Apparatus and method for controlling the muting of sound and the display of audio information on a television receiver

• US 5,477,277 A
• Filed: 01/24/1994
• Issued: 12/19/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Muramoto, Yoshifumi, Shimoyanagida, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cohen, Cheryl
• Application Number:
  US08/185,408
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 348/632, 348/734, 348/738, 348/589, 348/600, 348/460, 348/468, 348/563, 348/564
• US Class Current: 348/632
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/505 Invisible or silent tuning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals

Abstract

Apparatus and method which commands the displaying of audio information on a television receiver display in the case where it is judged that a sound muting control unit was operated, whereby the audio information is displayed by a single operation of the sound muting control unit.

Claims

1. A television receiver comprising:

a display unit displaying a visual image and audio information corresponding to sound which follows said visual image;

a sound muting control unit commanding the muting of sound;

means for judging the presence or absence of a command from said sound muting control unit; and

means for directing said display unit to display said audio information whenever it is judged that said command is present.

2. A television receiver according to claim 1, wherein said sound muting control unit includes:

a transmitter transmitting a remote control signal which commands the muting of sound; and

a receiver receiving said remote control signal.

3. A television receiver according to claim 1, wherein said audio information is information on sound in closed-caption broadcasting.

4. A television receiver according to claim 1, wherein said audio information is information on sound in teletext broadcasting.

5. A method for controlling the muting of sound and the display of audio information on a television receiver comprising:

displaying a visual image and audio information corresponding to sound which follows said visual image;

commanding the muting of sound by a muting command;

judging the presence or absence of said muting command; and

directing said display unit to display said audio information whenever it is judged that said muting command is present.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said sound muting command is transmitted from a remote unit.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said audio information is information on sound in closed-caption broadcasting.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said audio information is information on sound in teletext broadcasting.

9. In a television receiver which displays a television image and audibly reproduces sounds associated with said image, a method of controlling the muting of said sounds and the display of information which provides a visual representation of the information conveyed by said sounds, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting whether a first switch is in a first position, or in a second position;

(b) detecting, if the result of step (a) detects that said first switch is in said first position, whether a second switch is in a first position commanding the muting of sound or in a second position;

(c) displaying said information whenever the result of step (b) detects that the second switch is in the first position;

(d) detecting, if the result of step (b) detects that the second switch is in said second position, whether a third switch is in a first position commanding the display of said information or in a second position;

(e) displaying, if the third switch is detected, in step (d), to be in said first position, said information;

(f) not displaying said audio information if;

said first switch is in the second position;

or, said first switch is in said first position, said second switch is in said second position, and said third switch is in said second position.