Abstract: In the text-to-speech synthesis technique for synthesizing speech from text, this invention enables a terminal device with relatively small computing power to perform speech synthesis based on optimal unit selection. The text-to-speech synthesis procedure of the present invention involves content generation and output; that is, a secondary content including the results of the optimal unit selection process is output. By virtue of the secondary content, a high load process of selecting optimal units and a light load process of synthesizing speech waveforms can be performed separately. The optimal unit selection process is performed at a server and information for the units to be retrieved from a corpus is sent to the terminal as data for speech synthesis.

Abstract: In an information providing service that utilizes a car navigation system or the like, ensuring safety while viewing content is a matter of great concern. A vehicle-mounted onboard content providing apparatus for providing content to an user of the vehicle, comprising a current location acquisition unit for acquiring information about the current location, an instruction input unit whereby information about the destination and instructions for selecting the content to be delivered are inputted, a control unit for editing the content retrieved based on the instructions, and an output unit for outputting the edited content, wherein the control unit determines, on the basis of attribute information assigned to the route included in the results of retrieving the route from the current location to the destination, sections in which content is outputted or not outputted on the route, and edits the content on the basis of the results of this determination.

Abstract: Arrangement including terminal and method for providing a plurality of speech interaction applications.

Abstract: The present invention is characterized in that the car navigation system for, at the time of desiring map information, traffic information, and other required information in a car, inquiring an information distribution service provider for distribution the information is composed of a moving terminal device which can be operated by inputting and outputting voice, a communication device, an audio interactive server which can input and output voice and data, is connected to an external device and the Internet on the basis of audio interactions by the voice recognition process and voice synthesis process, and executes information transfer, and one or a plurality of information distribution service providers connected to the Internet for distributing information such as map information and traffic information.

Abstract: The facilities information service system includes a single server which can conduct questionnaire surveys for a plurality of business facilities and each business facility can offer unique incentive award service to respondents of a questionnaire thereof. When a portable terminal makes a request for facility introduction information on a facility registered in questionnaire survey service, a server sends a facility introduction screen including a questionnaire guide message to the portable terminal. Then, when the portable terminal makes a request for participating in a questionnaire survey, the server sends a prepared questionnaire to the portable terminal to collect questionnaire response data from a user of the portable terminal and then issues an incentive award coupon in return for answering the questionnaire.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system in which a service providing apparatus on the Internet efficiently provides service including provision of information corresponding to a voice input. The system is configured as follows.