METHODS AND APPARATUS TO PRESENT A VIDEO PROGRAM TO A VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON

• US 20120284028A1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Published: 11/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Hisao M., Schroeter, Horst
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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;

retrieving text associated with the text portion of the media stream; and

converting, with the processor, 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.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first audio stream comprises a first or a second language when the program is the first type or the second type, respectively.

3. 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 type or the second type, respectively.

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing machine readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the instruction to;

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

retrieve text associated with the text portion of the media stream; and

convert 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.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a language database to facilitate a first or a second language in the first audio stream when the program is the first type or the second type, respectively.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a persona database to facilitate a first or a second persona when the program is the first type or the second type, respectively.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the first persona comprises a male voice and the second persona comprises a female voice.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first program type comprises a news program and the second program type comprises a situational comedy.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a prosody analyzer to associate the first audio stream with a first prosody type when the first type of the program is associated with a first language.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a network interface to retrieve the text from a uniform resource locator associated with the video stream.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the network interface is to invoke references to facilitate audio synchronization with the program.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 17, further comprising a text-to-speech module to delay presentation of the program until the text from the uniform resource locator is retrieved.

19. A tangible machine readable storage medium 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;

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.

20. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to employ a first or a second language when the program is the first type or the second type, respectively.

21. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to employ a first or a second persona when the program is the first type or the second type, respectively.

22. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 21, 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.

23. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to associate the first audio stream with a first prosody type when the first type of the program is associated with a first language.

24. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to retrieve the text from a uniform resource locator associated with the video stream.

25. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 24, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to facilitate audio synchronization with the program via references from the uniform resource locator.

26. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 25, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to delay presentation of the program until the text from the uniform resource locator is retrieved.