2, T3) each associated with to an action predefined by the author of said document. 11. System (S) according to claim 10, characterized in that each elementary text (T1, T2, T3) is associated with an active area (Z1, Z2, Z3) within the document in HTML format or equivalent. 12. System (according to any one of claims 7 '11, characterized in that the interpretation means and the synthesis means can be provided in the form of plug-in software module downloadable on receiving stations.