Abstract: An electronic-document-container-data-file generating method for generating a data file using a computer where the data file is to be read by a playback program operating on a computer includes: acquiring at least electronic document data as content data; generating editable memo data as content data, the memo data being associated with the acquired electronic document data; generating a container portion configured to hold a plurality of items of content data including the acquired electronic document data and the generated memo data; generating definition information for defining a method for playing back and/or a method for editing the plurality of items of content data during playback by the playback program; and generating an electronic-document-container data file including the generated container portion and the generated definition information.

Abstract: A voice synthesizer includes a recorded voice storage portion (124) that stores recorded voices that are pre-recorded; a voice input portion (110) that is input with a reading voice reading out a text that is to be generated by the synthesized voice; an attribute information input portion (112) that is input with a label string, which is a string of labels assigned to each phoneme included in the reading voice, and label information, which indicates the border position of each phoneme corresponding to each label; a parameter extraction portion (116) that extracts characteristic parameters of the reading voice based on the label string, the label information, and the reading voice; and a voice synthesis portion (122) that selects the recorded voices from the recorded voice storage portion in accordance with the characteristic parameters, synthesizes the recorded voices, and generates the synthesized voice that reads out the text.

Abstract: A speech synthesizer conducts a dialogue among a plurality of synthesized speakers, including a self speaker and one or more partner speakers, by use of a voice profile table describing emotional characteristics of synthesized voices, a speaker database storing feature data for different types of speakers and/or different speaking tones, a speech synthesis engine that synthesizes speech from input text according to feature data fitting the voice profile assigned to each synthesized speaker, and a profile manager that updates the voice profiles according to the content of the spoken text. The voice profiles of partner speakers are initially derived from the voice profile of the self speaker. A synthesized dialogue can be set up simply by selecting the voice profile of the self speaker.

Abstract: A voice synthesizer includes a recorded voice storage portion (124) that stores recorded voices that are pre-recorded; a voice input portion (110) that is input with a reading voice reading out a text that is to be generated by the synthesized voice; an attribute information input portion (112) that is input with a label string, which is a string of labels assigned to each phoneme included in the reading voice, and label information, which indicates the border position of each phoneme corresponding to each label; a parameter extraction portion (116) that extracts characteristic parameters of the reading voice based on the label string, the label information, and the reading voice; and a voice synthesis portion (122) that selects the recorded voices from the recorded voice storage portion in accordance with the characteristic parameters, synthesizes the recorded voices, and generates the synthesized voice that reads out the text.

Abstract: A speech synthesizer includes a speech storage section for storing the speech of each of a plurality of speakers, a feature information storage section for storing speaker feature information which shows a feature as to the utterance of each of the speakers specified from speech, a reading feature designation section for designating reading feature information, a check section for deriving the degree of similarity of a feature as to the utterance of the speaker designated by the reading feature designation section based on the designated reading feature information and on the speaker feature information, and a speech synthesizing section for obtaining the speech of a speaker having a feature similar to the feature designated by the reading feature designation section from the speech storage section based on the derived degree of similarity and creating synthesized speech for reading a sentence based on the speech.