Google Inc.

Benedict Davies

Matthias Quasthoff

Jack Whyte

Simon Tokumine

Alessio Macri

Jakub Adamek

Guillaume Boniface

Yaroslav Volovich

Christian Brunschen

Guillaume Boniface-Chang

Rachel Ilan Simpson

Joseph Hughes

A computing system and related techniques for selecting content to be automatically converted to speech and provided as an audio signal are provided. A text-to-speech request associated with a first document can be received that includes data associated with a playback position of a selector associated with a text-to-speech interface overlaid on the first document. First content associated with the first document can be determined based at least in part on the playback position, the first content including content that is displayed in the user interface at the playback position. The first document can be analyzed to identify one or more structural features associated with the first content. Speech data can be generated based on the first content and the one or more structural features.

Systems and methods for a text-to-speech interface

An audio playback system that provides intuitive audio playback of textual content responsive to user input actions, such as scrolling portions of textual content on a display. Playback of audio (e.g., text-to-speech audio) that includes textual content can begin based on a portion of textual content being positioned by a user input at a certain position on a device display. As one example, a user can simply scroll through a webpage or other content item to cause a text-to-speech system to perform audio playback of textual content displayed in one or more playback section(s) of the device's viewport (e.g., rather than requiring the user to perform additional tapping or gesturing to specifically select a certain portion of textual content).

Automatic audio playback of displayed textual content

In accordance with some embodiments, a method for generating sentimental information associated with media content is provided, the method comprising: receiving user input data corresponding to a user; identifying a portion of the media content item based on the user input data; determining a sentiment based on the user input data, wherein the sentiment is one of a positive sentiment which indicates that the media content item was liked by the user or a negative sentiment which indicates that the media content item was disliked by the user; determining an amount of the sentiment based on the user input data; associating the amount of the sentiment with the portion of the media content item; and generating, for the media content item, sentimental information that indicates the amount of the sentiment associated with at least one portion of the media content item.

Methods, systems, and media for generating sentimental information associated with media content

Implementations relate to providing selectable content items in communications. In some implementations, a method includes determining that a user is or will be participating in a communication using a device, the communication including an exchange of information with one or more other users. The method determines a set of one or more content items to be presented on the device for selection by the user, the content items derived from stored content and being related to activity performed by the user using the device or one or more other devices, and where the activity is external to the communication. The method causes a presentation of the set of content items with the device for selection by the user, and causes at least one content item selected by the user to be sent in the communication to at least one of the other users.

Providing selectable content items in communications

Methods and systems for enhancing program-viewing experience with viewership, message, and supplemental data include receiving a program identifier for a media program to be viewed; receiving one or more of viewership, message, and/or supplemental data relating to the media program; compiling the viewership, message, and/or supplemental data with the program identifier; storing the viewership, message, and/or supplemental data in a memory in association with the program identifier; and providing display data representing the viewership, message, and/or supplemental data and the program identifier.

Systems and methods for displaying viewership and/or message data

A method includes outputting, at a display of an electronic device, a first content item in a sequence of content items, wherein the sequence comprises the first content item and a second content item that sequentially follows the first content item in the sequence, detecting a touch input received at a touch-sensitive component of the electronic device, and identifying a starting location on the touch-sensitive component, wherein the starting location includes a coordinate that corresponds to a location of the touch input. The method further includes responsive to detecting that an input stroke continuously applied at the touch-sensitive component has continuously moved from the starting point to a first threshold in a first direction, outputting, at the display, the second content item in the sequence, the first threshold location corresponding to a coordinate on the touch-sensitive component that is located a first threshold distance away, in a first direction, from the starting location, and responsive to detecting that the input stroke continuously applied at the touch sensitive component has moved across the first threshold location, reversing an order of display for the sequence of content items.

Method and system for advancing through a sequence of items using a touch-sensitive component

Systems, methods and devices described herein enable acquiring, selecting and sharing content elements, extracted from media content playing on a first device, using one or more second devices. For example, while a video stream is playing on a first client device, a second client device acquires and sends content information derived from the video stream to a server system. The server system identifies the video stream, generates a set of instructions and extracts content elements associated with the media content. The content elements may include, without limitation, individually selectable portions of text, images, suggested ratings, video clips, audio clips, etc. In some implementations, the set of instructions includes instructions to display the one or more content items using non-intersecting overlay regions that enable each respective content element to be individually selectable.

Acquiring and sharing content extracted from media content

An electronic device includes a touch-sensitive component and a display that presents a sequence of content item. A user may scroll through the sequence by applying a touch input that continuously moves across at least two thresholds. So long as the input stroke remains uninterrupted, the display will advance through the sequence each time the stroke crosses one of the two thresholds.

Systems and methods for media-oriented product catalog creation are disclosed herein. Media content displayed or otherwise selected by a content consumer can be identified. Accordingly, products or services depicted by the media content can be compiled into a dynamic product catalog. The catalog can include a description of the products or services as well as associated contextual references to the media content, such as a screen capture or video clip that depicts one or more portions of the media content in which the product or service was featured.

Growing community of inventors

London, United Kingdom

Benedict Davies