Method and system for synchronizing audio and visual presentation in a multi-modal content renderer

Abstract

A system and method for a multi-modal browser/renderer that simultaneously renders content visually and verbally in a synchronized manner are provided without having the server applications change. The system and method receives a document via a computer network, parses the text in the document, provides an audible component associated with the text, simultaneously transmits to output the text and the audible component. The desired behavior for the renderer is that when some section of that content is being heard by the user, that section is visible on the screen and, furthermore, the specific visual content being audibly rendered is somehow highlighted visually. In addition, the invention also reacts to input from either the visual component or the aural component. The invention also allows any application or server to be accessible to someone via audio instead of visual means by having the browser handle the Embedded Browser Markup Language (EBML) disclosed herein so that it is audibly read to the user. Existing EBML statements can also be combined so that what is audibly read to the user is related to, but not identical to, the EBML text. The present invention also solves the problem of synchronizing audio and visual presentation of existing content via markup language changes rather than by application code changes.