SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING MEANING OF CULTURAL GESTURES BASED ON VOICE DETECTION

• US 20170032792A1
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Pulido, Alejandro S., Nichols, Michael R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,043,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/005 Language recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/027 Syllables being the recognition units

Abstract

In some embodiments, control circuitry may detect a voice communication from a human using voice detection circuitry during playback of a media asset being consumed by the user. Control circuitry may then identify an accent characteristic of the voice communication. Control circuitry may cross-reference the accent characteristic against listings of an accent database and then determine, based on the cross-referencing of the accent characteristic a country of origin of the human. Control circuitry may detect, using imaging circuitry, a gesture made by the human. Control circuitry may then cross-reference the gesture against listings of a gesture database associated with the country of origin and then determine based on the cross-referencing of the gesture, a meaning of the gesture in relation to the media asset.

Claims

1. A method for determining meaning of cultural gestures based on voice detection, the method comprising:

detecting a voice communication from a human using voice detection circuitry during playback of a media asset being consumed by the human;

identifying an accent characteristic of the voice communication;

cross-referencing the accent characteristic against listings of an accent database;

determining, based on the cross-referencing of the accent characteristic, a country of origin of the human;

detecting, using imaging circuitry, a gesture made by the human;

cross-referencing the gesture against listings of a gesture database associated with the country of origin; and

determining, based on the cross-referencing of the gesture, a meaning of the gesture in relation to the media asset.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a recommendation to the human based on the meaning of the gesture.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the recommendation is tailored to the country of origin.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the meaning comprises at least one of:

an indication of enjoyment of the media asset by the human;

an indication of distaste for the media asset by the human;

an indication that the human wishes to suspend viewing the media asset; and

an indication that the human wishes to alert information about the media asset to another human.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the accent characteristic comprise:

detecting, using voice processing circuitry, a respective manner of annunciating each syllable of a plurality of syllables of the voice communication;

determining whether a threshold amount of syllables correspond to a single respective manner; and

in response to determining that the threshold amount of syllables corresponds to the single respective manner, identifying the accent characteristics by determining that the single respective manner corresponds to the accent characteristic.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein detecting the respective manner of annunciating each syllable comprises comparing the respective manner of annunciating each syllable to a known universe of potential manners of annunciating each syllable, and identifying a match between the respective manner and a manner in the known universe of potential manners.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the meaning of the gesture varies based on the country of origin.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple countries of origin are determined based on the cross-referencing of the accent characteristic, and wherein a single country of origin of the multiple countries of origin is identified by:

determining, using imaging circuitry, body characteristics of the human;

comparing the body characteristics of the human to listings of a body characteristic database that correspond to each country of the multiple countries of origin; and

determining, based on the comparing of the body characteristics of the human to the listings of the body characteristic database, the country of origin.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the voice communication comprises:

detecting, using a microphone, audio comprising communication from the human and ambient noise comprising audio of the media asset; and

isolating the audio comprising communication from the human from the ambient noise to detect the voice communication.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the gesture comprises at least one of a hand movement, a leg movement, a body movement, and a collision between a body part of the human and an inanimate object.

11. A system for determining meaning of cultural gestures based on voice detection, the system comprising:

voice detection circuitry;

imaging circuitry; and

control circuitry configured to;

detect, using the voice detection circuitry, a voice communication from a human during playback of a media asset being consumed by the human;

identify an accent characteristic of the voice communication;

cross-reference the accent characteristic against listings of an accent database;

determine, based on the cross-referencing of the accent characteristic, a country of origin of the human;

detect, using the imaging circuitry, a gesture made by the human;

cross-reference the gesture against listings of a gesture database associated with the country of origin; and

determine, based on the cross-referencing of the gesture, a meaning of the gesture in relation to the media asset.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising providing a recommendation to the human based on the meaning of the gesture.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the recommendation is tailored to the country of origin.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the meaning comprises at least one of:

an indication of enjoyment of the media asset by the human;

an indication of distaste for the media asset by the human;

an indication that the human wishes to suspend viewing the media asset; and

an indication that the human wishes to alert information about the media asset to another human.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further comprises voice processing circuitry, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when identifying of the accent characteristic, to:

detect, using the voice processing circuitry, a respective manner of annunciating each syllable of a plurality of syllables of the voice communication;

determine whether a threshold amount of syllables correspond to a single respective manner; and

in response to determining that the threshold amount of syllables corresponds to the single respective manner, identify the accent characteristics by determining that the single respective manner corresponds to the accent characteristic.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when detecting the respective manner of annunciating each syllable, to compare the respective manner of annunciating each syllable to a known universe of potential manners of annunciating each syllable, and to identify a match between the respective manner and a manner in the known universe of potential manners.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the meaning of the gesture varies based on the country of origin.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein multiple countries of origin are determined based on the cross-referencing of the accent characteristic, and wherein control circuitry is further configured to identify a single country of origin of the multiple countries of origin by:

determining, using the imaging circuitry, body characteristics of the human;

comparing the body characteristics of the human to listings of a body characteristic database that correspond to each country of the multiple countries of origin; and

determining, based on the comparing of the body characteristics of the human to the listings of the body characteristic database, the country of origin.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further comprises a microphone, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when detecting the voice communication, to:

detect, using the microphone, audio comprising communication from the human and ambient noise comprising audio of the media asset; and

isolate the audio comprising communication from the human from the ambient noise to detect the voice communication.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the gesture comprises at least one of a hand movement, a leg movement, a body movement, and a collision between a body part of the human and an inanimate object.

21-50. -50. (canceled)