Videoconference closed caption system and method

• US 6,771,302 B1
• Filed: 08/14/2002
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ratcliff, Jeff, Nimri, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US10/219,607
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14-1-, 348/14.09, 348/14-1-, 709/204, 345/753, 345/758, 379/202.01
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system and method for closed caption in a videoconference environment. In a method according to one embodiment of the present invention, a connection is established with a videoconference device. Subsequently, a closed caption page associated with the videoconference device is selected. Text is then entered on the closed caption page. The text is displayed to at least one device associated with a videoconference in which the videoconference device is participating.

Claims

1. A method for providing closed captioning between at least a first and a second conferencing device, comprising:

transmitting live audio and video signals from the first conferencing device to the second conferencing device;

accessing a web page using a data entry device associated with the first conferencing device;

entering the audio signals as text on the web page using the data entry device; and

displaying the text on an electronic display associated with the second conferencing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning at least one of a user name and a password to a user, wherein at least one of the user name and the password are required to access the web page.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a meeting password to a conference, wherein the meeting password is required to access the web page.

4. The method of claim 3, flyer comprising accessing a user setup page to determine whether a meeting password has been assigned to the conference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the text further comprises displaying the text in a history text box.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second conferencing devices comprise videoconferencing devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the web page comprises the use of an internet protocol address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second conferencing devices are connected by a network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic display comprises a personal digital assistant.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the text is displayed on the electronic display in a picture-in-picture box.

11. A method for providing closed captioning between at least a first and a second conferencing device, comprising;

producing live audio and visual signals at the first conferencing device;

entering the audio signals as text on a web page; and

transmitting at least the text and the video to the second conferencing device, and

displaying the text and the video on an electronic display associated with the second conferencing device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning at least one of a user name and a password to a user, wherein at least one of the user name and the password are required to access the web page.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising assigning a meeting password to a particular conference, wherein the meeting password is required to access the web page.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising accessing a user setup page to determine whether a meeting password has been assigned to the conference.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the text further comprises displaying the text in a history text box.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein die first and second conferencing devices comprise videoconference devices.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein entering the audio signals as text on a web page comprises the use of an internet protocol address.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second conferencing devices are connected by a network.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic display comprises a personal digital assistant.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the text is displayed on the electronic display in a picture-in-picture box.

21. An electronically-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a machine to perform method steps for providing closed captioning in a videoconference environment, the method steps comprising:

transmitting live audio and video signals from the first conferencing device to the second conferencing device;

accessing a web page using a data entry device associated with the first conferencing device;

entering the audio signals as text on the web page using the data entry device; and

displaying the text on an electronic display associated with the second conferencing device.