CONTROLLING A SET-TOP BOX VIA REMOTE SPEECH RECOGNITION

• US 20120203552A1
• Filed: 04/16/2012
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services India Pvt Limited (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sureka, Ashutosh K., Subramanian, Sathish K., Basu, Sidhartha, Verma, Indivar
• Granted Patent: US 8,655,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/193 Formal grammars, e.g. finite state automata, context free grammars or word networks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/228 of application context
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/16 Transforming into a non-visible representation devices or methods enabling ear patients to replace direct auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F11/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB

Abstract

A device may receive over a network a digitized speech signal from a remote control that accepts speech. In addition, the device may convert the digitized speech signal into text, use the text to obtain command information applicable to a set-top box, and send the command information to the set-top box to control presentation of multimedia content on a television in accordance with the command information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, via a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) session over a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) channel, a digital audio signal from a remote control configured to receive audible information;

converting, at an audio processor, the digital audio signal into text based on a number of speech grammars corresponding to program guide information;

obtaining a matching set of program guide entries related to the text; and

generating, at a set-top box, a display indicative of the matching set.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the digital audio signal comprises:

receiving the digital audio signal via customer premises equipment (CPE).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the digital audio signal via CPE comprises:

receiving the digital audio signal via a Network Interface Module (NIM), a Broadband Home Router (BHR), or an Optical Network Terminal (ONT).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the digital audio signal into text comprises:

retrieving an extensible markup language document that specifies a particular speech grammar; and

performing speech recognition on the digital audio signal based on the extensible markup language document.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the speech grammars based on at least one of the program guide information or set-top box command information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the matching set comprises at least one of:

obtaining the program guide information and selecting a number of the program guide entries from the program guide information based on the text and set-top box command information, or

obtaining set-top box command information and selecting a set-top box command based on the text.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the matching set comprises:

formulating a search query using the text,

submitting the search query to a database, and

obtaining the command information in response to the search query.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the matching set is performed at the set-top-box.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the matching set is performed at a device remote to the set-top box, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the set-top box, indications of the matching set.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the matching set comprises generating an indication that the matching set corresponds to at least one of the digital audio signal or the text.

11. A system comprising:

a set-top box;

a remote control including;

a microphone configured to receive audible information,

an audio processor configured to generate digital audio signals from the audible information, and

a wireless network interface configured to transmit the digital audio signals;

a voice application facility, in wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) communication with the remote control via the wireless network interface, configured to;

receive digital audio signals from the remote control via a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) session, and

convert the digital audio signals into text; and

a content provider device, in communication with the set-top box and the voice application facility,

wherein the content provider device is configured to provide media content programming and program guide information,

wherein the voice application facility is further configured to convert the digital audio signals into text based on speech grammars generated from the program guide information, and

wherein the content provider device is further configured to receive the text from the voice application facility and provide the text to the set-top box.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

customer premises equipment (CPE) configured to receive the digital audio signal from the wireless network interface and route the digital audio signal to the voice application facility.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the CPE comprises Network Interface Module (NIM), a Broadband Home Router (BHR), or an Optical Network Terminal (ONT).

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the voice application facility is further configured to:

retrieve an extensible markup language document that specifies a particular speech grammar; and

perform speech recognition on the digital audio signal based on the extensible markup language document.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the voice application facility is further configured to generate the speech grammars based on set-top box command information.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further comprises a database, and the voice application facility is further configured to:

formulate a search query using the text,

submit the search query to the database, and

obtain the command information in response to the search query.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the voice application facility is further configured to at least one:

obtain the program guide information and select a number of program guide entries from the program guide information based on the text and set-top box command information, or

obtain set-top box command information and select a set-top box command based on the text.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the set-top box is configured to:

present the program entries and the selected set-top box command for display.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the set-top box is configured to at least one of:

obtain the program guide information and select a number of program guide entries from the program guide information based on the text and set-top box command information, or

obtain set-top box command information and select a set-top box command based on the text.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer-executable instructions for causing one or more processors executing the computer-executable instructions to:

receive, via a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) session over a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) channel, a digital audio signal from a remote control configured to receive audible information;

convert, at an audio processor, the digital audio signal into text based on a number of speech grammars corresponding to program guide information;

obtain a matching set of program guide entries related to the text; and

generate, at a set-top box, a display indicative of the matching set.