Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02290195 2000-O1-25
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AUDIO
AND/OR VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS
RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application
No.
60/109,151, filed November 20, 1998.
FIELD OF THE INVEN7CION
This invention relates generally to audio and video communications and
messaging,
~d more particularly to a. computer-based system and method for generating
audio and/or
video messages for the purpose of delivering personalized communications to
individuals.
It is especially useful in creating personalized greetings from celebrities
and famous persons
for their fans.
1 S BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
In recent years, popular preoccupation with famous personalities has grown, as
evidenced by the increased use of personalities to endorse goods, services,
campaigns and
charities. Craving even the slightest personal contact, people are willing to
pay top dollar
for autographs and wait in long lines just for the chance of getting a glimpse
of their
favorite movie or sports star. Young children and adults alike idolize
athletes, musicians
and movie stars, donning their jerseys, singing their songs, and buying their
products and
the products that they endorse.
The increased exposure of famous personalities has made people more interested
in
them and has fueled a desiire to make these personalities more accessible and
approachable,
even though they may appear to be; larger than life. Further, in recent years
real-life
celebrities like Michael Jordan and Cindy Crawford have replaced Peter Pan and
Cinderella
in the hearts of children, who frequently want to meet them in person.
Meetings with
celebrities have become increasingly popular at organizations like the Make A
Wish
Foundation, which helps make true: the wishes of children suffering from
terminal diseases.
Despite the increased popularity of celebrity outreach programs, all existing
alternatives have shortcomings. Perhaps the biggest problem heretofore has
been limited
resources. For example, while the Make A Wish Foundation and others like it
may offer
the most intimate and personalized contact for someone wanting to meet a
famous person,
the limited availability of celebrities' time, as well as travel costs and
other factors make
such solutions impractical for all but very wealthy or very special fans. The
present
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invention offers a technology-driven solution to the prior approaches of
rationing the
limited time of these highly-demanded or otherwise inaccessible personalities.
Technology has helped meet many of the demands imposed by modern society.
One benefit of the technological boom over the past decade is the increased
array of gift and
greeting options available to consumers. Technology has made it possible for
people to
send salutations in innovative ways: traditional singing telegrams have been
outdated by
easier and less expensive: Internet singing telegrams; express mail has made
it possible to
say thank you or congratulations with perishable food items from across the
globe; and
florists have lost some business to multimedia flower bouquets that appear in
pristine form,
regardless of the season, on peoplle's computer screens and brighten the
recipient's day for
several days or weeks.
Despite the growth of technologically based alternatives to traditional
greetings,
there are shortcomings to all existing alternatives. What exists in the
present market are
simply modern renditions of long-standing methods for sending greetings.
Current
offerings allow consumers to use modern technology to do what they have always
done in
other ways, whether it is to send flowers, provide entertainment, or deliver
some other form
of gift or greeting. The present invention seeks to improve on all that is
available in the
market by using the late:~t technologies to do that which was heretofore
impossible, namely
to create personalized multimedia gifts and greetings that incorporate limited
resources
without great expense.
SUMMARY OF THE II~,1VENTION
It is an object of i:he present invention to overcome the apparent
deficiencies in the
prior art by providing a computer-based system and method for generating
personalized
greetings derived from previously recorded audio and/or visual communications.
It is another object of the present invention to make personalized
communications
available in large volumc;s and at low costs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for storing
and
delivering personalized ~;reetings that are derived from previously recorded
audio and/or
video communications.
The method and system of the present invention provide an effective and
efficient
tool for optimizing personalized l;reetings by utilizing a computer-based
system to create a
multitude of customized communications from a limited collection of audio
and/or visual
communications.
Specifically, the present invention provides a computer-based method for
generating
personalized communications from one or more persons, comprising: storing at
least one
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incomplete generic connnunication from a person in a first memory; storing a
plurality of
message filler elements from a person in a second memory, the filler elements
providing
alternative content for completing said at least one generic communication;
providing input
data specifying a selection of filler elements for completing said at least
one generic
communication; generating a personalized communication from said at least one
generic
communication stored in the first memory and the specified selection of filler
elements
stored in the second memory; arid outputting the generated personalized
communication in
a pre-selected data format. In a preferred embodiment the generic
communications) and
the message filler elemt:nts may comprise audio, video or other types of
recordings, and any
combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment the input data may further
specify which
generic communication stored in the first memory should be selected.
In one variation of this embodiment, a plurality of generic communications and
filler
messages are stored in a known association with a plurality of persons. In
this case the
input data used in the rr.~ethod further specifies which person and which
generic
1 S communication is selected. In a preferred embodiment the input data is
used to generate a
personalized communication in which an incomplete generic communication from a
specified person is completed with message filler elements from the same
person. In
accordance with the invention the pre-selected data format mentioned above may
be a video
cassette recording (i.e., standard VHS recording), an audio cassette
recording, a CD-ROM
or DVD recording, or a multi-media file.
In another aspect, the invention is computer-based system for generating
personalized communications from one or more persons, comprising: a first
memory storing
at least one incomplete generic communication from said one or more persons; a
second
memory storing message filler elements from said one or more persons; a data
entry device
for selecting an incomplete generic communication and corresponding message
filler
elements; and a processor integrating a select incomplete generic
communication with one
or more select message filler elements to generate a personalized
communication. In a
specific embodiment the generic communications) and the message filler
elements may
comprise audio and/or video communications. In a preferred embodiment the
system
further comprises a storage mediium for storing the generated personalized
communication
for transmission to a recipient. In a specific embodiment, the storage medium
used for
transmission to a recipif;nt may be a video cassette, an audio cassette, a CD-
ROM or DVD
disc, a standard floppy diskette (i.e., a 3.5 inch diskette), or a file server
accessible from the
recipient's location. Also in this. embodiment, the first memory may store a
plurality of
generic communications from a known person or a plurality of known persons.
The second
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memory may store message filler elements from multiple known persons. The
message
filler elements may further comprise numbers, names, and phonemes.
In still another aspect, the: invention is a computer-based system for
generating
personalized communications from at least one person comprising: a web site
accessible via
a communications network; a first memory storing one or more incomplete
generic
communications from said at least one person; a second memory storing message
filler
elements; a data entry device for selecting an incomplete generic
communication and
corresponding message iiiller elements; and a processor integrating a select
incomplete
generic communication with one or more select message filler elements to
generate a
personalized communication. In this embodiment, the personalized communication
may be
transferred to the user via the communications network. The message parameters
may
comprise a selection of a~ known lperson, a selection of a generic
communication, and a
selection of personalizat:ion parameters. The communications network may be
the Internet.
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 illustrates :in a bloclk diagram form the system in a preferred
embodiment of
the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a block <iiagram of the steps in the method of the present
invention.
Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of a customer's selection-entry process in a specific
embodiment.
Fig. 4 is a depiction of a preferred embodiment of the system in which
customers are
connected to the system using a Web server.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is directed to customized and personalized greetings
from
celebrities in sports, entertainment, music, politics, and/or animation. The
personalized
greeting system and method of the present invention are based on a computer-
based
application capable of delivering the desired personalized greetings from a
desired person to
the customer in one of several different formats. The present invention, also
designated
next as "Star Greetings" in a specific implementation discussed in more detail
below, may
be used as a party-planning resource available on either the Internet or other
communications networl~a or media for customers that are seeking party
planning advice,
information services, or l;reetings. Star Greetings offers in essence the next
best thing to
having someone's favorite celebrity show up at his or her party. Without
limitation it will
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be assumed below that the personalized greeting is made for a specific
occasion, such as a
birthday, anniversary, graduation, or others. It will be appreciated that the
personalized
greeting need not be generated by someone who is a celebrity in the generally
accepted
sense of the word, but rather could be generated by any person (or even
cartoon character)
having special meaning t:o the receiver.
Star Greetings in particuhtr offers personalized video and/or audio greetings
from a
celebrity, who in a specific embodiment using both audio and video media may
look at the
recipient, address him or her by name, talk about the special occasion, and
may optionally
mention the person's age: (if it is a birthday party) or other personal
characteristics. In a
preferred embodiment, each greeting can last between 15 seconds to several
minutes and
can speedily be downloaded from a customized website having a Star Greetings
server, or
delivered overnight in a video cassette form. In other embodiments of the
invention, the
personalized greeting may be delivered over a radio, or in audio cassette
format. The party
giver can then play back the personalized message on a computer monitor,
television or a
1 S cassette deck at the appropriate time during the party.
In a preferred embodiment, Star Greeting's application features all types of
celebrities: athletes, actors, musicians, models, corporate leaders,
politicians, local heroes,
and animated characters. There can be greetings for a variety of different
occasions:
birthdays, anniversaries, bachelor parties, Christmas, and other occasions.
For example, a
typical birthday greeting for an eight-year-old boy from his favorite
basketball star might
be, in a specific embodiment, as follows:
"Hey, Alexander! Happy Birthday, pal. I hear you're eight years old today and
having a party to celebrate. I sure; wish I could be there with you and your
pals - I know it's
gonna be a good time. H:ey, listen up: you guys be good, have fun and,
remember: if you
really want to be a star, study hard in school, practice every chance you get,
and mind your
parents! And, oh yeah, don't for~;et to root for the Bulls!"
Figure 1 illustratc;s in a block diagram form the system in a preferred
embodiment of
the present invention. Broadly, the system comprises one or more generic
message
databases 20 for storing ;;ener-ic audio or video messages (or message
templates) from one
or more celebrities or otter famous people. These generic messages are
supplemented with
communication fillers selected from one or more databases 30 containing audio
and/or
video messages that correspond to and are designed to supplement the generic
messages
stored in database 20. Both generic messages databases) 20 and filler
databases) 30 are
accessible and communicate with processor 40, the operation of which is
described next.
In a preferred embodiment, the system of the present invention also comprises
an output
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device 50 for rendering t:he finalized personalized greeting in one of several
different
formats, as specified by the customer.
The system of the present invention further comprises one or more input
devices
designated generally as fi0. As shown in the figure, customers 80 use one or
more input
devices 60, which preferably include a graphical user interface (GLJI), to
communicate their
desires to processor 40 fir the generation of a personalized message based on
the pre-stored
messages contained in databases 20 and 30. Based on the user input, processor
40 selects
an incomplete generic message, preferably associated with a particular
(famous) person, and
integrates into it one or more message fillers to generate a complete
personalized message.
Finally, the output from output device SO is forwarded to the customer via
block 70, which
generally designates one or more storage and/or transmission media.
Turning to the individual .components of the system, database 20 contains
generic
messages recorded by one or more individuals, which in a preferred embodiment
of the
present invention are celebrities o~r famous people having name recognition or
being of
personal importance to the custonner, in this case to the message receiver. In
a specific
embodiment of the present invention the generic message recorded in database
20 may
comprise either video or audio material or any combination thereof, that
conveys a generic
greeting message. In the: example; given above, the entire message except for
"Alexander"
and "eight" can be stored as a generic message. In the template of this
message are left
blanks that correspond to fillers designed to personalize the message.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
databases)
20 can be implemented by any commercial database design, such as those
provided by
Microsoft Corporation and Oracle, among others. Further, in a different
embodiment, there
can be only one database: that contains links to different generic messages
provided by
different celebrities. The; specific implementation of the database 20 in
accordance with the
present invention is not important, as long as it provides the capability of
linking a specific
recording person to one car more generic-type messages stored for him. In a
preferred
embodiment it may cont;~in either video or audio or both types of inputs.
In one embodiment of the present invention, database 30 contains a number of
message fillers, either in video or audio format or both, which correspond to
the
(incomplete) generic messages contained in database 20 and are recorded by the
same
celebrities. In a specific embodiment of this invention, database 30 may be
implemented as
part of database 20, therefore the separation illustrated in Figure 1 is for
conceptual clarity
only. More particularly, database: 30 contains a pre-selected number of
fillers, which are
intended to be inserted into the blanks in the generic messages contained in
database 20.
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In a specific embodiment,. these fillers may contain several hundred first
names,
preferably the most popular names used in the country. Another set of fillers
may contain
the numbers from 1 to 100 pronounced by the recording person. Other fillers
may be used
as appropriate. In another embodiment of the present invention database 30 may
contain
video clips of the celebrity or the famous person announcing the audio fillers
or portions
thereof that correspond t~o the missing entries in the generic image messages
contained in
database 20.
In an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention, databases) 30
contains a vocabulary or a lexicon of audio or video clips of the selected
person that can be
manipulated by a computer to generate any number of desired message fillers
from a library
of available phonemes, sounds, words, images, etc. Methods of synthesizing
words and
units of less than a word (i.e., phonemes, diphones, triphones) to create a
smoothed delivery
are known and described, for example, in U.S. Patent 5,978,764 to Lowry et
al., which is
incorporated hereby by reference for all purposes. In particular, the Lowry
patent describes
how the amplitude of different portions of a speech waveform can be adjusted
to more
closely match a predetermined reference level, resulting in smoother sounding
and more
natural speech. With reference to delivery of video fillers, methods of
recording and
manipulating speech related facial features and movements are also knowm and
described,
for example, in U.S. Pate:nt 5,826,234 to Lyberg and U.S. Patent 5,771,306 to
Stork et al.,
which are also hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
The Lyberg patent, in particular, describes how speech related facial features
corresponding to specific: words o~r sub-words (i.e., phonemes, diphones,
triphones), may be
recorded using a compute°r for purposes of translating recorded speech
into a different
language. The recording or "registration" of the movement patterns is made by
measuring
?~ movement at a number of measuring points on the face or body of the
speaker, where the
measurements are made ;~t the same time as a number of polyphones are
recorded. As an
example, this measurement may be accomplished by having the speaker wear very
small
reflective devices (i.e., mirrors) about the mouth and face, and using a laser
light to record
the movements of the different reflectors, and, therefore, the movements of
the speaker's
mouth and face as the speaker recites different words or subwords. In this
manner, different
speech units are linked to their corresponding facial movements. Later, if
unrecorded words
or names need to be generated, the necessary speech units, and their
corresponding facial
movements, may be extracted from the databases and combined to form the needed
word or
phrase.
In a specific embodiment of the present invention, recording of the generic
messages
and message fillers can be performed in a studio or some environment, in which
the person
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from whom the messages come feels comfortable. In a preferred embodiment, each
person
can record one or more messages corresponding to a variety of situations that
may occur in
life.
Turning next to processor block 40, in a specific embodiment it can be
implemented
$ as a software application gunning on a personal computer, a workstation or a
Web server.
Processor 40 communicates with the databases) 20 and 30, with input devices)
60 and
output devices) 50. In one embodiment, the computer-based system 10 of the
present
invention is implemented on a personal computer incorporating a Pentium,
Pentium II or
Pentium III microcompressor. Other computer systems known in the art can be
employed
as hardware platforms for the system of this invention. Such computer systems,
as known
in the art, comprise a central processing unit (CPU), memory (RAM, ROM, etc.),
input and
output devices and user interfaces.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, processor block 40 is
implemented as a server on the worldwide web ("WWW"), which can be accessed by
Internet consumers.
In accordance with the present invention input devices) 60 may comprise a
graphical user interface that is standard on personal computers, workstations,
or other data
entry devices and should preferably be capable of providing input using menu
driven
options. In a specific embodiment the input menu should identify at least: (a)
the occasion;
and (b) the speaker (i.e., tJze celebrity person who will deliver the
greeting). The user of the
system may navigate the menu by selecting items in a drop-down menu. For
example, if
the occasion is the birthday of an eight-year-old boy, called Alex, the user
will select from
the menu option "birthday" and view the list of persons delivering "birthday"
messages.
Once the desired person who will deliver the message is selected, the user
will be shown a
personalize option menu, including, for example, the name of the receiver, and
his or her
age. At that stage in this particular embodiment the user will have entered
sufficient
information to generate a personalized message. Next, the user can be prompted
to select a
message delivery option, which may include audio and/or video cassette, or a
multimedia
file. Finally the user will be prompted for payment information, as known in
the art. In a
preferred embodiment, the: option menu may include a message delivery time
table,
specifying when the message should be delivered, and the specific media.
In accordance with the present invention output device 50 may take one of
several
different forms dependent on the customer's selection of desired media that
can store or
transmit the desired personalized greeting(s). In a specific embodiment of the
present
invention, the output device can simply be a video cassette recorder, in which
the
personalized greetings generated firom processor 40 using databases 20 and 30
can be stored
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CA 02290195 2000-O1-25
in a video cassette format. In alternative embodiments of the present
invention, the
personalized greeting can be stored in digital format as a streaming audio or
video data file
for delivery to the custorr~er location. Various alternative media can be used
in other
embodiments of the invention.
Finally, storage and transmission block 70 indicates one of several different
output
media in which a personalized greeting can be stored from the output of the
output device.
The Method of the Present Invention
Figure 2 illustrates in a block diagram the main steps in the method of the
present
invention. The method involves t~,vo branches, one on the left side created
off line and
generally related to the recording of a series of templates or (incomplete)
generic messages
stored by the celebrities, and the other main portion of the method on the
right side of
Figure 2 relating to the execution of the personalized greetings ordered.
In the off line branch, a ceifebrity or a group of celebrities or famous
people are
1 S selected (step 200) who will recorci the variety of different messages. At
step 210, a series
of generic messages are generated for each celebrity at a time. These messages
can be kid's
birthdays, adult birthdays., anniversaries, and other occasions and contain an
actual message
with which the person feels most comfortable. At step 220, the person also
records a series
of different fillers, which in a particular embodiment, may be the several
hundred most
popular names in the country, the numbers 1-100, and various other text
suitable for filling
the blanks that were left intentionally in the generic messages. In accordance
with the
present invention, the generic messages and fillers can be recorded in a
studio, in the
person's home, or in other places vrhere the celebrity feels comfortable.
These steps are
expected and designed to last about 4-S hours.
As discussed above, differc;nt methods of recording sounds and facial
movements
may be employed, but onc; possible method involves the use of small reflectors
attached to
the face and mouth of the celebrity. A laser light is then used to measure and
record the
movements of the face and mouth for different speech units. U.S. Patent
5,826,234 to
Lyberg describes such a method and is incorporated herein for all purposes.
Finally, at step
230, both the generic messages and the fillers are stored in one or more
databases, in which
the celebrity's name is associated vvith the messages and fillers that were
recorded. In a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, the database is capable of
indicating in a list
format the types of messa3;es available for the particular celebrity.
Furthermore, the
messages that can be generated can be either in a video or audio or some other
media
format, dependent on the needs of the customers.
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CA 02290195 2000-O1-25
Turning next to tlhe execution of an order, at step 300, a customer logs onto
a
computer-based system of the present invention, which may in a preferred
embodiment be
implemented using a web server. At step 310, the customer enters input
information, such
as selecting the celebrity and the desired message and filler, and provides
payment and
shipping information, and specifies the desired output media. In particular
embodiments of
the present invention, the output c,an be output on a video cassette, on a
streaming data, or
in any other format which is desirf;d. This step of the method is preferably
implemented
using a pull-down menu, in which the person may pick his or her choice of a
celebrity; can
select one of the available, type of ,generic greetings; and he can fill in
the blanks with
customizing information, such as the name and the age of the person for whom
the party is
given. In a specific embodiment tile customer may be asked to phonetically
spell a name or
other components of the filler messages.
At step 320, the order is submitted. Advantageously, the order is submitted
after the
customer has had a chance to review his order and make certain that it is
satisfactory. Next,
at step 330, in accordance with thc~ method of the present invention, the
system application
generates a customized order on the basis of the input entries selected by the
customer. At
this time, and with reference to Figure l, processor 40 accesses the database
to retrieve for
the desired celebrity the selected generic message and the specified filler
messages. The
generic message and filler messagf; are combined then in a seamless fashion
into an output
message which contains a fully personalized greeting from the celebrity to the
intended
recipient. Generation of integratedL messages as combination of separately
stored messages
is presently known in some media, such as video morphing, audio editing and
others, and
will not be considered in further detail. In a specific embodiment it is
intended that filler
messages are synthesized from a sE;t of phonemes, which are pre-recorded.
The customized greeting is generated at step 340 in a desired media format,
and is
provided at step 350 to thf; customs°r. Step 350 may involve simply
sending an e-mail to the
customer indicating that the order has been filled and should be expected at
the desired
time. It may also indicate to the user that a personalized greeting has been
stored on the
web server performing the' Star Grf;eting application function and/or giving
the person a
delivery number for a video cassette, audio cassette, or the other hard-format
delivery, if so
selected by the user.
Figure 3 is a flow diagram depicting in greater detail the customer's
selection entry
process in a specific embodiment of the present invention. At step 400 the
customer logs
into a computer having access to th.e Star Greeting application. At step 410,
the Star
Greetings welcome screen menu is shown in a preferred embodiment, this menu
indicating
a variety of different options available to the user at this time. At step 420
in a specific
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CA 02290195 2000-O1-25
embodiment the user first selects a message which he desires to be delivered
to the person
for whom the party is given. As shown by the dotted line in the figure, having
selected the
message in a specific embodiment of the present invention, the customer is
capable of
changing the choice or the selection for a particular message.
At step 430 the customer is then prompted to select the celebrity to deliver
the
desired message. The selection of the celebrity may be accomplished using a
mouse click
from any one of several different options presented to the user on his
graphical user
interface. Again, the customer is able to change the celebrity's selection, if
so desired. In
step 440 of the method, t:he custorner selects the personalized portions of
the greetings
w~ch cannot be pre-stored and must be provided separately. As discussed above,
these
filler entries may correspond to the recipient's name, age, occasion, or any
other entries,
which are recipient-specific. Advantageously, the user interface provides
message-specific
prompts (e.g., a listing of the first names that can be selected or the
instruction "insert
recipient's age") to facilitate the selection process. Again, the user may be
given the option
to correct his selection, if'so desired.
In step 460 of the method, the user reviews the entire greeting message
including the
celebrity, the selected message and the filler entries. As shown in the
figure, if the person
desires to make a correction, the input may loop back to the initial stage and
repeat the
process until the desired customized order is generated.
Once the customer is satisfied with the order that was entered, the customer
is
prompted at step 470 to enter financial and/or shipping information. In a
preferred
embodiment of the system of this invention, the communication with the
processor which
will fill the order is acconnplished using a standard 120 bit security
browser, such as those
available from Netscape (communication or Microsoft Corporation, including the
Netscape
Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The financial data entry is
standard in the art
and need not be considered in furtlher detail. Once this information is
entered, the customer
enters his shipping information, if a hard copy is desired for delivering the
message includes
a video cassette, audio cassette, C17-ROM, DVD, floppy diskette or other
tangible objects.
The customer may specify a streaming audio or video data delivery to his
personal
computer at a desired time. Other methods and platforms available for the
delivery of the
customized message can he used in alternative embodiments of the present
invention, as
known in the art.
Finally, the input entry exits at step 490, at which point the entire customer
information collected above is transferred to the computer for the fulfillment
of the order.
Figure 4 depicts a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which the
Star
Greeting application is irr~plemented on a Web server, and customers can log
on
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CA 02290195 2000-O1-25
independently and request their ovvn versions of the personalized greetings.
As shown in
the figure, after the personalized message has been generated, one or more
delivery services
can be used to deliver the message; stored on a video cassette or another
format to the user.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the message fillers are
synthesized
either from pre-recorded filler messages, such as from words selected by the
customer, or
are synthesized from segments of ;pre-recorded material (including phonemes,
isolated
words, or other sounds). On the video end, the filler material can be
generated
automatically from a libr~uy of facial expression, bodily movements, and other
imagery
available from the recording person. As discussed above, U.S. Patents
5,978,764 to Lowry
et al., 5,826,234 to Lyber;; and 5,771,306 to Stork et al. describe methods
and systems for
s~thesizing speech and/or its associated facial movements. These patents are
hereby
incorporated by reference for all purposes. In an alternative embodiment, the
present
invention may use computer animation and graphic art to fill certain blanks in
the pre-
recorded generic message, as knovvn in the art. Editing engines, implemented
as separate
software applications, cam be used to compile and store the desired customized
seamless
co~unication that represent the 1E-mal customized communication.
While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred
embodiments, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that
numerous
modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
present
invention. Accordingly, it should be clearly understood that the embodiments
of the
invention described above' are not intended as limitations on the scope of the
invention,
which is defined only by t:he following claims.
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