Audio processing for media content access systems and methods

• US 8,316,408 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Relyea, Don, Stallings, Heath, Roberts, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, CAI Y
• Application Number:
  US11/603,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,190 Days
• Field of Search: 725106-107
• US Class Current: 725/131
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand

Abstract

In one of many possible embodiments, a system includes a media content provider subsystem providing media content over a closed media network and a closed media network access device communicatively coupled to the media content provider subsystem by the closed media network. The closed media network access device is configured to receive the media content over the closed media network, provide at least a component of the media content to an output device for presentation to a user, receive audio input including user voice input provided by the user, and utilize the user voice input in at least one of a voice command application and a communication application.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a media content provider subsystem providing media content over a closed media network;

a closed media network access device communicatively coupled to said media content provider subsystem by the closed media network, said closed media network access device configured to

receive the media content over the closed media network,

provide at least a component of the media content including an audio output signal to an output device for presentation to a user, the output device applying at least one equalization setting to the audio output signal set by the user of the output device,

receive audio input including user voice input provided to said closed media network access device directly from the user and broadcast audio provided to said closed media network access device directly from the output device, and

utilize the user voice input in at least one of a voice command application and a communication application; and

wherein the at least a component of the media content includes an audio component based on the audio output signal, and the audio input includes at least a portion of the audio component as broadcast by the output device, said closed media network access device being configured to estimate and remove the at least a portion of the audio component as broadcast by the output device from the audio input by filtering the audio input to remove the audio output signal, the filtering accounting for the at least one equalization setting applied to the audio output signal by applying an inverse of the least one equalization setting to the audio input.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said closed media network access device includes at least one of a set-top box (“

STB”

), home communication terminal (“

HCT”

), digital home communication terminal (“

DHCT”

), stand-alone personal video recorder (“

PVR”

), and digital video disc (“

DVD”

) player.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the closed media network includes a provider-specific television network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said closed media network access device is configured to

perform speech recognition on the user voice input,

determine whether the recognized speech matches a predefined voice command, and

perform an action pre-associated with the predefined voice command when it is determined that the recognized speech matches the predefined voice command.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the action includes controlling at least one of a setting and an operation of said closed media network access device.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the action includes controlling the presentation of the media content.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said closed media network access device is communicatively coupled to a communication network, said closed media network access device being configured to process and transmit the user voice input over the communication network to a remotely located device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said closed media network access device is configured to receive communication content over the communication network and provide at least a component of the communication content to the output device for presentation to the user.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said communication application includes at least one of a videoconferencing application and a voice communication application.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio input includes environmental audio, said closed media network access device being configured to estimate and remove the estimated environmental audio from the audio input.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user input device configured to communicate with said closed media network access device, said user input device being configured to capture the audio input provided by the user and provide the captured audio input to said closed media network access device.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the closed media network access device is further configured to determine differences between a calibration output signal and a calibration audio input to estimate the at least a portion of the audio component as broadcast by the output device.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the closed media network access device is configured to determine a propagation delay between the audio output signal and the at least a portion of the audio component as broadcast by the output device, and wherein filtering the audio output signal includes compensating for the propagation delay.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the closed media network access device is configured to respond to custom voice commands.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the closed media network access device is configured to convert the user voice input into text for display on the output device.

12. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor configured to process media content;

an output driver configured to provide at least a component of the media content including an audio output signal to an output device for presentation to a user, the output device applying at least one equalization setting to the audio output signal set by the user of the output device;

an audio input interface configured to receive audio input including user voice input provided to said audio input interface directly from the user and broadcast audio provided to said audio input interface directly from the output device; and

at least one of a voice command application and a communication application configured to be executed by said at least one processor, said at least one of said voice command application and said communication application being configured to utilize the user voice input, and

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to filter the audio input to remove the audio output signal including at least a portion of the broadcast audio to isolate the user voice input, the filtering accounting for the at least one equalization setting applied to the audio output signal by applying an inverse of the least one equalization setting to the audio input.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a communication interface configured to receive the media content from a content provider over a provider-specific television network.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said at least one processor is configured to

perform speech recognition on the user voice input,

determine whether the recognized speech matches a predefined voice command, and

perform an action pre-associated with the predefined voice command when it is determined that the recognized speech matches the predefined voice command.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the action includes controlling the presentation of the media content.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said communication interface is communicatively coupled to a communication network, said communication interface being configured to transmit the user voice input over the communication network to a remotely located device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said communication interface is configured to receive communication content over the communication network, said at least one processor being configured to process the communication content, said output driver being configured to provide at least a component of the communication content to the output device for presentation to the user.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said communication application includes at least one of a videoconferencing application and a voice communication application.

19. A method comprising:

a closed media network access device providing at least a component of media content including an audio output signal to an output device for presentation to a user, the output device applying at least one equalization setting to the audio output signal set by the user of the output device;

the closed media network access device receiving audio input, said audio input including user voice input provided directly to the closed media network access device from the user and broadcast audio provided directly to the closed media network access device from the output device;

the closed media network access device utilizing the user voice input as input to at least one of a voice command application and a communication application; and

the closed media network access device filtering the audio input to remove the audio output signal including at least a portion of the broadcast audio to isolate the user voice input, the filtering accounting for the at least one equalization setting applied to the audio output signal by applying an inverse of the least one equalization setting to the audio input.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the closed media network access device receiving the media content from a content provider over a provider-specific television network.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the closed media network access device:

performing speech recognition on the user voice input;

determining whether the recognized speech matches a predefined voice command; and

performing an action pre-associated with the predefined voice command when it is determined that the recognized speech matches the predefined voice command.

22. The method claim 21, wherein said performing the action includes controlling the presentation of the media content.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting the user voice input over a communication network to a remotely located device;

receiving communication content over the communication network; and

providing at least a component of the communication content to the output device for presentation to the user.