Method and apparatus for performing text-to-speech conversion in a client/server environment

A method for performing a second portion of a text-to-speech conversion process, the method executed on a client device within a client/server environment and comprising the step of synthesizing speech output based upon an intermediate representation of input text, said intermediate representation of said input text having been produced by a first portion of said text-to-speech conversion process executed on a server which is associated with but distinct from said client device,

• wherein said synthesizing step produces said speech output further based upon a set of acoustic units comprised in a dynamic cache memory associated with said client device, the method further comprising the steps of:
• receiving one or more acoustic units which have been selected from an acoustic unit database associated with said server and transmitted across a communications channel from said server to said client device, wherein said subset of acoustic units were selected based on said intermediate representation of said input text and on a determination of which acoustic unit will be needed and which acoustic units will not be needed to synthesize the speech output from the intermediate representation of said input text;
• and
• storing said one or more acoustic units in said dynamic cache memory.

A system for performing text-to-speech conversion comprising:

• a text analysis module which analyzes input text and produces therefrom an intermediate representation thereof;
• and
• a speech synthesis module which synthesizes speech output based upon said intermediate representation of said input text,
• wherein said text analysis module resides on a server within a client/server environment, and wherein said speech synthesis module resides on a client device which is associated with but distinct from said server.
• wherein said speech synthesis module produces said speech output further based upon a set acoustic units comprised in a dynamic cache memory associated with said client device, the system further comprising:
• means for selecting a subset of acoustic units from an acoustic unit database associated with said server, wherein said subset of acoustic units is selected based on said intermediate representation of said input text and on a determination of which acoustic units will be needed and which acoustic units will not be needed to synthesize the speech output from the intermediate representation of said input text;
• means for transmitting one or more of said acoustic units across a communications channel from said server to said client device;
• and
• means for storing said one or more acoustic units in said dynamic cache memory.

A client device within a client/server environment which performs a second portion of a text-to-speech conversion process, the client device comprising a speech synthesis module which synthesizes speech output based upon an intermediate representation of input text, said intermediate representation of said input text having been produced by a first portion of said text-to-speech conversion process executed on a server which is associated with but distinct from said client device,

• wherein said speech synthesis module produces said speech output further based upon a set of acoustic units comprised in a dynamic cache memory associated with said client device, the client device further comprising:
• means for receiving one or more acoustic units which have been selected from an acoustic unit database associated with said server and transmitted across a communications channel from said server to said client device, wherein said subset of acoustic units was selected based on said intermediate representation of said input text and on a determination of which acoustic units will be needed and which acoustic units will not be needed to synthesize the speech output from the intermediate representation of said input text;
• and
• means for storing said one or more acoustic units in said dynamic cache memory.