Synchronizing operational states of closed captioning and audio mute

• US 20100066904A1
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VIZIO, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VIZIO, Inc.
• Inventors: Schindler, John, Price, William Pat
• Granted Patent: US 9,131,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4396 by muting the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 for digital sound signals

Abstract

The current invention addresses the problem of causing closed captioning to be launched or not launched automatically when a viewer mutes the audio on a digital television. The current invention allows for individualized options associated with a particular viewer. These options can be selected from a plurality of options either manually or automatically as determined by the viewer settings or viewer behavior.

Claims

1. A digital television system comprising:

a display;

a television receiver operatively coupled to the display, operable to;

display television content on the display;

display text overlaid on said television content;

an audio subsystem;

a closed captioning subsystem;

a processor operatively coupled to the display and to the television receiver;

a non volatile storage medium communicably coupled to the processor, said storage including a database comprising a set of data associated with at least one user of said digital television system, said database including

at least one attribute pertaining to said user of said digital television system;

at least one attribute associated with said user pertaining to a behavior of said audio subsystem of said digital television system associated with at least one user;

at least one attribute associated with said user pertaining to the behavior of said closed captioning subsystem of said digital television system associated with said at least one user.

2. The system of claim 1 where said display is integrated into said digital television.

3. The system of claim 1 where said display is external to said digital television and connected to said digital television through the use of a cable.

4. The system of claim 1 where said attribute pertaining to said audio subsystem contains a time of day when the audio volume of said digital television is set to a predetermined level.

5. The system of claim 1 where said attribute pertaining to said audio subsystem contains a time of day when:

said audio subsystem is automatically disabled and said closed captioning subsystem is automatically enabled;

said audio subsystem is automatically enabled and said closed captioning subsystem is automatically disabled.

6. The system of claim 1 where said attribute pertaining to said audio subsystem contains a time of day when:

said audio subsystem is automatically enabled if said audio subsystem was disabled; and

said closed captioning system is automatically disabled if said closed captioning subsystem was enabled, and

wherein said audio subsystem is not automatically enabled if said audio subsystem was disabled, and said closed captioning method is not automatically disabled if said closed captioning subsystem was enabled other than during said time of day.

7. The system of claim 1 where said attribute pertaining to said closed captioning subsystem causes a software application to be launched and executed on said processor said application:

causes a dialog prompt to be presented on said display when user manually disables said audio subsystem and said closed captioning subsystem is currently disabled, said dialog prompt asking said user if said user wants the closed captioning subsystem enabled;

waits for a predefined time period for a response, where said user can respond such that one of;

said closed captioning subsystem is enabled;

said closed captioning subsystem is not enabled;

or

said time period to wait for said response times out and said closed captioning subsystem is not enabled.

8. The system of claim 1 where said attribute pertaining to said closed captioning subsystem causes a software application to be launched and executed on said processor said application:

causing a dialog prompt to be presented on said display when user manually enables said audio subsystem and said closed captioning subsystem is currently enabled, said dialog prompt asking said user if said user wants the closed captioning subsystem disabled;

waits for a predefined time period, said user to respond such that one of;

said closed captioning subsystem is to be disabled;

said closed captioning subsystem is not to be disabled;

or

said time period to wait for said response times out and said closed captioning subsystem is not disabled.

9. The system of claim 1 where said attribute pertaining to said closed captioning subsystem defines a time of day when:

said closed captioning subsystem is automatically enabled;

and when said closed captioning subsystem is automatically disabled.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a control that allows a user to manually disable said audio subsystem.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said processor operates to start a first timer when said user manually disables said audio subsystem;

and stops said first timer when said user manually enables said closed captioning subsystem after disabling said audio system;

and wherein said processor detects if the value of said first timer is within a first predetermined range of values, and sets an additional attribute for said user contained in said database, said additional attribute causing said closed captioning subsystem to automatically be enabled when said audio subsystem is manually disabled by said user.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said processor operates to start a first timer when said user manually enables said audio subsystem;

and stops said first timer when said user manually disables said closed captioning subsystem after disabling said audio system;

and wherein said processor detects if the value of said first timer is within a first predetermined range of values, and sets an additional attribute for said user contained in said database, said additional attribute causing said closed captioning subsystem to automatically be disabled when said audio subsystem is manually enabled by said user.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said processor operates to start a first timer when said user manually disables said audio subsystem;

and stops said first timer when said user manually disables said closed captioning subsystem after said closed captioning subsystem had automatically been enabled;

and wherein said processor detects if the value of said first timer is within a first predetermined range of values, and sets an additional attribute for said user contained in said database, said additional attribute causing a dialog prompt will be displayed on said display asking said user if said user wants said closed captioning subsystem to be enabled if said user had disabled said audio subsystem.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said processor operates to start a first timer when said user manually enables said audio subsystem;

and stops said first timer when said user manually enables said closed captioning subsystem after said closed captioning subsystem had automatically been disabled after said user has manually enabled said audio subsystem;

and wherein said processor detects if the value of said first timer is within a first predetermined range of values, and sets an additional attribute for said user contained in said database, said additional attribute causing a dialog prompt will be displayed on said display asking said user if said user wants said closed captioning subsystem to be disabled if said user had enabled said audio subsystem.