Patent Publication Number: US-9431004-B2

Title: Variable-depth audio presentation of textual information

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to data processing, and more specifically, to personalized audio presentation of textual information as synthesized human speech. 
     As data processing systems such as computers, mobile phones, cameras, gaming systems, vehicle computers and the like have become pervasive, users of such data processing systems have come to expect and rely upon access, via the Internet, to various resources, such as information, executable programs and services. The resources accessible via the Internet include, for example, news and weather reports, financial information and financial transactions, various applications (“apps”), mapping services, data backup, management and storage services, video and audio entertainment, information services and feeds, and various knowledge bases (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, real estate listings, etc.). User access to these and other resources available via the Internet is encouraged by making many of these resources available at low or no cost to the user. 
     Although resources accessible via the Internet commonly include or are provided in conjunction with image and/or video content, a significant proportion of the resources accessible via the Internet are provided as, or in conjunction with, textual content. Consequently, many of the resources of the Internet have been effectively inaccessible or unusable by users that are either temporarily or permanently unable to read such textual content, for example, due to the temporary inability of the user to view the textual content (e.g., while driving an automobile) or visual impairment of the user. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     In at least some embodiments, a user&#39;s access to the textual content of resources available on the Internet is promoted by enabling a personalized audio presentation of the textual content as synthesized speech. 
     In at least some embodiments, each of a plurality of stations has a respective sequence of tracks of Internet content of common subject matter and a respective play pointer indicating a location in the sequence of tracks. In response to a first input, the presentation mode of the station is configured in a continuous play mode in which the play pointer is progressed through the sequence of tracks queued to the station regardless of whether or not the station is presently selected for presentation. In response to a second input, the presentation mode is configured in a pause play mode in which the play pointer is progressed through the sequence of tracks queued to the station only while the station is selected for presentation to a user and otherwise pauses progression of the play pointer. The processor transmits tracks of the station and progresses the play pointer in accordance with the configured presentation mode. 
     In at least some embodiments, a respective sequence of tracks of Internet content of common subject matter is queued to each of a plurality of stations, where each of the tracks of Internet content resides on a respective Internet resource in textual form. In response to receiving a sample input, snippets of each of multiple tracks queued to a selected station among the plurality of stations is transmitted for audible presentation as synthesized human speech, where each of the snippets includes only a subset of a corresponding track. Thereafter, one or more complete tracks among the multiple tracks for which snippets were previously transmitted are transmitted for audio presentation as synthesized human speech. 
     In at least some embodiments, a selected track among the sequence of tracks queued to a selected station among the plurality of stations includes multiple items of specific information all related to the common subject matter of the selected station. In response to receiving an in-depth input during presentation of the selected track as synthesized human speech, automatically searching for and accessing additional textual Internet content concerning one of the multiple items of specific information and queuing the additional Internet content to the selected station for presentation in one or more additional tracks. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a high level block diagram of a data processing environment in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a high level block diagram of a data processing system in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a software layer diagram of an exemplary software configuration of the data processing system of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a software layer diagram of an exemplary software configuration of the server computer system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary graphical user interface of a browser application through which textual content of an Internet resource can be selected for audio presentation; 
         FIG. 6  depicts an exemplary graphical user interface of a client application or browser though which a user can control the audio presentation of textual content of an Internet resource; 
         FIG. 7  is a high level block logical flowchart of an exemplary method of audio presentation of textual content of an Internet resource as synthesized human speech in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  is a high level block logical flowchart of an exemplary method of controlling a presentation mode of an audio presentation of textual content of an Internet resource; 
         FIG. 9  is a high level logical flowchart of an exemplary method of presenting a variable-depth audio presentation of textual content of an Internet resource; and 
         FIG. 10  is a high level logical flowchart of an exemplary method of audibly presenting an automotive input in accordance with one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference now to the figures and with particular reference to  FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a high level block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a data processing environment in which the methods, systems, and program products of the present invention may advantageously be practiced. In particular,  FIG. 1  illustrates an environment  100  in which one or more data processing systems may be utilized to provide personalized audio presentation of textual information of an Internet resource as described herein. 
     As shown, environment  100  includes a constellation of earth-orbiting global positioning system (GPS) satellites  102 . As is known in the art, GPS satellites  102  continuously emit GPS signals, which enable GPS-equipped devices, such as mobile phone  104 , vehicle computer (VC)  106  of automobile  108  and/or client computer system  134  (a laptop, tablet, etc.), to continuously determine their position, velocity, bearing and elevation as long as a sufficient number of GPS satellites  102  can be acquired. 
     Environment  100  further includes a wireless wide-area network (WAN) communication system including a plurality of geographically distributed communication towers  120  and base station systems (BSSs)  122  (only one of each is illustrated for simplicity). Communication towers  120  includes one or more antennae supporting long range two-way radio frequency communication with wireless devices, such as mobile phone  104 , vehicle computer  106  and/or client computer system  134 . In various implementations, the radio frequency communication may conform to any known or future developed wireless protocol, for example, CDMA, GSM, EDGE, 3G, 4G LTE, IEEE 802.x (e.g., IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX)), etc. The information transmitted over-the-air by BSS  122  and cellular communication tower  120  to mobile phone  104 , vehicle computer  106  and/or client computer system  134  may be further transmitted to or received from one or more additional circuit-switched or packet-switched communication networks, including, for example, the Internet  130 . 
     As is well known to those skilled in the art, Internet  130  is a worldwide collection of servers, routers, switches and transmission lines that employ the Internet Protocol (IP) to communicate data. Internet  130  may be employed to communicate data between any of server computer system  132 , client computer system  134 , third party service provider  136 , mobile phone  104 , and vehicle computer  106 . For example, as described further below, Internet  130  may be utilized to communicate to mobile phone  104 , vehicle computer  106  and/or client computer system  134  information retrieved from or accessed through Internet  130  for presentation in audio format as synthesized speech. 
     As further shown in  FIG. 1 , vehicle computer  106  commonly has an associated passenger presentation system (PPS)  110  through which graphical, textual, video and audio presentations can be made to passengers of automobile  108 . PPS  110  may thus include one or more dashboard, overhead or seatback displays and a speaker system. In many embodiments, the information presented by PPS  110  can be received over-the-air by a mobile phone  104  and then routed to PPS  110  for presentation via a wired or wireless (e.g., Bluetooth®) connection between mobile phone  104  and vehicle computer  106 . In other embodiments, vehicle computer  106  may itself receive the information over-the-air from a communication tower  120 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is illustrated a high level block diagram of an exemplary data processing system  200  in accordance with one embodiment. Data processing system  200  may be implemented as a special purpose device or may alternatively be realized on a conventional portable device platform, such as a mobile phone  104 , vehicle computer  106  or client computer system  134 , or on another data processing device platform, such as an MP3 player, digital camera, PDA, etc. 
     As illustrated, data processing system  200  includes one or more processors  202  that control the operation of data processing system  200  in accordance with program code  216  described further below with respect to  FIG. 3 . Data processing system  200  includes an internal memory  214  for storing program code  216 , as well as various other data and information. As will be appreciated, the storage provided by internal memory  214  may be further augmented by a removable storage device (e.g., memory card, flash storage device, CD-ROM, etc.). The data stored in internal memory  214  may include, for example, synthesized human speech tracks that present in audio format textual information resident in Internet  130 . 
     As shown, processor(s)  202  are coupled, either directly or indirectly, to a variety of other components of data processing system  200 . These components include a WAN wireless transceiver  204  that supports two-way wireless WAN communication with communication towers  120  and a GPS receiver  206  that receives GPS signals from GPS satellites  102 . In addition, to support communication with other electronics within close range, data processing system  200  may be further equipped with one or more local wireless interface(s)  208  (e.g., supporting 802.11x, Bluetooth®, 900 MHz communication or the like) and an optional data port  210 , which may employ short range wired or wireless communication (e.g., RS-232, Ethernet, or infrared). Utilizing such technologies, data processing system  200  may communicate data received by WAN transceiver  204 , local wireless interfaces  208  and/or data port  210  to another data processing system for processing and/or presentation. 
     Data processing system  200  is further equipped with a power supply  212  that powers processor(s)  202  and the other components of data processing system  200 . In some embodiments, power supply  212  includes a battery and may further have an associated power port through which the battery may be charged from an AC or DC power source. Data processing system  200  may further include a number of input/output (I/O) devices, including input buttons  218 , a speaker  220 , a microphone  222 , a display  224  (e.g., a LCD (liquid crystal display) or OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display without or without a touch screen), one or more video and/or still digital cameras  226 , and optionally one or more additional sensors  228  (e.g., accelerometers and magnetometer (compass)). 
     Although not separately illustrated, those skilled in the art will appreciate that server computer system  132  can have a similar hardware configuration to data processing system  200  and will generally include one or more processors for executing program code, data storage coupled to the processor(s) for storing program code and data, and a network interface coupled to the processor(s). It may also generally exclude some of the input devices and sensors shown in DPS  200 . 
     With reference now to  FIG. 3 , there is illustrated a layer diagram of an exemplary software configuration of data processing system  200  of  FIG. 2  in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the software configuration of data processing system  200  includes, at a lowest level, an operating system (OS)  300  that provides a collection of services, such as thread scheduling, memory management, interrupts, etc., that may be accessed by higher-level software. Running on top of operating system  300  may be an optional runtime environment  302 , such as one of the JAVA® or BREW® runtime environments. Finally, the software configuration of data processing system  200  includes a client application  304  and optionally a browser  306  running on top of operating system  300  and, if present, runtime environment  302 . In various embodiments, client application  304  may be preinstalled on data processing system  200  or may be downloaded to data processing system  200  from server computer system  132  or a third party service provider  136 , for example, over-the-air via the wireless WAN and WAN wireless transceiver  204  and/or Internet  130 . 
     As illustrated, client application  304  comprises a number of individual modules, each executed to perform a function of data processing system  200 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the illustrated modules are illustrative rather than exhaustive, and that client application  304  may include additional or alternative modules to support or extend the functionality of data processing system  200 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the modules within client application  304  preferably include a visual presentation module  310  that manages the presentation of a graphical user interface of client application  310  within display  224  and handles inputs received via the graphical user interface. An exemplary graphical user interface that may be presented by client application  310  or browser  306  is depicted in  FIG. 6 . 
     An audio presentation module  312  is preferably equipped to audibly present, as synthesized human speech, textual information of a resource resident in or accessed from Internet  130  (or another network). The textual information in each resource (e.g., web page, email message, blog post, Twitter® tweet, Facebook® post) forms an individual audio track. In some embodiments, audio presentation module  312  may present audio tracks directly from audio files, such as MP3 or MP4 files, received from server computer system  132 . In other embodiments, client application  304  may receive information to be presented by audio presentation module  312  in an alternative format, such as a textual format. In such embodiments, client application  304  includes a text-to-speech converter  314 , and audio presentation module  312  presents, in audio format, audio files and/or audio streams received from text-to-speech converter  314  following conversion of the information. As will be appreciated, text-to-speech converter  314  may also provide automated language translation of textual content from a source human language to a receptor human language, and such translation can be subject to user configuration. 
     Client application  304  preferably further includes a browser interface module  316  that receives from browser  304  designations of textual information accessed via browser  304  that the user desires to be audibly presented as synthesized human speech by client application  304 . Illustrative techniques by which the textual information can be designated by a user are described in greater detail below with reference to  FIG. 5 . 
     A backend communication module  318  supports communication between client application  304  and a server application  404  (see, e.g.,  FIG. 4 ) running on server computer system  132 . Backend communication module  318  receives information from resources in or accessed from Internet  130  and, if the information is in a textual format, passes the information to text-to-speech converter  314 , and if the information has already been converted from a textual format into an audio format (e.g., by server application  404 ), passes the information directly to audio presentation module  312 . Backend communication module  318  also communicates to server application  404  application settings, preferences and inputs received by client application  304 . 
     Client application  304  optionally but preferably includes a contextual awareness module that receives substantially real-time contextual information (e.g., GPS and/or WAN location information, time information, automotive inputs provided by automobile  108 , weather information, news information, route information from a mapping service, video or still camera inputs, etc.). Based on the content and priority of the contextual information, contextual awareness module  320  may provide one or more tracks of contextual information to audio presentation module  312  for inclusion within (e.g., interruption of) the sequence of audio tracks presented by audio presentation module  312 . An exemplary method of presenting automotive inputs in a stream of audio tracks of Internet content is described in greater detail below with reference to  FIG. 10 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is depicted a layer diagram of at least a portion of an exemplary software configuration of server computer system  132  of  FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, server computer system  132  may optionally implement one or more unillustrated lower-level software or virtualization layers (e.g., a virtual machine manager (VMM)). At a still relatively low level, the software configuration of server computer system  132  further includes an operating system (OS)  400 , which is preferably one of the commercially available operating systems, such as Windows®, UNIX®, LINUX®, AIX®, etc. OS  400  has an associated application programming interface (API)  402  though which middleware (if present) and application programs may access the services of OS  400 . 
     Running on top of OS  400  is a hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) server  406 , which, as is well known in the art, communicates data over Internet  130  utilizing HTTP. In particular, HTTP server  406  supports data communication with mobile phone  104 , client computer system  134 , and vehicle computer  106  utilizing HTTP. Communication with server computer system  132  may alternatively or additionally be conducted utilizing a sockets layer interface or other lower layer protocol running over IP. 
     Also running on top of OS  400  is a server application  404  that supports audio presentation by client application  304  and/or browser  306  of personalized streams of Internet content formatted as synthesized human speech. As a organizational construct, server application  404  preferably employs a “station” model according to which Internet content having related subject matter is associated, by users and/or server application  404 , with various “stations” (“channels”) loosely analogous to over-the-air broadcast radio stations or television channels. Although server application  404  may offer predefined stations (e.g., Daily News, Weather, Sports, Movie Reviews, etc.), server application  404  preferably permits users to define and curate the contents of their own personal or shared stations, and/or permits users to subscribe to stations curated or shared by others. Thus, each individual station&#39;s content may be as encompassing or as specific as desired by the user(s) having permission to curate the individual stations. 
     In the depicted embodiment, server application  404  includes a number of different modules that support the audio presentation service. In the depicted embodiment, these modules include an account manager  410  that manages accounts, including the credentials, permissions, feature sets, service levels, etc., of various users of the audio presentation service supported by server application  404 . Thus, server application  404  may offer the service to a plurality of users forming a user community, may restrict the service (or at least some features of the service) to users that have been issued login IDs and passwords for accessing server application  404 , and may further offer the service (or at least some features of the service) in exchange for a subscription fee. Account manager  410  may use the commonly used OAuth protocol to enable users to log in using credentials already established at other web services such as Google, Facebook, or Twitter. 
     Server application  404  maintains associations between the various subject matters of Internet content and a plurality of user-defined stations in a user station database  412 . User station database  412  additionally stores, for each station, the configuration of the station and a play pointer  413  indicating a current location in a track from which Internet content is to be streamed. Server application  404  additionally implements a content acquisition module  414  that autonomously and continuously searches Internet  130  and accesses freely available or subscription-based textual content for presentation to users via the stations. To avoid “dead air,” content acquisition module  414  preferably prioritizes the acquisition of content for stations currently being listened to by users via client applications  304  and/or browsers  306 , but additionally preferably acquires and queues some content for stations that are not currently being listened to, refreshing that content as needed to avoid the queued content becoming “stale.” In at least one embodiment, content acquisition module  414  includes an RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) reader  416  that obtains Internet content from the web feeds of various web sites in Internet  130 . 
     The textual Internet content accessed by content acquisition module  414  is optionally but preferably converted into synthesized human speech by a text-to-speech converter  418  executing within server application  404  or within a separate application executing on server computer system  132  or a third party service provider  136 . As noted above, in an alternative embodiment, text-to-speech conversion can alternatively be performed by a text-to-speech converter  314  executing on a data processing system  200 . As described above with reference to text-to-speech converter  314  of client application  304 , text-to-speech converter  418  of server application  404  may further be configured to translate textual content not already in a user-selected receptor language. 
     As further shown in  FIG. 4 , server application  404  includes a station streamer module  420  that streams tracks of Internet content retrieved by content acquisition module  414  (preferably in audio format and after conversion to synthesized human speech by text-to-speech converter  418 ) to client applications  304  and/or browsers  306  executing on the data processing systems  200  of various users via the appropriate stations identified in user station database  412 . As described further below, in some embodiments, a presentation mode of each station can be individually configured in either a continuous play mode in which station streamer module  420  progresses the play pointer  413  (at an appropriately selected rate) through tracks of Internet content assigned to a station regardless of whether or not any users are presently listening to that station, or a pause play mode in which station streamer module  420  progresses play pointer  413  through a sequence of tracks of Internet content queued for a particular station only when a user is listening to the station and otherwise pauses presentation of the sequence of tracks (i.e., temporarily halts updates to play pointer  413 ) until the user again listens to the station to which the tracks are queued. 
     Server application finally includes a front end communication module  422  and an optional ad manager  424 . Front end communication manager  422  handles all incoming communication received from client applications  304  and/or browsers  306  via HTTP server  406 . Thus, for example, front end communication module  422  receives and acts upon requests to change stations or to update application settings, presentation modes, user preferences, station content, etc. Ad manager  424 , if present, places audio and/or multimedia advertisements in the streams of tracks of Internet content transmitted by station streamer module  420  to data processing systems  200 . Ad manager  424  can select the advertisements based on, for example, the user subscription level (e.g., higher subscription prices may have fewer advertisements), user preferences, station content, and contextual information received from contextual awareness module  320 . For example, ad manager  424  may include, within the stream of tracks to be transmitted to a given user, restaurant and/or hotel advertisements based on a time of day and a GPS or network location, directional heading, or other input reported by contextual awareness module  320 . Similarly, if the user is listening to a Home Improvement station, ad manger  424  may include within the stream of tracks for the Home Improvement station advertisements for appliances or home remodeling services based on the station content. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 5 , there is illustrated an exemplary graphical user interface of a browser  306  through which textual content of an Internet resource can be selected for audio presentation as synthesized human speech. Graphical user interface  500  includes a window  502  having a toolbar  504  and a display pane  506 . Toolbar  504  includes conventional browser features, such as a back button  510 , forward button  512 , reload button  514 , favorites (bookmark) button  518 , as well as window controls, such as minimize button  520 , maximize button  522  and close button  524 . Toolbar  526  further includes an address and search field  526  in which IP addresses or URLs (Universal Resource Locators) can be entered to cause browser  306  to present a desired web page within display pane  506 , or into which textual search terms may be entered to invoke operation of a search engine to compile a results page containing a hyperlinked list of resources of possible interest. When a web page that offers an RSS feed is presented in display pane  506 , address and search field  526  includes RSS icon  528  to indicate a RSS feed is available for that particular web page. 
     In accordance with some embodiments, toolbar  504  of browser  306  is modified, for example, by a browser plug-in or extension, to enable a user to designate textual content of Internet resources for audio presentation via the audio presentation service supported by server application  404 . For example, in some embodiments, the user can select RSS icon  528  (e.g., utilizing cursor  540  or a touch input) to open a dialog box that includes the option to add the RSS feed of the displayed web page to a desired station of the user. Alternatively or additionally, the user can add all the textual content of the displayed web page to a desired station of the user by selecting a station button  530  on toolbar  504 . Alternatively or additionally, the user can add only selected textual content of the webpage presented in display pane  506  to a desired station by right-clicking or otherwise selecting textual content of webpage and then navigating a primary pop-up window  542  and secondary pop-up window  544  to designate the desired station (e.g., Tech). 
     In addition to the three modalities of selection of textual content of an Internet resource for audio presentation as synthesized human speech noted above (which all rely on modification of the interface of a conventional browser), the user may alternatively or additionally add selected textual content of the webpage presented in display pane  506  to a desired station by selecting a share-to-station icon  546  embedded in the web page itself. Thus, web page publishers can encourage audio presentation of their textual content, even if a user&#39;s browser lacks an explicit tool to add the textual content to a station. Such web page publishers may also choose to provide an already-converted-to-speech version of the content, for delivery through a third-party service provider  136 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , there is depicted an exemplary graphical user interface  600  of a client application  304  or browser  306  though which a user can control the audio presentation of textual content of an Internet resource. Graphical user interface  600  can be presented in the display  224  of a data processing system  200 , for example, in response to the user opening client application  304  (e.g., by selecting an associated icon on a desktop) or by navigating to a player page of a service website on server computer system  132  utilizing browser  306  of data processing system  200 . 
     Graphical user interface  600  includes a number of fields, buttons and controls by which a user can manage their personal and/or shared stations, add content to stations and/or control the listening experience. Although exemplary fields, buttons and controls are illustrated and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the described functionality can alternatively be achieved through multiple GUI screens (rather than a single one as shown) and can optionally employ different numbers and/or types of GUI elements. 
     In the depicted example, a user manages stations via text field  602  and buttons  604 - 608 . In particular, the user can enter a station name into text field  602  and then add the station to the list of the user&#39;s personal stations maintained in user station database  412  by selecting add button  604  or delete the station from the list of the user&#39;s personal stations by selecting delete button  606 . Further, the user can change of the presentation mode of the identified station between continuous play mode and pause play mode by toggling presentation mode button  608 . As noted above, in the continuous play mode, station streamer module  420  progresses play pointer  413  through tracks of Internet content assigned to the selected station regardless of whether or not the user is presently listening to that station. Station streamer module  420  can control the rate at which it progresses play pointer  413  through the content queued on the station based on the rate at which content is being added to the station. In contrast, in the pause play mode, station streamer module  420  progresses play pointer  413  through a sequence of tracks of Internet content queued to the selected station only when the user is listening to the station and otherwise pauses presentation of the sequence of tracks (and temporarily halts updates to play pointer  413 ) until the user again listens to the station. These presentation modes are further described below with reference to  FIG. 8 . 
     In the depicted example, a user can add content to a station via text fields  610 - 614 . (These fields can be utilized to supplement the direct selection of textual content described above with reference to  FIG. 5 .) For example, the user enters the station name in text field  610  and then designates content for addition to the station by entering an IP address, URL or the name of a bookmark of browser  306  in text field  612 . The user can alternatively or additionally designate content for addition to the station by entering keywords in text field  614 . It should be understood that the Internet content can include the user&#39;s own “library” of content, residing either on the user&#39;s data processing system  200 , on a network-accessible drive, or in the cloud. Thus, for example, the Internet content may include, but preferably is not restricted to, the user&#39;s own email messages, Twitter feed, documents, e-books, etc. In response to entry of information in field  612  and/or field  614 , client application  304  or browser  306  passes the information entered in field  612  and/or  614  to server application  404 . Content acquisition module  414  of server application  404  then utilizes the information to search for and/or to access additional textual Internet content for presentation on the selected station of the user. 
     The user can control his or her individual listening experience for a particular station utilizing controls  620 - 664 . (That is, settings of controls  620 - 644  are preferably customizable on a station-by-station basis, but in some embodiments can be applied to multiple of the user&#39;s stations.) In text field  620 , the user enters the name of station to which the user desires to listen. In response to entry of a valid station name in text field  620 , client application  304  or browser  306  communicates the station name and a presentation request to server application  404 , which responds by causing station streamer module  420  to stream a sequence of tracks of Internet content to the user&#39;s data processing system  200  for presentation by audio presentation module  312  of client application  304  or by browser  306 . The user can mute or un-mute the station by toggling mute button  622  and can further adjust the volume of the presentation utilizing slider  624 . The user can also control the speed/rate of playback using slider  625 . 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the user can control the subject matter depth and duration of a presentation of the content associated with a selected station utilizing controls  626 - 636 . For example, using slider  626  the user can control the default subject matter depth of the selected station. In response to selection of a smaller depth, station streamer module  420  presents fewer and/or shorter tracks regarding the general subject matter associated with the selected station, and conversely station streamer module  420  presents more and/or longer tracks regarding the general subject matter associated with the selected station in response to selection of a greater depth. If the station to which the user is listening is currently presenting a track of particular interest to the user, the user may select In Depth Now button  630  to cause content acquisition module  414  to acquire and station streamer module  420  to stream more in-depth content related to the specific subject matter of the current track. For example, if the selected station is a History channel and the current track mentions a historical figure, the user can select In Depth Now button  630  to request server application  404  to provide more in-depth information regarding the historical figure, which may be, for example, a biographical sketch from an Internet encyclopedia. 
     The user may also desire to limit the scope of information provided on a given topic, either due to time limitations or desire for greater breadth at the expense of depth. In such cases, the user may utilize slider  634  to indicate a level of automated content summarization to be applied to the Internet content prior to presentation. In various embodiments, the automated content summarization can be performed by client application  304 , server application  404  or a third party service provider  136 . The user may also enter a desired audio program duration in text field  636 , which may correspond, for example, to the anticipated duration of an automobile trip. In response to receipt of the desired program duration, station streamer module  420  may tailor the length, depth and summarization of a collection of tracks of Internet content to achieve the desired overall audio program duration. 
     If the user wants to gauge his or her interest in listening to the station, the user may also toggle Sample Now button  632 . In response to the user toggling button  632 , station streamer module  420  streams a brief snippet (e.g., 5-10 s) of each of multiple (e.g., 5-10) tracks queued for presentation on that station. Based on interest in the snippets presented, the user can then decide to change the station using text field  620  or can again toggle button  632  to cause station streamer module  420  to begin full presentation of the tracks that were sampled. One exemplary implementation of the track sampling feature of the audio presentation service is described below in greater detail with reference to  FIG. 9 . 
     GUI  600  further includes radio buttons  644  that permit the user to select either a male or female voice for rendering the synthesized speech presentation of the Internet content. The user can further adjust the degree of emotional inflection in the synthesized speech utilizing slider  646 . If the user desires to hear tracks related to a variety of different subject matter, the user can cause station streamer module  420  to “shuffle” tracks between stations by toggling shuffle button  640 . The user can also cause station streamer module  420  to replay a track from the beginning or skip to the next track by selecting buttons  650  and  656 , respectively. The user can confirm interest in the subject matter of a track by selecting button  654 , or if a track is not of interest can so indicate by selecting button  652 . Content acquisition module  414  can select additional Internet content to acquire based on the level of user interest reflected by the inputs received via buttons  652 - 654 . If the user wants to associate content currently being presented and related content with a new or different station, the user can redirect such content by selecting button  664 , which opens a control that enables the user to specify the new or existing station on which the content is to be presented. In this manner, the user is able to craft and curate the content of each station in accordance with his or her individual preferences. 
     GUI  600  finally preferably includes controls that control the influence of context on the listening experience. In the illustrated example, GUI  600  includes radio buttons  660  that enable the user to enable and disable the inclusion of station content selected based at least in part on contextual awareness information (e.g., reported by contextual awareness module  320 ). The user may further control the relative priority of contextually influenced content, when enabled, with respect to other content utilizing slider  662 . Thus, for example, at lower levels of contextual priority, a contextually influenced track (e.g., a restaurant review of a nearby restaurant) may only be presented if the user is listening to a station playing related content (e.g., a Local Attractions station). However, at higher levels of contextual priority, a contextually influenced track (e.g., mapping service directions to a chosen destination (e.g., “Take the exit to the right.”) or information regarding a nearby historical site) make “break in” to the regular stream of tracks of the station currently being listened to, regardless of its content. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 7 , there is illustrated a high level block logical flowchart of an exemplary method of audio presentation of textual content of an Internet resource as synthesized human speech in accordance with one embodiment. The process begins at block  700  and the proceeds to block  702 , which illustrates a user curating the content of one or more stations, for example, utilizing GUI  600  of  FIG. 6  to provide the relevant inputs to server application  404 . The curation of the station(s) enables the user to develop and maintain personalized stations each providing a respective stream of tracks of relevant Internet content. At block  704 , content acquisition module  414  of server application  404  accesses textual Internet content relevant to the user and associates the Internet content with one or more stations, and then station streamer module  420  streams tracks of content associated with at least one station to the user&#39;s data processing system  200 . As further noted in block  704 , the textual Internet content is also transformed into synthesized speech (and optionally translated), for example, by text-to-speech converter  418  or  314 . Following conversion into synthesized speech, the tracks of Internet content associated with a currently selected station are presented to the user, for example, by browser  306  or audio presentation module  312  of client application  304 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , there is depicted a high-level block logical flowchart of an exemplary method of controlling a presentation mode of an audio presentation of textual content of an Internet resource. The process begins at block  800  and then proceeds to block  802 , which depicts server application  404  initializing a given station of a user to a default presentation mode, such as the continuous play mode, and then recording the presentation mode in user station database  412 . As indicated at block  804  and  806 , while a station is in the continuous play mode, station streamer module  420  progresses play pointer  413  through tracks of Internet content assigned to the station at a predetermined rate (e.g., a simulated rate at which the content would be presented in audio format) regardless of whether or not the user is presently listening to that station. In this manner, the station follows the paradigm of conventional over-the-air broadcast media, such as radio and television. 
     In response to front end communication module  422  of server application  404  receiving a request to change the presentation mode (e.g., where the mode change request is generated in response to the user toggling button  608  of GUI  600 ) at block  804 , server application  404  modifies the presentation mode of the station in user database  412  to the pause play mode, as shown at block  810 . While the station is configured in the pause play mode, station streamer module  420  progresses play pointer  413  through a sequence of tracks of Internet content queued to the station only while the station is selected for presentation, and otherwise pauses presentation of the sequence of tracks (and temporarily halts updates to play pointer  413 ) until the user again selects the station, as illustrated at blocks  812 - 816 . In response to server application  404  receiving a mode change request for a station in the pause play mode, the process of  FIG. 8  returns to block  802 , which has been described. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 9 , there is depicted a high level logical flowchart of an exemplary method of presenting a variable-depth audio presentation of textual content of an Internet resource. The process begins at block  900  in response to receipt by server application  404  of an input from a user&#39;s data processing system  200 . The process then proceeds to block  902 , which illustrates server application  404  determining whether or not a sample input has been received, for example, in response to a user selecting Sample Now toggle button  632  in GUI  600  of  FIG. 6 . In response to server application  404  determining at block  902  that the received input is not a sample input, the process passes to block  930 , which is described below. 
     Returning to block  902 , in response to server application  404  determining that a sample input has been received, station streamer module  414  begins transmission, to the user&#39;s data processing system  200  for audio presentation to the user, a sequence of snippets (e.g., 5-10 s each) from multiple tracks in the sequence of tracks queued for the user&#39;s currently selected station (block  910 ). These snippets can also be summarized versions of the tracks, as obtained from an external third-party service  136  or from the content publisher. The process then proceeds to blocks  912 - 916 , which illustrate server application  404  monitoring for the first to occur of any of three events, namely, receipt from the user&#39;s data processing system  200  of a full presentation input (e.g., toggling of Sample Now toggle button  632 ) requesting full presentation of one of the sampled tracks (block  912 ), the completion of transmission and/or presentation of all of the sequence of snippets (block  914 ), and receipt from the user&#39;s data processing system  200  of an input changing the station (block  916 ). 
     In response to a determination at block  916  that receipt of an input changing the station is the first event to occur, processing continues at block  924 , for example, by station streamer module  420  beginning to stream full tracks of Internet content in a different station selected by the user. Thereafter, the process passes to block  942 . However, in response to determining at block  912  that a full presentation input is first received, server application  404  initiates streaming of a sequence of full tracks in the currently selected station, beginning with the track from which a snippet was being presented when the user entered the full presentation input (block  920 ). Thereafter, processing continues at block  942 . 
     In response to determining at block  914  that all snippets in the sequence of snippets have been presented prior to receipt of an input changing the station or an input requesting full presentation, server application  404  initiates streaming of a sequence of full tracks on the station, beginning with the first track from which an audio snippet was presented in response to the user entering the sample input (block  922 ). Thereafter, processing continues at block  942 . 
     Referring now to block  930 , while streaming a sequence of full tracks of Internet content to the user&#39;s data processing system  200  for audio presentation as synthesized human speech, server application  404  determines whether or not an in-depth input has been received from the user&#39;s data processing system  200 , for example, in response to the user selecting In Depth Now button  630 . The in-depth input signifies the user&#39;s interest in receiving additional information regarding one of a plurality of items of specific information found in the current track. In response to a negative determination at block  930 , the process passes to block  940 , which is described below. However, in response to an affirmative determination at block  930 , server application  404  causes content acquisition module  414  to acquire, and station streamer module  420  to stream, more in-depth content related to the subject matter of an item of specific information found in the current track, for example, one presented substantially contemporaneously with selection of In Depth Now button  630  (block  932 ). If contextual awareness is enabled via radio buttons  660 , the selection of the subject matter of the more in-depth content can also be made based at least in part on contextual information, such as the location of the user&#39;s data processing system  200 . In one embodiment, server application  404  selects the depth, for example, in terms of the number of supplementary tracks elaborating on the subject matter of the item of specific information, the duration of the supplementary tracks, and the summarization applied to the supplementary tracks, based on the setting specified by sliders  626  and  634  in GUI  600 . Following presentation of the in-depth tracks, the presentation of the regular tracks of the more general Internet content on the station resumes, and the process continues at block  942 . 
     Referring now to block  940 , in response to server application  404  determining that the received input is neither a sample input nor an in-depth input, server application  404  performs other processing as appropriate for the received input. 
     At block  942 , server application  404  determines whether the number of tracks that have been acquired by content acquisition module  414  for the station to which the user is currently listening and that remain to be streamed to the user&#39;s data processing system  200  is less than a lower threshold. If not, station streamer module  420  continues to stream tracks of the station to the user&#39;s data processing system  200 , and the process continues at block  946 . In response to a determination at block  942  that the number of acquired tracks that remain to be stream is less than the lower threshold, server application  404  causes content acquisition module  414  to automatically acquire and station streamer module  420  to stream additional tracks of Internet content related to the subject matter of the currently selected station (block  944 ). Thereafter, the process continues at block  946 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 10 , there is depicted a high level logical flowchart of an exemplary method of audibly presenting an automotive message in accordance with the embodiment. The illustrated process can be performed, for example, by a vehicle computer  106  (or another data processing system  200  that is in communication with vehicle computer  106 ) and that is executing client application  304  or browser  306  as previously described in order to provide an audio presentation of Internet content in the format of synthesized human speech. 
     The process of  FIG. 10  begins at block  1000  and then proceeds to block  1002 , which illustrates a client application  304  or browser  306  running on a data processing system  200  audibly presenting an synthesized human speech presentation of a stream of tracks of Internet content for a station currently selected by the user. As discussed above, the presentation can be made, for example, via speaker  220  of data processing system  200  or via PPS  110  of automobile  108 . At block  1004 , the client application  304  or browser  306  running on a data processing system  200  monitors for receipt of an automotive input. The automotive input may comprise, for example, travel directions from a mapping program or service, information concerning availability of roadside services or accommodations, automotive service or maintenance information (e.g., oil change notification, tire pressure, fuel or electric charge level), roadway information (e.g., current speed limit, roadway congestion notification, alternative route), safety notifications (e.g., lane departure warning notification, collision avoidance notification, adverse roadway or weather conditions, etc.). In the case of client application  304 , automotive inputs can be received, for example, by contextual awareness module  320 . 
     In response to a determination at block  1004  that no automotive input has been received, the client application  304  or browser  306  continues to present, in audio synthesized speech format, the stream of tracks of Internet content associated with the currently selected station, as shown at block  1002 . In response to a determination at block  1004  that data processing system  200  has received an automotive input, client application  304  or browser  306  determines a priority of the automotive input at block  1006 . For example, client application  304  or browser  306  may assign safety notifications a high priority that mandates immediate presentation on any of the user&#39;s stations and thus interruption of the current track currently being presented no matter which station is being presented. In some embodiments, roadway information or travel directions may be assigned a medium priority that indicates presentation of the automotive input following the conclusion of the current track. Routine service or maintenance information may be assigned a lower priority that allows presentation to be deferred up to a predetermined time interval (e.g., two hours) or until the user changes station. In at least some embodiments, the user can specify priorities for one or more classes of automotive inputs and can further associate particular automotive inputs with the classes. User behavior upon playback of automotive input messages can also be used to guide the system to automatically learn the priority associated with messages and stations. 
     At block  1008 , client application  304  or browser  306  schedules and audibly presents (e.g., utilizing predetermined tracks of synthesized speech or an audible alarm sound) the automotive input in the current station based on the priority of the automotive input determined at block  1006 . Thereafter, the process of  FIG. 10  continues at block  1010 . 
     As has been described, in some embodiments, each of a plurality of stations has a respective sequence of tracks of Internet content of common subject matter and a respective play pointer indicating a location in the sequence of tracks. In response to a first input, the presentation mode of the station is configured in a continuous play mode in which the play pointer is progressed through the sequence of tracks queued to the station regardless of whether or not the station is presently selected for presentation. In response to a second input, the presentation mode is configured in a pause play mode in which the play pointer is progressed through the sequence of tracks queued to the station only while the station is selected for presentation to a user and otherwise pauses progression of the play pointer. The processor transmits tracks of the station and progresses the play pointer in accordance with the configured presentation mode. 
     In at least some embodiments, a respective sequence of tracks of Internet content of common subject matter is queued to each of a plurality of stations, where each of the tracks of Internet content resides on a respective Internet resource in textual form. In response to receiving a sample input, snippets of each of multiple tracks queued to a selected station among the plurality of stations is transmitted for audible presentation as synthesized human speech, where each of the snippets includes only a subset of a corresponding track. Thereafter, one or more complete tracks among the multiple tracks for which snippets were previously transmitted are transmitted for audio presentation as synthesized human speech. 
     In at least some embodiments, a selected track among the sequence of tracks queued to a selected station among the plurality of stations includes multiple items of specific information all related to the common subject matter of the selected station. In response to receiving an in-depth input during presentation of the selected track as synthesized human speech, automatically searching for and accessing additional textual Internet content concerning one of the multiple items of specific information and queuing the additional Internet content to the selected station for presentation in one or more additional tracks. 
     While the present invention has been particularly shown as described with reference to one or more preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although embodiments have been disclosed with reference to an exemplary data processing environment in which provision of the audio presentation service employs a distributed client-server paradigm in which a portable data processing system (e.g., mobile phone, client computer system or vehicle computer system) implements the client and a possibly conventional server computer hardware can be utilized to implement the server, in alternative implementations the client-server paradigm of service provision can be adapted such that a mobile phone or other mobile data processing system can act as the “server” and the vehicle computer or another mobile data processing system can serve as the client. Alternatively, the disclosed audio presentation service can be implemented on a single data processing system implementing the functionality of both client application  304  and server application  404 . 
     Further, although aspects have been described with respect to a data processing system executing program code that directs the functions of the present invention, it should be understood that present invention may alternatively be implemented as a program product including a storage device (e.g., DRAM, SRAM, EEPROM, ROM, flash memory, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.) storing program code that can be processed by a data processing system. As employed herein, the term “storage device” should be construed according to its plain meaning as understood by those skilled in the art and is defined to exclude transient propagating signals per se. It should also be understood that the term “exemplary” means a characteristic or typical example of a feature, not necessarily the absolute best or most desirable example. Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.