Caption data delivery apparatus and methods

• US 9,414,111 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hasek, Charles, Gould, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): CORBO, NICHOLAS T
• Application Number:
  US14/059,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/488 Data services, e.g. news ticker systems specially adapted for using meteorological information in broadcast systems H04H60/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for efficiently and flexibly providing caption data (e.g., closed captioning) to subscribers of a content-based network, such as for example Internet protocol television (IPTV) subscribers. In one exemplary embodiment, the apparatus includes a server performing real-time extraction and encapsulation of caption data, transport of caption data to client devices over the network, and use of one or more applications running on the client devices to decode and display the caption data consistent with the multimedia (audio/video) content with which it is associated. In one variant, instant messaging (IM) infrastructure is used to authenticate clients and receive and display the caption data via a separate transport process. Server and client-side apparatus adapted for caption data receipt, decoding and display are also disclosed.

Claims

1. Apparatus configured for use within a packet-switched network, said apparatus comprising:

a display device;

at least one interface configured to enable communication with a streaming multimedia content server and a closed-caption data server associated with said packet-switched network;

a storage device; and

processor apparatus, said processor apparatus in data communication with said display device, said at least one interface and said storage device and configured to run at least one computer program thereon, said computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed, cause said apparatus configured for use within a packet-switched network to;

determine an availability of closed-caption data associated with multimedia content;

receive and decode said closed-caption data from said closed-caption data server via use of a first delay;

receive and decode said multimedia content from said streaming multimedia content server via use of a second delay;

based on said first and second delays, synchronize said closed-caption data with said multimedia content; and

display said closed-caption data synchronized with said multimedia content on said display device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said closed-caption data is received from an instant messaging program.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, cause said apparatus to display said closed-caption data received from said instant messaging program via an instant messaging application.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) tuner configured to tune to at least one radio frequency channel on said packet-switched network, said at least one interface of said apparatus being in direct or indirect signal communication with said RF tuner.

5. User apparatus configured for use within a packet-switched network, said user apparatus comprising:

a display device;

an interface configured to enable communication with a streaming multimedia content server and a closed-caption data server associated with said packet-switched network;

a storage device; and

a processor apparatus in data communication with said display device, said interface and said storage device, said processor apparatus configured to run at least one computer program thereon, said computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed, cause said user apparatus to;

determine an availability of closed-caption data disposed within a metadata file associated with multimedia content, said metadata file comprising one or more synchronization marks;

receive and decode said closed-caption data from said closed-caption data server;

receive and decode said multimedia content from said streaming multimedia content server;

based at least in part on said one or more synchronization marks, synchronize said closed-caption data with said multimedia content; and

display said closed-caption data synchronized with said multimedia content on said display device.

6. The user apparatus of claim 5, wherein said closed-caption data is received from an instant messaging program.

7. The user apparatus of claim 6, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, cause said user apparatus to display said closed-caption data received from said instant messaging program via an instant messaging application.

8. The user apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a radio frequency (RF) tuner configured to tune to at least one radio frequency channel on said packet-switched network, said at least one interface of said user apparatus being in direct or indirect signal communication with said RF tuner.

9. The user apparatus of claim 5, wherein said metadata file is disposed on a remote server, and said closed-caption data server is configured to access and transmit said metadata file to said user apparatus.

10. The user apparatus of claim 9, wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, download said metadata file in response to at least one of at an initiation of a client session and/or a switching request.

11. The user apparatus of claim 5, wherein said closed-caption data comprises a time-stamp configured to facilitate said synchronization.

12. A method of delivering a plurality of content within a content distribution network comprising at least one server and a plurality of consumer premises equipment (CPE) in direct or indirect signal communication with said at least one server, said method comprising:

providing caption data services to a plurality of subscribers associated with respective ones of said plurality of CPE, said plurality of subscribers each having a respective subscription level, each respective subscription level comprising one of at least a first level and a second level;

identifying user-selected content to be delivered to one or more of said plurality of CPE;

extracting caption data from said user-selected content;

producing a plurality of copies of a same incoming vertical blanking (VBI) data, said plurality of copies being encoded in different formats;

delivering said user-selected content to said one or more of said plurality of CPE; and

selectively delivering said caption data to said one or more of said plurality of CPE, said selective delivering based at least in part on a respective identifying parameter associated with each of said one or more CPE;

wherein said plurality of copies of a same VBI data are available only to said plurality of subscribers having said second subscription level.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said second level comprises a higher or more fully-featured subscription level than said first level.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said content distribution network comprises an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network, said IPTV network configured to comprise at least portions of a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) cable or satellite network.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising authenticating said second subscription level via an instant messaging application.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein said first subscription level of enables a user to receive audio transcription and said second subscription level enables said user to receive said audio transcription and additionally teletext information carrying at least one of stock market reports and/or weather data.

17. A method of delivering media content and caption data to a client device over a packet-switched network, comprising:

receiving, at said client device, said media content via a first transport stream, and said caption data via a second, different transport stream; and

processing said first and second transport streams using respective first and second software applications within said client device, said first software application comprising a media player application comprising a video decoder, and said second software application comprising an instant messaging application, said media player application and said instant messaging application configured to, when executed, synchronize said media content with said caption data;

wherein said synchronization by said media player application and said instant messaging application of said media content with said caption data is based at least in part on a delay differential between a first encoding method of said media content and a second encoding method of said caption data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said acts of receiving said media content via said first transport stream, and said caption data via said second transport stream, comprise receiving said first and second transport streams from respective ones of two or more different servers configured to provide said media content and said caption data.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said first and second applications comprise modules of a single software application running on said client device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said caption data further comprises metadata, said metadata configured to provide content related to one or more contexts present in said media content.

21. A method of delivering media content and caption data to one or more client devices over a packet-switched network, said method comprising:

determining an availability of said caption data associated with said media content;

receiving and decoding said caption data from a caption data server via use of a first delay;

receiving and decoding said media content from a streaming media content server via use of a second delay;

based at least on said first and second delays, synchronizing said caption data with said media content; and

delivering said caption data synchronized with said media content to said one or more client devices.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising buffering said caption data for a first duration based at least in part on a format of a video codec used to encode or decode said media content.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said caption data further comprises metadata, said metadata configured to provide content related to one or more contexts present in said media content.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said packet-switched network comprises an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) network, said IPTV network configured to comprise at least portions of a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) cable or satellite network.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising evaluating a need of said packet-switched network to provide said caption data to one or more client devices.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said evaluating said need of said packet-switched network to provide said caption data to said one or more client devices comprises receiving data from said one or more client devices relating to one or more respective user'"'"'s desire to receive said caption data.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein said packet-switched network comprises both an unmanaged internetwork and a managed cable television or satellite network, the unmanaged internetwork in data communication with the managed cable or satellite network, the client device being associated with a subscriber of the managed cable or satellite network, the subscriber having a prescribed service level;

and

wherein the determining an availability of said caption data associated with said media content comprises determining whether the prescribed service level is eligible to receive the caption data.