Variable-depth audio presentation of textual information

A data processing system supporting a variable-depth presentation of Internet content, comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a storage device coupled to the processor, wherein the storage device includes program code that, when executed by the processor, causes the data processing system to perform:
• queuing a respective sequence of tracks of Internet content of common subject matter to each of a plurality of stations, wherein each of the tracks of Internet content resides on a respective Internet resource in textual form, wherein a selected track among the sequence of tracks queued to a selected station among the plurality of stations includes multiple items of specific information all related to the common subject matter of the selected station;
• in response to receiving a sample input from a remote audio presentation device, transmitting snippets of each of multiple tracks queued to a selected station among the plurality of stations for audible presentation by the audio presentation device as synthesized human speech, wherein each of the snippets includes only a subset of a corresponding track;
• thereafter, transmitting via the network to the remote audio presentation device for audio presentation as synthesized human speech, a plurality of complete tracks among the multiple tracks for which snippets were previously transmitted and presented audibly by the remote audio presentation device, wherein the program code causes the data processing system to transmit the plurality of complete tracks beginning with a track among the plurality of tracks from which a snippet was first presented audibly by the remote audio presentation device;
• and
• in response to receiving an in-depth input from the remote audio presentation device during presentation of the selected track as synthesized human speech, the processor automatically searching for and accessing additional textual Internet content concerning a particular item of specific information presented via text-to-speech substantially contemporaneously to receipt of the in-depth input and queuing the additional Internet content to the selected station for presentation in one or more additional tracks.

A program product supporting a variable-depth presentation of Internet content, comprising:

• a storage device;
• program code stored in the storage device that, when executed by a processor of a server computer system, causes the server computer system to perform:
• queuing a respective sequence of tracks of Internet content of common subject matter to each of a plurality of stations, wherein each of the tracks of Internet content resides on a respective Internet resource in textual form, wherein a selected track among the sequence of tracks queued to a selected station among the plurality of stations includes multiple items of specific information all related to the common subject matter of the selected station;
• in response to receiving a sample input from a remote audio presentation device, transmitting, via a network to the remote audio presentation device, snippets of each of multiple tracks queued to a selected station among the plurality of stations for audible presentation as synthesized human speech, wherein each of the snippets includes only a subset of a corresponding track;
• thereafter, transmitting via the network to the remote audio presentation device for audio presentation as synthesized human speech, a plurality of complete tracks among the multiple tracks for which snippets were previously transmitted and presented audibly by the remote audio presentation device, wherein the program code causes the server computer system to transmit the plurality of complete tracks beginning with a track among the plurality of tracks from which a snippet was first presented audibly by the remote audio presentation device;
• and
• in response to receiving an in-depth input from the remote audio presentation device during presentation of the selected track as synthesized human speech, the processor automatically searching for and accessing additional textual Internet content concerning a particular item of specific information presented via text-to-speech substantially contemporaneously to receipt of the in-depth input and queuing the additional Internet content to the selected station for presentation in one or more additional tracks.