AURAL INDICATION OF REMOTE CONTROL COMMANDS

• US 20090089856A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brandt, Jeffrey, Bangor, Aaron, Blanchard, Harry E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,528,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/151
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/02 Methods for producing synthetic speech; Speech synthesisers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/202 by remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205

Abstract

A disclosed set top box or other multimedia receiver suitable for use in a multimedia distribution network includes a remote control interface operable to receive a signal from a remote control device and extract a remote control command from the signal, a processor coupled to the remote control interface and operable to detect the remote control command, and a machine readable storage resource containing computer executable instructions operable to: invoke an aural indication application that returns an audio stream suitable for processing by an audio output device, wherein the audio stream, when processed by the audio output device, causes the audio output device to produce an audibly detectable signal indicative of a function corresponding to the remote control command. The application may generate the audio stream by invoking a speech synthesis module or by retrieving an audio file. The application may retrieve electronic programming guide (EPG) data associated with a remote control command and incorporate at least some of the EPG data in the audibly detectable output.

Claims

1. A multimedia receiver suitable for use in multimedia distribution network, the multimedia receiver comprising:

a remote control interface operable to receive a wireless signal from a remote control device and extract a remote control command from the signal;

a processor coupled to the remote control interface and operable to detect the remote control command; and

a machine readable storage resource containing computer executable instructions operable, when executed by the processor, to;

invoke an aural indication application that returns an audio stream suitable for processing by an audio output device, wherein the audio stream, when processed by the audio output device, causes the audio output device to produce an audibly detectable signal indicative of a function corresponding to the remote control command.

2. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to execute a control procedure corresponding to the remote control command.

3. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the aural indication application generates the audio stream by invoking a speech synthesis module.

4. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the aural indication application generates the audio stream by indexing stored audio files to retrieve an audio file corresponding to the remote control command.

5. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the aural indication application retrieves meta data associated with a remote control command and incorporates at least some of the meta data in the audibly detectable output.

6. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the audibly detectable output signal includes speech in a voice selected from an acquaintance of the user or a celebrity.

7. A method comprising provisioning a set top box for use in a multimedia content distribution network with an aural indication application, wherein the aural indication application returns, in response to being invoked following detection of a remote control command, an audio stream suitable for processing by an audio output device, wherein the audio stream, when processed by the audio output device, causes the audio output device to produce an audibly detectable signal indicative of a function corresponding to the remote control command.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further includes executing a control procedure corresponding to the remote control command.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the aural indication application generates the audio stream by invoking a speech synthesis module.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the aural indication application generates the audio stream by indexing stored audio files to retrieve an audio file corresponding to the remote control command.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the aural indication application retrieves meta data associated with a remote control command and incorporates at least some of the meta data in the audibly detectable output.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the audibly detectable output signal includes speech in a voice selected from an acquaintance of the user or a celebrity.

13. A computer program product comprising instructions stored on a computer readable medium for enabling an aural indication feature on a set top box suitable for use in a multimedia content distribution network, wherein the instructions comprise instructions to return, in response to detecting a remote control command, an audio stream suitable for processing by an audio output device, wherein the audio stream, when processed by the audio output device, causes the audio output device to produce an audibly detectable signal indicative of a function corresponding to the remote control command.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising instructions to execute a control procedure corresponding to the remote control command.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions generate the audio stream by invoking a speech synthesis module.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions generate the audio stream by indexing stored audio files to retrieve an audio file corresponding to the remote control command.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the instructions retrieve meta data associated with a remote control command and incorporate at least some of the meta data in the audibly detectable output.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the meta data includes electronic programming guide (EPG) data including title or name of program data and wherein the audibly detectable output includes title or name of a program data associated with a program selected in response to the remote control command.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the audibly detectable output signal includes speech in a voice selected from an acquaintance of the user or a celebrity.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising instructions to enable downloading customized audio files to the set top box.