Patent ID: 6681208
Filing Date: 2004-01-20
Classification: G10L

Abstract:
A method of converting text to speech in a communication device operable to receive text messages and having a vocoder with a stored code table containing coded speech parameters, the method comprising the steps of:inputting a text message into the communication device; dividing the text message into phonics; mapping each of the phonics against the existing vocoder code table to find the coded speech parameters corresponding to each of the phonics by matching each distinct phonic with a memory location index of predefined phonics in a look-up table to point to a digitized wave file defining equivalent native coded speech parameters from the code table comprising the substeps of: providing an intermediate array in random memory as a look-up table; finding the starting and the ending addresses of the phonics in the look-up table; saving the starting and the ending addresses in microprocessor registers; using one microprocessor register as a counter, with the counter being set to zero before reading the look-up table, and adding one count to the counter for each read cycle; reading one single byte/word from the look-up table from flash memory; storing the one byte/word of data in a microprocessor register, and comparing the counter value with starting address, wherein if the counter value is less than the starting address, go back to the reading step to read the next byte/word from memory, and if the counter value is equal or greater than the starting address, comparing the counter value with the ending address, wherein if the counter value is less than the ending address, moving the data from the said step of storing the one byte/word of data in a microprocessor register into the intermediate array random memory, and if the counter value is greater than the ending address, go back to the reading step and finish the reading to the end of the memory; and subsequently processing the coded speech parameters corresponding to each of the phonics from the previous step in the vocoder of the communication device to provide a speech signal from the communication device.