Methods and apparatus to present a video program to a visually impaired person

• US 8,768,703 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Hisao M., Schroeter, Horst
• Primary Examiner(s): GUERRA-ERAZO, EDGAR X
• Application Number:
  US13/553,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 704/235, 704/243, 704/273, 704/276, 704/260, 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/271, 704/257, 704/258, 704/9, 704/10, 704/275
• US Class Current: 704/260
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to present a video program to a visually impaired person are disclosed. An example method comprises detecting a text portion of a media stream including a video stream, the text portion not being consumable by a blind person, retrieving text associated with the text portion of the media stream, and converting the text to a first audio stream based on a first type of a first program in the media stream, and converting the text to a second audio stream based on a second type of a second program in the media stream.

Claims

1. A method to generate audible annotations, comprising:

detecting, with a processor, a text portion of a media stream including a video stream, the text portion not being consumable by a blind person;

converting, with the processor, text associated with the text portion of the media stream to a first audio stream based on a first genre type and a first language type of a first program in the media stream; and

converting the text to a second audio stream based on a second genre type and a second language type of a second program in the media stream.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first audio stream corresponds to a first or a second persona when the program is the first genre type or the second genre type, respectively.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the first persona comprises a male voice and the second persona comprises a female voice.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first program genre type comprises a news program and the second program genre type comprises a situational comedy.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising associating the first audio stream with a first prosody type when the first genre type of the program is associated with the first language type.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising retrieving the text from a uniform resource locator associated with the video stream.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the uniform resource locator comprises references to facilitate audio synchronization with the program.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, further comprising delaying presentation of the program until the text from the uniform resource locator is retrieved.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a memory comprising machine readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the instruction to perform operations comprising;

detecting a text portion of a media stream including a video stream, the text portion not being consumable by a blind person;

converting text associated with the text portion of the media stream to a first audio stream based on a first genre type and a first language type of a first program in the media stream; and

converting the text to a second audio stream based on a second genre type and a second language type of a second program in the media stream.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising a persona database to compare first and second persona data, wherein the first persona data is used when the program is the first genre type, and the second persona data is used when the program is the second genre type, respectively.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first persona comprises a male voice and the second persona comprises a female voice.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the first program genre type comprises a news program and the second program genre type comprises a situational comedy.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising a prosody analyzer to associate the first audio stream with a first prosody type when the first genre type of the program is associated with the first language type.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising a network interface to retrieve the text from a uniform resource locator associated with the video stream.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, wherein the network interface is to invoke references to facilitate audio synchronization with the program.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15, further comprising a text-to-speech module to delay presentation of the program until the text from the uniform resource locator is retrieved.

22. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to facilitate audio synchronization with the program via references from the uniform resource locator.

23. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 22, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to delay presentation of the program until the text from the uniform resource locator is retrieved.

17. A tangible machine readable storage device comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

detecting a text portion of a media stream including a video stream, the text portion not being consumable by a blind person;

converting text associated with the text portion of the media stream to a first audio stream based on a first genre type and a first language type of a first program in the media stream; and

converting the text to a second audio stream based on a second genre type and a second language type of a second program in the media stream.

18. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to:

employ a first persona when the program is the first genre type; and

employ a second persona when the program is the second genre type, respectively.

19. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to employ a male voice for the first persona and employ the second persona with a female voice.

20. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to associate the first audio stream with a first prosody type when the first genre type of the program is associated with the first language type.

21. A tangible machine readable storage device as defined in claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to retrieve the text from a uniform resource locator associated with the video stream.