Closed captioning management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9516371-B2
Application number	US-201213454606-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2012
Priority date	Apr 24, 2012
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Media content typically includes closed captioning information such as subtitles in domestic and foreign languages. Techniques and mechanisms provide that closed captioning information may be toggled on/off using menu options and preferences as well as automatically managed by intelligently monitoring the environment surrounding a device. Device sensors such as microphones and vibration monitors determine the noise level of an environment as well as the spectral characteristics of the noise to determine whether the noise profile would interfere with the video playback experience. A particular environmental noise profile could automatically trigger the display of closed captioning information or present an easy access, otherwise unavailable toggle to display closed captioning information associated with a video stream.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving a request from a viewer to play media content at a device;
monitoring environmental noise using a sensor associated with the device;
generating a sound profile for the media;
generating an environmental noise profile based on the environmental noise;
determining that environmental noise would adversely impact a viewing experience of the media stream, wherein determining that environmental noise would adversely impact a viewing experience of the media stream includes comparing spectral components of the environmental noise profile and temporal characteristics of the environmental noise profile to the sound profile of the media to determine whether the noise would interfere with program viewing;
automatically displaying an option to turn on closed captioning for a video program in the media stream upon determining that the environmental noise would adversely impact a viewing experience; and
replacing video advertisements with text or image advertisements when a noise profile is determined to be undesirable.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a microphone.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring environmental noise comprises monitoring environmental noise volume.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring environmental noise comprises analyzing spectral components of environmental noise.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein analyzing spectral components of environmental noise comprises identifying environmental noise duration.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein if spectral components of environmental noise and environmental noise duration exceed a particular threshold, an option to activate closed captioning is presented to the viewer.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein if spectral components of environmental noise overlap significantly with spectral components of program audio, closed captioning is activated.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a vibration detector.

9. A system, comprising:
an interface operable to receive a request from a viewer to play media content at a device;
a processor operable to monitor environmental noise using a sensor associated with the device, generate a sound profile for the media, generate an environmental noise profile based on the environmental noise, and determine that environmental noise would adversely impact a viewing experience of the media stream, wherein determining that environmental noise would adversely impact a viewing experience of the media stream includes comparing spectral components of the environmental noise profile and temporal characteristics of the environmental noise profile to the sound profile of the media to determine whether the noise would interfere with program viewing;
wherein an option to turn on closed captioning for a video program in the media content is automatically displayed upon determining that the environmental noise would adversely impact a viewing experience; and
wherein the processor is further operable to replace video advertisements with text or image advertisements when a noise profile is determined to be undesirable.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the sensor is a microphone.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein monitoring environmental noise comprises monitoring environmental noise volume.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein monitoring environmental noise comprises analyzing spectral components of environmental noise.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein analyzing spectral components of environmental noise comprises identifying environmental noise duration.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein if spectral components of environmental noise and environmental noise duration exceed a particular threshold, an option to activate closed captioning is presented to the viewer.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein if spectral components of environmental noise overlap significantly with spectral components of program audio, closed captioning is activated.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the sensor is a vibration detector.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium including
instructions to execute a method, the method comprising:
receiving a request from a viewer to play media content at a device;
monitoring environmental noise using a sensor associated with the device;
generating a sound profile for the media;
generating an environmental noise profile based on the environmental noise;
determining that environmental noise would adversely impact a viewing experience of the media stream, wherein determining that environmental noise would adversely impact a viewing experience of the media stream includes comparing spectral components of the environmental noise profile and temporal characteristics of the environmental noise profile to the sound profile of the media to determine whether the noise would interfere with program viewing;
automatically displaying an option to turn on closed captioning for a video program in the media stream upon determining that the environmental noise would adversely impact a viewing experience; and
replacing video advertisements with text or image advertisements when a noise profile is determined to be undesirable.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein monitoring environmental noise comprises analyzing spectral components of environmental noise.

Assignees

• Einarsson Torbjorn
• Mobitv Inc

Inventors

• Einarsson Torbjorn

Classifications

• H04L65/1089

  by adding media; by removing media · CPC title

• H04N21/42202

  environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes · CPC title

• H04N21/4884

  for displaying subtitles · CPC title

• H04N21/6181

  involving transmission via a mobile phone network (arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004) · CPC title

• H04N21/41407 Primary

  embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop (constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57) · CPC title