US3575555A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Speech synthesizer providing smooth transistion between adjacent phonemes
Assignee: RCA Corp
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Filing: 1968-02-26
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Granted: 1971-04-20
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Expires: 1988-02-26
Abstract
Abstract An apparatus for synthesizing speech from phonemes is described. The smooth transition of one phoneme into the next is accomplished by a timewise truncation of the end of the leading phoneme and of the beginning of the following phoneme so that the formants are continuous over the junction. The apparatus described stores phonemes in digital fashion to permit their retrieval, starting and stopping the retrieval so that the desired truncation is achieved. A drum is used to store all the phonemes required and delays between phonemes are prevented by using core memories as temporary storage, transferring from the drum to one of the core memories while concurrently extracting the preceding phoneme from another core memory to be converted to sound.
Inventors
- 👤 Joseph F Schanne
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 06:10
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10L; G10L13/00; G10L13/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
199 words
Apparatus for synthesizing speech comprising: first storage means for storing a plurality of digitally-coded phonemes; second and third storage means, each capable of storing at least one digitally-coded phoneme; control means for selecting a predetermined sequence of phonemes from said first storage means; transfer means for loading the successive digitally coded phonemes selected by said control means from the first storage means alternately to said second and third storage means; read-out means operative concurrently with said transfer means for converting the digitally coded phoneme stored in said second storage means into audio signals during the time said third storage means is being loaded with the following phoneme by said transfer means and for converting the digitally coded phoneme stored by said third storage means into audio signals during the time said second storage means is being loaded with the following phoneme by said transfer means; and addressing means coupled to said read-out means and said control means for causing the read-out means to finish the retrieval of a phoneme from one storage means and to start the retrieval of a phoneme from the other storage means at respective addresses at which the stored digital values represent contiguous audio frequencies.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
199 words
Apparatus for synthesizing speech comprising: first storage means for storing a plurality of digitally-coded phonemes; second and third storage means, each capable of storing at least one digitally-coded phoneme; control means for selecting a predetermined sequence of phonemes from said first storage means; transfer means for loading the successive digitally coded phonemes selected by said control means from the first storage means alternately to said second and third storage means; read-out means operative concurrently with said transfer means for converting the digitally coded phoneme stored in said second storage means into audio signals during the time said third storage means is being loaded with the following phoneme by said transfer means and for converting the digitally coded phoneme stored by said third storage means into audio signals during the time said second storage means is being loaded with the following phoneme by said transfer means; and addressing means coupled to said read-out means and said control means for causing the read-out means to finish the retrieval of a phoneme from one storage means and to start the retrieval of a phoneme from the other storage means at respective addresses at which the stored digital values represent contiguous audio frequencies.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
107 words
The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein the addressing means comprises: address register means for storing and incrementing the address of the storage means whose contents are being retrieved; start register means coupled to said control means for placing a starting address in said address register means; finish register means coupled to said control means for receiving therefrom the last address from which the contents of the addressed storage means is to be retrieved; and recognition means responsive to the contents of the address register means and the finish register means for providing a signal to said control means when the last address has been specified.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The invention as claimed in claim 2 wherein the memory select means include a triggerable bistable multivibrator which changes state in response to the signal from the recognition means in said addressing means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
The invention as claimed in claim 3 wherein the control means includes means for specifying digitally, in sequence, groups of three numbers, each group comprising a first number designating the phoneme to be retrieved, a second number designating the start address, and a third number designating the finish address.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
58 words
The invention as claimed in claim 4 wherein said first storage means stores a plurality of digitally coded phonemes serially; and further including serial-to-parallel converting means coupled between said first storage means and said transfer means for converting the serially stored digitally-coded phonemes into groups of signals for parallel transfer to either the second or third storage means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first storage means comprises a serial memory and said second and third storage means comprises static memories.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1974-04-19 | 1974-10-19 | 1975-04-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1978-04-19 | 1978-10-19 | 1979-04-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1982-04-19 | 1982-10-19 | 1983-04-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |