Customizing language and content of media for an announcement

• US 9,094,702 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhogal, Kulvir S., Boss, Gregory J., Comes, Sheryl L., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Sand, Anne R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Monshi, Samira
• Application Number:
  US13/927,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/685 using automatically derived transcript of audio data, e.g. lyrics speech recognition G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2335 involving reformatting operations of audio signals, e.g. by converting from one coding standard to another details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18

Abstract

Program code on mobile computing devices and a server computer receive information about mobile computing devices within a defined area. The program code selects an announcement, from a database based on the information received, having audio that is in a language determined as being utilized within the defined area, wherein the language is assigned a first highest ranking, and wherein the first highest ranking indicates that the language is spoken by a majority of persons within the defined area. The program code selects a transcription of the audio from the database, wherein the transcription is in a language determined as being utilized within the defined area, and wherein the language is assigned a second highest ranking. The program code instructs a television within the defined area to output the audio, and to output the transcription of the audio on a display screen of the television.

Claims

1. A method for customizing language and content of media for an announcement, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving information about mobile computing devices within a defined area;

selecting an announcement, from a database based on the information that is received, having audio that is in a language determined as being utilized within the defined area, wherein the language is assigned a first highest ranking, and wherein the first highest ranking indicates that the language is spoken by a majority of people within the defined area;

selecting a transcription of the audio from the database, wherein the transcription is in a language determined as being utilized within the defined area, and wherein the language is assigned a second highest ranking; and

instructing a television, of an announcement system, within the defined area to output the audio, and to output the transcription of the audio on a display screen of the television.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the mobile computing devices within the defined area comprises:

a number of the mobile computing devices within the defined area, a default language parameter of each of the mobile computing devices within the defined area, one or more first Boolean parameter values that indicates if an end-user of one of the mobile computing devices that are within the defined area has a hearing impairment, and one or more second Boolean parameter values that indicates if an end-user of one of the mobile computing devices that are within the defined area has a visual impairment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the database stores the announcement as a record that includes audio in various languages, and transcriptions of the audio in various languages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of instructing the television comprises instructing the television to output one or more additional transcriptions of the audio on the display screen of the television, wherein the additional transcriptions are each in a language determined as being utilized within the defined area, and wherein the language is assigned a ranking that is lower than the second highest ranking.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the announcement comprises computing a number of first Boolean parameter values and a number of second Boolean parameter values received in the information about the mobile computing devices, wherein each of the first Boolean parameter values indicate an end-user of one of the mobile computing devices within the defined area has a hearing impairment, and wherein each of the second Boolean parameter values indicate an end-user of one of mobile the computing devices within the defined area has a visual impairment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting the announcement further comprises:

instructing an announcement system to amplify volume of the audio to a suitable predefined level and increase a font size of the transcription of the audio on the display screen of the television, if the number of first Boolean parameter values received is greater than or equal to a first configurable threshold value; and

instructing the announcement system to increase the font size of the transcription of the audio on the display screen of the television and to adjust color, contrast, and sharpness of images on the display screen to a suitable predefined level, if the number of second Boolean parameter values received is greater than or equal to a second configurable threshold value.

7. A computer system for customizing language and content of media for an announcement, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more non-transitory computer readable memories, one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on the one or more storage media for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive information about mobile computing devices within a defined area;

program instructions to select an announcement, from a database based on the information that is received, having audio that is in a language determined as being utilized within the defined area, wherein the language is assigned a first highest ranking, and wherein the first highest ranking indicates that the language is spoken by a majority of people within the defined area;

program instructions to select a transcription of the audio from the database, wherein the transcription is in a language determined as being utilized within the defined area, and wherein the language is assigned a second highest ranking; and

program instructions to instruct a television, of an announcement system, within the defined area to output the audio, and to output the transcription of the audio on a display screen of the television.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the information about the mobile computing devices within the defined area comprises:

a number of the mobile computing devices within the defined area, a default language parameter of each of the mobile computing devices within the defined area, one or more first Boolean parameter values that indicates if an end-user of one of the mobile computing devices that are within the defined area has a hearing impairment, and one or more second Boolean parameter values that indicates if an end-user of one of the mobile computing devices that are within the defined area has a visual impairment.

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the database stores the announcement as a record that includes audio in various languages, and transcriptions of the audio in various languages.

10. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the program instructions to instruct the television comprises program instruction to instruct the television to output one or more additional transcriptions of the audio on the display screen of the television, wherein the additional transcriptions are each in a language determined as being utilized within the defined area, and wherein the language is assigned a ranking that is lower than the second highest ranking.

11. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the program instructions to select the announcement comprises program instructions to compute a number of first Boolean parameter values and a number of second Boolean parameter values received in the information about the mobile computing devices, wherein each of the first Boolean parameter values indicate an end-user of one of the mobile computing devices within the defined area has a hearing impairment, and wherein each of the second Boolean parameter values indicate an end-user of one of mobile the computing devices within the defined area has a visual impairment.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the program instructions to select the announcement further comprises:

program instructions to instruct an announcement system to amplify volume of the audio to a suitable predefined level and increase a font size of the transcription of the audio on the display screen of the television, if the number of first Boolean parameter values received is greater than or equal to a first configurable threshold value; and

program instructions to instruct the announcement system to increase the font size of the transcription of the audio on the display screen of the television and to adjust color, contrast, and sharpness of images on the display screen to a suitable predefined level, if the number of second Boolean parameter values received is greater than or equal to a second configurable threshold value.