Methods, systems, and computer products for implementing content conversion and presentation services

• US 20080115162A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Propety Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Propety Corporation
• Inventors: Yu, Ke
• Granted Patent: US 8,543,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer products for content conversion and presentation enabled services for television and Internet Protocol television applications. In exemplary embodiments, the system and method identify program content having embedded text, apply a conversion to the program content to extract voice data and play voice data in conjunction with the program content.

Claims

1. A method for providing content conversion and presentation services via a network, the method comprising:

identifying program content having embedded text;

applying a conversion to the program content to extract voice data; and

playing voice data in conjunction with said program content.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising receiving said program content for a content provider.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said program content includes a text stream having a format provided by said content provider.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein applying said conversion comprises:

extracting said embedded text from said program content; and

converting said extracted text into streaming voice.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising generating a play list that includes text and voice data.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising displaying said text data.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 further comprising playing streaming voice in.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein playing voice data in conjunction with said program content occurs in response to convert said embedded text is generated.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising displaying embedded text while playing streamed voice.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said program content is Internet Protocol television (IPTV) content.

5. The method as claimed in claim 5 further comprising generating a play list.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the play list comprises an association between said embedded text and said streaming voice.

13. A system for providing content conversion and presentation services via a network, the system comprising:

a content services provider; and

a content conversion and presentation application for executing on said content services provider system, the content conversion and presentation application having instructions to;

extract embedded text from program content;

convert said extracted text into streaming voice data; and

broadcast said streaming voice data over the network.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 wherein said content conversion and presentation application further comprises instructions to generate a play list for associating streaming text received from program content provided from a content provider, and said streaming voice data.

15. The system as claimed in claim 13 further comprising a client configuration in communication with said content services provider via the network, the client configuration being capable of executing said content conversion and presentation application.

16. The system as claimed in claim 13 further comprising a program receiving device having a display panel and in communication with said content services provider via the network said display panel configured to display text fields.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein said text fields are for displaying text data from said program content.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said streaming voice data can be broadcast to said program receiving device in conjunction with text displayed in said text fields.

19. A computer program product for providing text to speech services, the computer program product including instructions for implementing a method, comprising:

receiving program content;

extracting text associated with said program content;

converting said text to voice data;

generating a play list; and

associating said text and said voice data with said play list.

20. The computer program product as claimed in claim 19 further comprising instructions for implementing:

providing said play list for distribution over a network;

broadcasting said text associated with said play list over the network; and

streaming said voice data associated with said play list over the network upon a request from the network to receive said streaming voice data associated with said text.

21. A computer-readable medium having program content data stored on the medium and representing a data structure, comprising:

a first program content datum stored in a first region of memory addresses in the medium;

a second program content datum stored in a second region of memory addresses in the medium; and

an index stored in an index region of the memory addresses, the index storing an association between the first and second program content data, wherein a first predetermined data processing operation on the first program content datum causes a second predetermined data processing operation on the second program content datum.

22. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 21 wherein the first program content datum is text data and the first predetermined data processing operation includes requesting the text data be converted to voice data.

23. The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 22 wherein the second program content datum is streaming voice data and the second predetermined data processing operation includes playing the voice data in conjunction with the text data.