CN1714389A - Method for generating an audio file on a server upon a request from a mobile phone - Google Patents

Abstract

A distributed server/client architecture is used to provide dedicated audio functionality by having the server generate required audio files. In a preferred embodiment a user of a mobile phone sends a request to a server, the request comprising text or audio data. The server generates an audio file using the text or audio data and sends it back to the mobile phone. The audio file is then reproduced by the mobile phone.

Description

Method for generating an audio file on a server based on a request from a mobile phone

The present invention relates to generating sound from audio files in a mobile communication device, such as a mobile phone.

Today, mobile phones are not only used for real-time conversations, but also for running software applications.

Mobile phone based applications are already a very thriving market and will be even more so in the coming years. Many tasks can be performed in these applications, from popular sms (short message service) and games to recording video from a plug-in camera and sending it to another phone.

It is currently not possible to implement dedicated audio functions, the ability to dynamically create audio data. This will eventually happen, but only on very expensive phones, and not right now.

The distributed architecture relieves the dedicated functions of the handset by having a simple client connected via the network to a server that does all the hard work. In this context, "client" refers to an application using the server's services.

The invention is based on a scheme in which dedicated audio functions can be provided by a distributed architecture. This would be done by the server doing the hard work of generating the required audio files, and the client residing on the phone simply downloading the generated audio files.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of generating sound in a mobile phone operating in a communication network comprising a server capable of communicating simultaneously with a plurality of mobile phones, wherein applications running on these mobile phones are capable of generating A request for an audio file to be sent to a server, the requested audio file being generated by means in said server in response to the request, and transmitted from the server to the mobile phone for reproduction by the mobile phone.

Some possible applications that can be used for this purpose are as follows:

1. Text to Speech

2. Music generation

3. Sound effect generation

4. Text to music conversion

5. Audio enhancement (explained below)

Some embodiments of the invention will be described by purely examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication network in which the present invention may be used; and

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a possible software architecture for implementing the invention.

Figure 1 shows a mobile phone 10 with a communication channel to a data center 11 with a server 13 via a radio access network comprising a transmitting base station 12 and a core network linking the base station 12 to various data center.

In the example of FIG. 2 , phone 10 has distributed audio client software indicated at 20 and server 13 has distributed audio server software indicated at 23 .

In the specific example below, the phone 10 must support the following client software:

1. Application environment; and

2. The ability to play sound files through the application environment

or

1. SMS capability; and

2. Ability to replay MMS audio files

The following types of currently available handsets are examples that meet the required criteria:

1. MIDP 1.0 with audio extension

2. DoJava 1.0 with audio extensions

3. MIDP 2.0

4. Native (proprietary) application support with audio capability

The phone will run an application 20 acting as a client. The client will send a request to the server software 23 to perform the task, namely generate the audio file.

The following are example tasks:

1. Takes text-based input, converts that text to speech, and outputs a WAV audio file.

2. Takes text-based input describing a music file, converts it to a music file, and outputs a MIDI file.

3. Taking audio input and converting it into an enhanced or modified speech file, such as a vocal composition with additional background music.

The server 23 will read in the request, execute the required request, and send back the resulting audio file.

Ideally, the server should support the following features:

1. Receive messages through Http

2. Send message via MMS or Http

3. Create audio files

The following types of currently available servers will meet the required criteria:

1. J2SE 1.3+

2. C/C++ with audio capabilities

3. PERL with audio capabilities

Use Case 1: Text to Speech

1. Write customer 20 into MIDP2.0

2. This client is used by games that want to play some voice saying "Game Over"

3. The game requires customers to request a "game over" voice

4. The client sends a text-based message to the server 23 (using TCP/IP) containing the message "Game Over"

5. The server receives the text-based message and proceeds to call some program to convert the "Game Over" text into a (8-bit, 8K, PCM, mono) WAV file.

6. The server sends the WAV file to the client

7. The client receives the WAV file and notifies the game that it has received the sound file

8. The game retrieves the sound file and plays it

9. The player hears the voice "game over"

For small speech fragments, the round trip time is less than 5 seconds.

Use case 2: Text-based note-to-music

1. Write client 20 to MIDP 2.0 with MIDI playback capability

2. Used by a DJ pop disc jockey app who wants to generate some music client

3. The DJ application requires the customer to request the music and specify a music description consisting of a set of notes and rests

4. The client sends a text-based message to the server 23 (using TCP/IP) that includes the description of the music to be generated

5. The server receives the text-based message and proceeds to call a program to convert the music description sound into a MIDI (format 0) file

6. The server sends the MIDI file to the client

7. The client receives the MIDI file and notifies the DJ application that it has received the sound file

8. The DJ application retrieves the music and plays it

9. User hears music

For small pieces of music, the round trip time is less than 10 seconds.

Use Case 3: Enhancement of Audio Files

Example: Sing Like Barry White

[MMS=Multimedia Message]

1. The handset supports MMS

2. Users record their own singing

3. The user attaches the audio clip and the text "Barry White" to the MMS

4. The user sends the MMS to the text-to-speech server

5. The server receives the MMS and extracts audio samples and text parameters

6. The server adds sound effects to the audio clip based on the text parameters

7. In this case, the server adds sound effects to the audio clip to make the user sound like Barry White

8. The server appends the resulting altered audio clip to the new MMS

9. The server sends the MMS back to the user

10. The user receives the MMS and plays it to hear himself singing like Barry White

11. The user receives the MMS asynchronously, so the round trip time is not important. Should be less than 30 seconds.

vocabulary:

SMS short message service

MMS multimedia messaging

MIDP Mobile Information Device Profile

Java platform-independent programming language

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface

Http hypertext transfer protocol

File type for WAV audio files

TCP Transmission Control Protocol

IP Internet Protocol

RAN radio access network

Claims (6)

1. sonorific method in the mobile phone in running on communication network, described communication network comprise can with a plurality of mobile phones server in communication simultaneously, wherein, the application that moves on described mobile phone makes generation will be sent to the request to audio file of server, the audio file of being asked is generated by the response described request of the device in the described server, and be sent to described mobile phone from described server, reproduce by described mobile phone.

2. the method for claim 1, wherein request msg is generated by the text of keyboard input according to described telephone subscriber.

3. method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said request msg is used to generate voice document by the device on the described server.

4. method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said requested data are used to generate music file by the device on the described server.

5. as the described method of above any one claim, wherein said request comprises audio file.

6. method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the described audio file in described request is incorporated in the audio file that is generated by described server.