Email Voice Rendering with Segmentation Tags
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for rendering email messages as voice are less than optimal, particularly in differentiating between original and reply messages, leading to a subpar user experience compared to graphical text representation.
Innovation Solution
The use of novel XML tags or analogous software devices inserted into email content by an email client or server to separate content from different sources, allowing a text-to-speech system to render original and reply messages in distinct voice modes, and optionally excluding signature blocks and privacy notices from speech rendering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If email content is rendered as voice without tags, then the system is simpler to implement, but the user experience deteriorates due to inability to differentiate between original and reply messages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the email content into distinct portions (original message and reply messages) by inserting tags at specific boundaries. This segmentation allows the text-to-speech system to render different portions with different voice modes, enabling clear differentiation between original and reply messages while maintaining system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces tags as intermediary elements between the email content and the text-to-speech rendering system. These tags act as mediators that carry instructions about how to render specific portions of content, enabling enhanced user experience without requiring complex changes to the core rendering system.
2Loss of information
If all email content is rendered as speech including signature blocks and privacy notices, then the rendering is more complete, but the user experience deteriorates due to unnecessary information being spoken
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts signature blocks and privacy notices from the main email content by inserting tags that delimit these portions. This extraction allows the text-to-speech system to selectively render only the relevant content (original and reply messages) while excluding unnecessary information such as signature blocks and privacy notices, thereby improving user experience without losing important information.
3Measurement precision
If tags are inserted into email content to separate original and reply messages, then the differentiation between message types improves, but the email processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by inserting tags into the email content before it reaches the text-to-speech rendering system. These tags are placed in advance at the boundaries between original and reply messages, enabling the rendering system to process and differentiate message types efficiently without adding complexity during the rendering phase.
Data Source
AI summary
Tags, such as XML tags, are inserted into email to separate email content from signature blocks, privacy notices and confidentiality notices, and to separate original email messages from replies and replies from further replies. The tags are detected by a system that renders email as speech, such as voice command platform or network-based virtual assistant or message center. For example, the system can detect the signature block or privacy notice tags and not render the signature block or privacy notice as speech. The system can render an original email message in one voice mode and the reply in a different voice mode. The tags can be inserted to identify a voice memo in which a user responds to a particular portion of an email message. Preferably, an email server that receives and stored the email message inserts the tags into the email. Alternatively, the tags could be inserted by an email client application. The tags are detected by an email parser, which can be incorporated into the system rendering email as speech, or, alternatively implemented in a separate logical entity.