System for providing closed captioning to an electronic discussion group

• US 5,615,131 A
• Filed: 06/21/1996
• Issued: 03/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compuserve Interactive Services Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chinnock, Douglas P., Miller, Jeffrey S., Dalton, Jeffery S., Mortensen, Owen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEESO, THOMAS R
• Application Number:
  US08/667,444
• Time in Patent Office: 277 Days
• Field of Search: 364/514 A, 340/825.19, 348/6, 348/10, 348/12, 348/15, 395/154, 395/155, 395/161
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4053 without floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

An electronic discussion group includes interaction with closed captioning from a media program, in substantially real time. Video clips from the program may also be displayed on users'"'"' computer terminals.

Claims

1. An enhanced electronic discussion group, comprising:

electronic messages entered from computer users onto said discussion groups;

closed captioning from a video broadcast entered onto said discussion group; and

electronic replies to said closed captioning entered from said computer users onto said discussion group.

2. A system for operating an electronic discussion group, said system comprising:

posting an electronic message from a computer user onto said discussion group;

capturing a closed caption dialog from a video program and posting said closed caption onto said discussion group;

posting a reply to said closed caption onto said discussion group.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said closed caption capturing is accomplished with a closed caption decoder in electronic communication with a video signal tuner.