Altering presentation of received content based on use of closed captioning elements as reference locations

• US 9,055,274 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2013
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Casagrande, Steven Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US13/856,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20130223814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 386/291, 386/292, 386/244, 386/245, 386/248, 386/298
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• 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 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

A content receiver receives an captioning element and positional information regarding segments of a content instance. The captioning element corresponds to a component of captioning data included in content that can be utilized with the positional information to locate where the segments stop and/or start. The content receiver analyzes the content based on the captioning element and the positional information and alters how the content will be presented. Such alteration may involve skipping and/or deleting segments, starting/stopping presentation of content other than at the beginning and/or end of the content, altering recording timers, and/or replacing segments with alternative segments. In some implementations, the content may be recorded as part of recording multiple content instances received via at least one broadcast from a content provider wherein the multiple content instances are all included in a same frequency band of the broadcast and are all encoded utilizing a same control word.

Claims

1. A television receiver, comprising:

a tuner;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage media communicatively readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

record multiple instances of content via the tuner from a content provider, wherein

the multiple instances of content are multiplexed, broadcast during a same period of time, and are selected for recording by the content provider;

receive closed captioning elements via the tuner, wherein the closed captioning elements correspond to an instance of content of the recorded multiple instances of content;

receive positional information indicative of a segment of the instance of content for playback based on the closed captioning elements;

analyze the instance of content to identify the segment of the instance of content based on the closed captioning elements and the positional information; and

alter presentation of the instance of content based on the identified segment of the instance of content such that less than all of the instance of content is presented.

2. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to analyze the instance of content to identify the segment of the instance of content based on the closed captioning elements and the positional information comprises processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

locate a phrase within the closed captioning elements, wherein the phrase is indicated in the positional information; and

based on the located phrase within the closed captioning elements, identify the segment of instance of content.

3. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the identified segment of the instance of content corresponds to commercials.

4. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the identified segment of the instance of content corresponds to a content rating different than a content rating of another portion of the instance of content.

5. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

store the instance of content received via the tuner from the content provider based on a recording timer stored by the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

6. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to alter presentation of the instance of content based on the identified segment, comprises processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

output the instance of content for presentation, wherein the presentation is altered based on the identified segment.

7. The television receiver of claim 6, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to alter presentation of the instance of content based on the identified segment, comprises processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to skip output of a portion of the instance of content based on the identified segment.

8. The television receiver of claim 7, wherein the portion of the instance of content is the identified segment.

9. The television receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to alter presentation of the instance of content based on the identified segment, comprises processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to delete a portion of the instance of content based on the identified segment.

10. A method for altering presentation of content, the method comprising:

recording, by a television receiver, multiple instances of content from a content provider, wherein

the multiple instances of content are multiplexed and are selected for recording by the content provider;

receiving, by the television receiver, closed captioning elements via the tuner, wherein the closed captioning elements correspond to an instance of content of the recorded multiple instances of content;

receiving, by the television receiver, positional information indicative of a segment of the instance of content for playback based on the closed captioning elements;

analyzing, by the television receiver, the instance of content to identify the segment of the content based on the closed captioning elements and the positional information; and

altering, by the television receiver, presentation of the instance of content based on the identified segment of instance of the content such that less than all of the instance of content is presented.

11. The method for altering presentation of content of claim 10, wherein analyzing the content to identify the segment of the instance of content based on the closed captioning elements and the positional information comprises:

locating, by the television receiver, a phrase within the closed captioning elements, wherein the phrase is indicated in the positional information; and

based on the located phrase within the closed captioning elements, identifying, by the television receiver, the segment of instance of content.

12. The method for altering presentation of content of claim 10, wherein the identified segment of the instance of content corresponds to commercials.

13. The method for altering presentation of content of claim 10, wherein the identified segment of the content corresponds to a content rating different than a content rating of another portion of the instance of content.

14. The method for altering presentation of content of claim 10, further comprising:

storing, by the television receiver, using a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the instance of content based on a stored recording timer.

15. The method for altering presentation of content of claim 10, wherein altering presentation of the instance of content based on the identified segment, comprises:

outputting, by the television receiver, the instance of content for presentation, wherein the presentation is altered based on the identified segment.

16. The method for altering presentation of content of claim 15, wherein altering presentation of the instance of content based on the identified segment comprises:

skipping, by the television receiver, output of a portion of the instance of content based on the identified segment.

17. The method for altering presentation of content of claim 16, wherein the portion of the instance of content is the identified segment.

18. The method for altering presentation of content of claim 10, wherein altering presentation of the content based on the identified segment, comprises:

deleting, by the television receiver, a portion of the instance of content based on the identified segment.

19. A system for altering presentation of content, comprising:

a content provider system, comprising;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage media communicatively readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

analyze an instance content and closed captioning elements to create positioning information; and

cause broadcast of the instance of content, the closed captioning elements, and the positioning information to a plurality of television receivers; and

a television receiver, comprising;

a tuner;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage media communicatively readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

record multiple instances of content via the tuner from the content provider system, wherein

the television receiver is part of the plurality of television receivers;

the multiple instances of content include the instance of content; and

the multiple instances of content are multiplexed and are selected for recording by the content provider;

receive the closed captioning elements via the tuner;

receive the positional information indicative of a segment of the instance of content for playback based on the closed captioning elements;

analyze the instance of content to identify the segment of the instance of content based on the closed captioning elements and the positional information; and

alter presentation of the instance of content based on the identified segment of the content such that less than all of the instance of content is presented.

20. The television receiver of claim 19, wherein the processor-readable instructions of the television receiver which, when executed by the one or more processors of the television receiver, cause the one or more processors to analyze the instance of content to identify the segment of the instance of content based on the closed captioning elements and the positional information comprises processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

locate a phrase within the closed captioning elements, wherein the phrase is indicated in the positional information; and

based on the located phrase within the closed captioning elements, identify the segment of the instance of content.