Patent Document ID: 9812120
Application ID: 12411031

Base Claim:
1. A speech synthesis apparatus comprising: a receiver that receives an e-mail as a text content item; a memory that stores the text content item to be converted into speech; a content selection unit that selects the text content item to be converted into speech based on a vocal command from a user in which the user commands that the received e-mail be read aloud; a related information selection unit that selects related information which can be at least converted into text and which is related to the text content item selected by the content selection unit, wherein the related information includes at least identification of a sender of the e-mail, and wherein when the name of the sender is locally stored in association with an e-mail address of the sender prior to receipt of the e-mail, the name of the sender is used as the identification of the sender, and when the name of the sender is not locally stored in association with an e-mail address of the sender prior to receipt of the e-mail, the e-mail address is used as the identification of the sender; a data addition unit that converts the related information selected by the related information selection unit into text by inserting the related information into a predetermined type of phrase to form a text phrase, and adds text data of the text phrase to text data of the text content item selected by the content selection unit, wherein the predetermined type of phrase includes at least one predetermined location within the phrase at which the identification of the sender of the e-mail is inserted; a text-to-speech conversion unit that converts the text data supplied from the data addition unit into a speech signal; and a speech output unit that outputs the speech signal supplied from the text-to-speech conversion unit.

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Claim 14:
14. The speech synthesis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the related information further includes at least one of a time relating to the text content item, a subject of the text content item, and a current time.