Patent Document ID: 4128737
Application ID: 05714495

Base Claim:
1. In an electronic device for phonetically synthesizing human speech by synthetically generating and combining the basic phonetic sounds in speech including input means responsive to successive input data identifying a desired sequence of phonemes for producing control signals comprising the parameters electronically defining the articulation patterns of said desired sequence of phonemes, a vocal source adapted to produce a voiced excitation signal having associated therewith a fundamental frequency, and output means responsive to said control signals for electronically forming the articulation patterns of said desired sequence of phonemes and further responsive to said voiced excitation signal for producing said desired sequence of phonemes; the improvement comprising: inflection control means connected to said vocal source for automatically varying the fundamental frequency of said voiced excitation signal in accordance with certain of said control signals produced by said input means.

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Claim 3:
3. The speech synthesizer of claim 1 wherein said inflection control means is further responsive to said input data to vary the fundamental frequency of said voiced excitation signal.