External accessibility systems and methods

• US 10,645,439 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Card, II, John Anthony, Letendre, Ellen, Taxier, Karen
• Primary Examiner(s): Leggett, Andrea C
• Application Number:
  US15/217,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20180024845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/007 using both tactile and audible presentation of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/18 Use of optical transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages

Abstract

Described are systems, methods and computer program products for generating accessible interface elements to facilitate presentation of alternative versions of a user interface or portions thereof to a user, such as a user having a disability. The disclosed systems, methods, and products allow users having a disability to more easily interact with and/or understand the user interfaces of consumer electronic devices. The disclosed systems, methods, and computer program products may facilitate obtaining images of the user interface and analyzing the images to convert, modify, or otherwise generate an accessible interface, or a portion thereof, for presentation to the user. For example, alternative interface presentations may be generated to allow a blind, deaf, low-vision, or color blind user to more easily understand and interact with the user interface.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by an image capture device, an image of a user interface of a consumer electronic device, the user interface being an electronic program guide comprising a plurality of interface elements each to facilitate a corresponding user interaction with a feature of the consumer electronic device relating to the electronic program guide;

analyzing the image, responsive to the obtaining, to identify an interface element of the plurality of interface elements and to identify the feature of the consumer electronic device corresponding to the identified interface element;

generating, responsive to the analyzing, instructions executable by a computing device separate from the consumer electronic device to define an accessible interface element as associated with a different audio or visual presentation than that of the identified interface element by which to provide at least a different user interaction with the feature of the consumer electronic device corresponding to the identified interface element; and

executing the instructions by the computing device to output the accessible interface element in accordance with providing, via the computing device, at least the different user interaction with the feature of the consumer electronic device corresponding to the identified interface element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input corresponding to identification of the interface element; and

wirelessly transmitting a command to facilitate selection of the interface element in the graphical interface.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving the command at an actuation device; and

actuating a physical input device using the actuation device to facilitate selection of the interface element in the user interface.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

outputting a second audio or visual output to confirm selection of the interface element or outputting a tactile output to confirm selection of the interface element.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input corresponding to selection of a second interface element;

generating a second accessible interface element using the second interface element to facilitate use by the user; and

outputting a second audio or visual output of the second accessible interface element.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input corresponding to selection of a second interface element;

receiving input corresponding to a command to ignore the second interface element.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a second image of the graphical interface using the image capture device;

analyzing the image of the graphical interface and the second image of the graphical interface to identify a change to the graphical interface; and

determining element focus in the graphical interface based on the change.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to an audio version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a text version of an audio interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to an alternative color version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a magnified version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a simplified language version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a translated language version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a version of text having a second font size greater than a first font size of text in the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a version of text having a second texture different from a first texture of text in the interface element, or wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a version of text having a second font style different from a first font style of text in the interface element.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a graphical interface providing a selectable element, wherein the selectable element corresponds to a type of the accessible interface element;

receiving input corresponding to a particular selection of the selectable element, wherein generating the accessible interface element includes using the interface element and the type corresponding to the particular selection of the selectable element.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining audio output generated by the consumer electronic device using an audio capture device;

analyzing the audio to identify a contextual element in the audio;

generating an accessible contextual element using the contextual element, wherein the accessible contextual element corresponds to a different presentation of the contextual element to facilitate presentation to the user; and

outputting an audio or visual output of the accessible contextual element.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a second image corresponding to a video presentation of the consumer electronic device using the image capture device;

analyzing the second image to identify a contextual element;

generating an accessible contextual element using the contextual element, wherein the accessible contextual element corresponds to a different presentation of the contextual element to facilitate presentation to the user; and

outputting an audio or visual output of the accessible contextual element.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises the image capture device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of physical interface elements disposed on the consumer electronic device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of graphical interface elements displayed on the consumer electronic device.

15. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium in data communication with the one or more processors, wherein non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including;

obtaining, by an image capture device, an image of a user interface of a consumer electronic device, the user interface being an electronic program guide comprising a plurality of interface elements each to facilitate a corresponding user interaction with a feature of the consumer electronic device relating to the electronic program guide;

analyzing the image, responsive to the obtaining, to identify an interface element of the plurality of interface elements and to identify the feature of the consumer electronic device corresponding to the identified interface element;

generating, responsive to the analyzing, instructions executable by a computing device separate from the consumer electronic device to define an accessible interface element as associated with a different audio or visual presentation than that of the identified interface element by which to provide at least a different user interaction with the feature of the consumer electronic device corresponding to the identified interface element; and

executing the instructions by the computing device to output the accessible interface element in accordance with providing, via the computing device, at least the different user interaction with the feature of the consumer electronic device corresponding to the identified interface element.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

the image capture device, wherein the image capture device is positioned in data communication with the one or more processors.

17. A receiver comprising:

one or more processors;

an audio-video output interface in data communication with the one or more processors;

a network interface in data communication with the one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium in data communication with the one or more processors, wherein non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including;

establishing a data connection with a remote computing device using the network interface;

generating a graphical interface for output by a presentation device using the audio-video output interface, the graphical interface being an electronic program guide comprising a plurality of interface elements each to facilitate a corresponding user interaction with a feature of the receiver relating to the electronic program guide;

identifying an interface element of the plurality of interface elements of the graphical interface;

generating instructions executable by the remote computing device to define an accessible interface element as associated with a different audio or visual presentation than that of the identified interface element by which to provide at least a different user interaction with the feature of the receiver corresponding to the identified interface element; and

transmitting to the remote computing device, using the network interface, a signal providing the instructions executable by the remote computing device to define the accessible interface element to facilitate presentation of the accessible interface element to a user for providing at least the different user interaction with the feature of the receiver corresponding to the identified interface element.

18. The receiver of claim 17, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to an audio version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a magnified version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to an alternative color version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a simplified language version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a translated language version of the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a version of text having a second font size greater than a first font size of text in the interface element, wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a version of text having a second font style different from a first font style of text in the interface element, or wherein the accessible interface element corresponds to a version of text having a second texture different from a first texture of text in the interface element.

19. The receiver of claim 17, wherein the operations further include:

analyzing audio received at or generated by the receiver to identify a contextual element in the audio;

generating an accessible contextual element using the contextual element, wherein the accessible contextual element corresponds to a different presentation of the contextual element to facilitate presentation to the user; and

transmitting, using the network interface, a signal providing the accessible contextual element to the remote computing device to facilitate an audio or visual presentation of the accessible interface element to the user.

20. The receiver of claim 17, wherein the operations further include:

analyzing video received at or generated by the receiver to identify a contextual element in the video;

generating an accessible contextual element using the contextual element, wherein the accessible contextual element corresponds to a different presentation of the contextual element to facilitate presentation to the user; and

transmitting, using the network interface, a signal providing the accessible contextual element to the remote computing device to facilitate an audio or visual presentation of the accessible interface element to the user.