Use of a program schedule to modify an electronic dictionary of a closed-captioning generator

• US 10,334,325 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tribune Broadcasting Company Incorporated (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tribune Broadcasting Company Incorporated (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hundemer, Hank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Charlotte M
• Application Number:
  US15/818,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20180077468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 704 1, 704 9, 704 10, 725 39, 725 50, 725 53, 725 59, 348468, 348552, 348 E5102, 348 E7018, 348 E7033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/242 Dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0885 for the transmission of subtitles

Abstract

In one aspect, an example method involves accessing data representing a program schedule of a media program, wherein the program schedule comprises first text. The method also includes selecting second text from among the first text. The method further includes transmitting, via a communication network, an instruction configured to cause the selected second-text to be added to an electronic dictionary of a closed-captioning generator.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing, by a computing system, a program schedule of a media program, wherein the program schedule comprises first program schedule text, and wherein the program schedule is used to facilitate production of the media program;

selecting, by the computing system, second program schedule text from among the first program schedule text; and

transmitting, by the computing system and via a communication network, an instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be added to an electronic dictionary of a closed-captioning generator, wherein the closed-captioning generator is configured to use the electronic dictionary to convert closed-captioning input into corresponding closed-captioning text.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of the media program, wherein accessing the program schedule of the media program comprises accessing the program schedule of the indicated media-program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first program schedule text comprises text included as part of a character-generator template.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting second program schedule text from among the first program schedule text comprises:

extracting, from the first program schedule text, third program schedule text that satisfies one or more criterion; and

selecting, as the second program schedule text, the extracted third program schedule text.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more criterion comprises a criterion that the third program schedule text comprises a proper noun.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting, via the communication network, the instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be added to the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator comprises transmitting, via the communication network, proximate a start time of a broadcast of the media program, the instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be added to the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the computing system and via the communication network, an instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be deleted from the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting, via the communication network, the instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be deleted from the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator comprises transmitting, via the communication network, proximate an end time of a broadcast of the media program, the instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be deleted from the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the media program comprises a news program.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the closed-captioning generator comprises a stenotype machine.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that when executed cause a computing system to perform a set of acts comprising:

accessing a program schedule of a media program, wherein the program schedule comprises first program schedule text, and wherein the program schedule is used to facilitate production of the media program;

selecting second program schedule text from among the first program schedule text; and

transmitting, via a communication network, an instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be added to an electronic dictionary of a closed-captioning generator, wherein the closed-captioning generator is configured to use the electronic dictionary to convert closed-captioning input into corresponding closed-captioning text.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, the set of acts further comprising:

receiving an indication of the media program, wherein accessing the program schedule of the media program comprises accessing the program schedule of the indicated media-program.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first program schedule text comprises text included as part of a character-generator template.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein selecting second program schedule text from among the first program schedule text comprises:

extracting from the first program schedule text, third program schedule text that satisfies one or more criterion; and

selecting, as the second program schedule text, the extracted third program schedule text.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more criterion comprises a criterion that the third program schedule text comprises a proper noun.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein transmitting, via the communication network, the instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be added to the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator comprises transmitting, via the communication network, proximate a start time of a broadcast of the media program, the instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be added to the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, the set of acts further comprising:

transmitting, via the communication network, an instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be deleted from the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein transmitting, via the communication network, the instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be deleted from the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator comprises transmitting, via the communication network, proximate an end time of a broadcast of the media program, the instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be deleted from the electronic dictionary of the closed-captioning generator.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the media program comprises a news program.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform a set of acts comprising;

accessing a program schedule of a media program, wherein the program schedule comprises first program schedule text, and wherein the program schedule is used to facilitate production of the media program;

selecting second program schedule text from among the first program schedule text; and

transmitting, via a communication network, an instruction that causes the selected second program schedule text to be added to an electronic dictionary of a closed-captioning generator, wherein the closed-captioning generator is configured to use the electronic dictionary to convert closed-captioning input into corresponding closed-captioning text.