# Making Computer Voices Sound More Expressive from Your Speech > This patent describes how a computer listens to your spoken words, figures out which parts you emphasized, and then makes its own computer-generated voice emphasize those same parts when it speaks back. - **Patent:** US 11062694 - **Original title:** Text-to-speech processing with emphasized output audio - **Owner:** Amazon Technologies - **Granted:** 2021 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 3 - **Field:** consumer_electronics, software, telecommunications, ai_ml ## What it does This patent describes a method for generating computer speech that mimics the emphasis from a user's original spoken input. First, the system receives input audio data representing speech and uses Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) to convert it into text, referred to as "input data" (Claim 1). Then, it analyzes the input audio to determine "paralinguistic feature data" (Claim 1), which includes characteristics like pitch, volume, or duration of specific words. This paralinguistic data is used to identify which parts of the text should be emphasized. For example, if a user says "I *really* want coffee," the system detects the emphasis on "really." The system then prepares "output data" (Claim 1), potentially by adding a Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) tag (Claim 4) to the emphasized portion. Finally, Text-to-Speech (TTS) processing is performed on this output data, generating speech where the identified portion, like "really," is spoken with corresponding emphasis (Claim 2), making the computer's response sound more natural. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover text-to-speech emphasis based solely on linguistic rules or grammar without analyzing the user's original spoken input for paralinguistic features. - Does not cover systems that only transcribe speech to text without generating new, emphasized speech output. - Does not cover emphasizing computer-generated speech based purely on pre-written text where no input audio was analyzed for emphasis cues. - Does not cover systems where emphasis is determined solely by user preferences or profile data without considering the paralinguistic features of the current input audio. - Does not cover emphasis derived from non-audio inputs, such as visual cues or typed instructions, without corresponding analysis of spoken audio. ## The clever bit The clever part is directly linking the *way* a person speaks (their emphasis, pitch, or duration, called "paralinguistic feature data") from their input audio to how a computer then generates its own speech. Instead of just guessing which words to emphasize, the system uses the actual human vocal cues to make its response sound more natural. ## Real-world examples 1. Amazon Alexa 2. Google Assistant 3. Apple Siri 4. Microsoft Cortana 5. Voice-enabled smart home devices ## Why it matters This patent is important for making interactions with voice assistants and other spoken interfaces feel more natural and intuitive. By understanding *how* a user speaks, not just *what* they say, systems can respond with more appropriate vocal emphasis. This improves the user experience, making computer-generated speech less robotic and more engaging, which is crucial for widespread adoption of voice-controlled devices. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Making Computer Voices Sound More Expressive from Your Speech cover? This patent describes how a computer listens to your spoken words, figures out which parts you emphasized, and then makes its own computer-generated voice emphasize those same parts when it speaks back. ### Who owns patent US 11062694? Amazon Technologies owns this patent, granted in 2021. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on June 7, 2039, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 11062694 cited by? This patent has been cited by 3 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent is important for making interactions with voice assistants and other spoken interfaces feel more natural and intuitive. By understanding *how* a user speaks, not just *what* they say, systems can respond with more appropriate vocal emphasis. This improves the user experience, making computer-generated speech less robotic and more engaging, which is crucial for widespread adoption of voice-controlled devices. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover text-to-speech emphasis based solely on linguistic rules or grammar without analyzing the user's original spoken input for paralinguistic features. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11062694/text-to-speech-processing-with-emphasized-output-audio **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US11062694 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Voice Assistants Change Their Speech Based on How You Talk](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10276149/dynamic-text-to-speech-output) — This patent describes a system where a voice-controlled device adjusts its text-to-speech output characteristics, like speed or tone, based on the user's speaking habits or current situation, making responses feel more natural and personalized. - [How Voice Assistants Recognize Who is Talking](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11514901/anchored-speech-detection-and-speech-recognition) — This patent describes a system that uses a recorded voice sample to identify if new speech comes from the same person, allowing voice assistants to only respond to specific users. - [How a Digital Assistant Launches Apps Using Your Voice](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9548050/continuity-handoff) — This patent describes how a digital assistant like Siri uses your spoken words and understanding of your conversation to figure out what you want and launch the right app. - [How Smart Speakers Know You're Talking to Them After a Command](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11361763/detecting-system-directed-speech) — This patent describes how a smart speaker system can tell if follow-up speech is meant for it, even without a "wake word," by analyzing voice activity and partial speech recognition results using an AI model. - [How AI Predicts Who Will Speak Next in a Conversation](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11645473/palm-pathways-language-model) — IBM's patent describes a system that uses neural networks to analyze speech patterns and intentions to predict which person will talk next in a conversation.