System and method for displaying closed captions in an interactive TV environment

• US 20020075403A1
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mixed Signals Incorporated (Fortive Corp.), Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mixed Signals Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Smith, Drake, Barone, Samuel T. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US09/945,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075403A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/461
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0885 for the transmission of subtitles

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward a method and system for displaying closed captions encoded in a video program represented by an electronic signal in an interactive television system. In one aspect the present invention may be used to receive the electronic signal and ITV data and to determine if a conflict exists between the screen location of the closed caption and the screen location of the ITV data. If a conflict does exists the present invention relocates the closed captions to a screen location reserved for displaying closed captions.

Claims

1. A method of displaying closed captions encoded in a video signal, comprising the steps of:

allocating a screen area for displaying the closed captions;

receiving said video signal and ITV data; and

relocating said closed captions to said allocated screen area.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of relocating said closed captions comprises modifying one or more screen address control codes to relocate said closed captions to the allocated screen area.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising reformatting said closed captions for display within the allocated screen area.

4. The met hod of claim 3 wherein the step of reformatting said closed captions comprises adding one or more carriage returns to said closed captions for display in a predetermined number of columns.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of reformatting said closed captions comprises altering style of text presentation.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of altering the style of text presentation comprises presenting closed captions in a roll up caption mode.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of relocating said closed captions comprises determining if a conflict exists between screen location of the closed captions and the ITV data and relocating said closed captions to said allocated screen area in accordance with said conflict determination.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of determining if a conflict exists comprises determining location of said closed captions and said ITV data and comparing said locations.

9. A method of displaying closed captions encoded in a video signal, comprising the steps of:

receiving said video signal and ITV data;

determining if a conflict exists between screen location of the closed captions and screen location of the ITV data; and

relocating the closed captions in accordance with said conflict determination.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of relocating said closed captions comprises modifying one or more screen address control codes to relocate said closed captions to a screen area reserved for displaying said closed captions.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of reformatting said closed captions for display within the screen area reserved for displaying closed captions.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of reformatting said closed captions comprises adding one or more carriage returns to said closed captions for display in a predetermined number of columns.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of reformatting said closed captions comprises altering style of text presentation.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of altering the style of text presentation comprises presenting closed captions in a roll up caption mode.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of relocating said closed captions comprises relocating said closed captions to a predetermined screen location.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of relocating said closed captions comprises modifying one or more screen address control codes to relocate said closed captions to a screen area reserved for displaying said closed captions.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of determining location of the reserved screen area.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of reformatting said closed captions for display within the screen area reserved for displaying closed captions.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of reformatting said closed captions comprises adding one or more carriage returns to said closed captions for display in a predetermined number of columns.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of reformatting said closed captions comprises altering style of text presentation.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of altering the style of text presentation comprises presenting closed captions in a roll up caption mode.

24. The interactive television receiver of claim 23 wherein the means for relocating said closed captions comprises means for modifying one or more screen address control codes to relocate said closed captions to the allocated screen area.

25. The interactive television receiver of claim 24 further comprising means for reformatting said closed captions for display within the allocated screen area.

26. The interactive television receiver of claim 25 wherein the means for reformatting said closed captions comprises means for adding one or more carriage returns to said closed captions for display in a predetermined number of columns.

27. The interactive television receiver of claim 25 wherein the means for reformatting said closed captions comprises means for altering style of text presentation.

28. The interactive television receiver of claim 27 wherein the means for altering the style of text presentation comprises means for presenting closed captions in a roll up caption mode.

29. The interactive television receiver of claim 23 wherein the means for relocating said closed captions comprises means for determining if a conflict exists between screen location of the closed captions and the ITV data and wherein said closed captions are relocated to said allocated screen area in accordance with said conflict determination.

30. The interactive television receiver of claim 29 wherein the means for determining if a conflict exists comprises means for determining location of said closed captions and said ITV data and means for comparing said locations.

16. A method of displaying closed captions encoded in a video signal, comprising the steps of:

receiving said video signal and ITV data;

determining screen location of the closed captions;

determining screen location of the ITV data; and

relocating at least a portion of the closed captions whose screen location conflicts with the screen location of said ITV data.

23. An interactive television receiver, comprising:

means for allocating a screen area for displaying closed captions;

means for receiving said video signal;

means for receiving ITV data; and

means for relocating said closed captions to said allocated screen area.