Method and system for managing multimedia accessiblity

• US 9,549,060 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wohlert, Randolph, Bangor, Aaron, Stockert, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tan
• Application Number:
  US14/065,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20150121215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0025 characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/121 evaluating hearing capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/47 Machine-assisted translation, e.g. using translation memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, determine a first impairment associated with a first user of a first end user device, receive user input captured at a second end user device during a communication session between the first and second end user devices, store instructions for executing a group of adjustment techniques for modifying the user input where the group of adjustment techniques includes amplifying selective frequencies and translating the user input into sign language images, select an adjustment technique from among the group of adjustment techniques, adjust the user input according to the adjustment technique to generate adjusted user input, and provide the adjusted user input to the first end user device during the communication session. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing, by a system including a processor, instructions for executing adjustment techniques for modifying user input, wherein first adjustment techniques include amplifying selective frequencies for a first degree of impairment and translating user input into first sign language images for a second degree of impairment, wherein second adjustment techniques include translating user input from sign language images into synthesized audio speech, wherein the second degree of impairment is more severe than the first degree of impairment;

detecting, by the system, a communication session between a first end user device and a second end user device;

determining, by the system, a first impairment associated with a first user of the first end user device and a second impairment associated with a second user of the second end user device;

determining, by the system, a degree of impairment for the second impairment;

receiving, by the system, a first user input captured at the first end user device and a second user input captured at the second end user device during the communication session;

selecting, by the system, a selected adjustment technique from among the first adjustment techniques according to the degree of impairment for the second impairment;

accessing, by the system, an impairment profile for the first user;

adjusting, by the system, the second user input according to the impairment profile to generate adjusted second user output;

adjusting, by the system, the first user input according to the impairment profile and then applying the selected adjustment technique to generate adjusted synthesized audio speech as adjusted first user output; and

providing, by the system, the adjusted first user output to the second end user device and the adjusted second user output to the first end user device during the communication session.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

obtaining user preferences for the first user from the impairment profile; and

generating the first sign language images to include an avatar for presenting sign language representative of the user input, wherein physical characteristics of the avatar are generated based on the user preferences.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

accessing a sign language library associated with the first user; and

generating the first sign language images according to the sign language library, wherein the first adjustment techniques further includes translating the second user input into text.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the impairment profile includes an audiogram for the first user, and wherein the selective frequencies that are amplified are selected based on the audiogram.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising:

providing a hearing test at a communication device of the first user prior to the communication session; and

generating the audiogram based on the hearing test.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising obtaining the audiogram from a remote source operated by a third party that is different from a service provider operating the system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first adjustment techniques includes one of modifying one of a size, color or font of text or replacing a word with another word based on a determined cognitive impairment.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining, by the system, a third impairment associated with the second user of the second end user device;

determining, by the system, a third degree of impairment for the third impairment;

selecting, by the system, a second selected adjustment technique from the second adjustment techniques according to the third degree of impairment for the third impairment; and

accessing, by the system, a second impairment profile for the second user,

wherein the first user input is adjusted according to the second selected adjustment technique and the second impairment profile to generate the adjusted first user output.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the impairment profile includes vision information for the first user, wherein the first adjustment techniques include modifying graphics generated at the first end user device according to the vision information and further comprising:

obtaining the vision information for the first user by one of a vision test at a communication device of the first user prior to the communication session or receiving the vision information from a remote source operated by a third party that is different from a service provider operating the system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user input and the adjusted second user output are both provided to the first end user device during the communication session.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the system comprises an application programming interface accessible by a remote device that is operated by a third party that is different from a service provider operating the system, and wherein at least a portion of the instructions for executing the first adjustment techniques and the second adjustment techniques are received from the remote device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is an application server of an IP multimedia subsystem network that facilitates combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switched systems, and wherein the system is in communication with a serving call session control function and a media resource function of the IP multimedia subsystem network.

13. A system, comprising:

a memory to store executable instructions; and

a processor coupled with the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performs operations comprising;

storing instructions for executing first adjustment techniques for modifying first user input and second adjustment techniques for modifying user input, wherein the first adjustment techniques include amplifying selective frequencies and translating the user input into first sign language images, and wherein the second adjustment techniques include translating the user input from sign language images into first synthesized audio speech;

determining a first impairment associated with a deaf first user of a first end user device;

receiving a first user input captured at the first end user device and a second user input captured at a second end user device during a communication session between the first end user device and the second end user device;

selecting a first selected adjustment technique from the first adjustment techniques and a second selected adjustment technique from the second adjustment techniques according to the first impairment;

determining a second impairment associated with a hearing impaired second user of the second end user device;

selecting amplifying selective frequencies as a third selected adjustment technique from the first adjustment techniques according to the second impairment;

adjusting the second user input according to the first selected adjustment technique to generate adjusted second user output;

generating first synthesized audio speech from the first user input according to the second selected adjustment technique and the third selected adjustment technique as adjusted first user output; and

providing the adjusted first user output to the second end user device and the adjusted second user output to the first end user device during the communication session.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a degree of impairment for the first impairment, wherein the selecting of the first selected adjustment technique from the first adjustment techniques is according to the degree of impairment for the first impairment; and

accessing an impairment profile for the deaf first user, wherein the adjusting of the second user input to generate the adjusted second user output is according to the impairment profile,

wherein the amplifying of the selective frequencies is utilized for a first degree of impairment, wherein the translating of the second user input into first sign language images is utilized for a second degree of impairment, and wherein the second degree of impairment is more severe than the first degree of impairment.

15. The system of claim 13, comprising an application programming interface accessible by a remote device that is operated by a third party that is different from a service provider operating the system, wherein at least a portion of the instructions for executing the first adjustment techniques and the second adjustment techniques are received from the remote device.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor comprises an application server of an IP multimedia subsystem network that facilitates combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switched systems, and wherein the processor is in communication with a serving call session control function and a media resource function of the IP multimedia subsystem network.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

accessing an impairment profile for the deaf first user, wherein the adjusting of the second user input to generate the adjusted second user output is according to the impairment profile, wherein the impairment profile includes vision information for the deaf first user, and wherein the first adjustment techniques include modifying graphics generated at the first end user device according to the vision information; and

obtaining the vision information for the deaf first user by one of a vision test at a communication device of the deaf first user prior to the communication session or receiving the vision information from a remote source operated by a third party that is different from a service provider operating the system.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor of a first end user device, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

providing impairment information to a system that includes an application server;

receiving adjusted second user output from the system during a communication session between the first end user device and a second end user device, wherein the adjusted second user output is generated from a modification of a second user input captured at the second end user device during the communication session, wherein the modification is responsive to a detection of a first impairment of a first user of the first end user device and a second impairment of a second user of the second end user device and is based on selected adjustment techniques selected by the system from among second adjustment techniques and first adjustment techniques applied consecutively, wherein instructions for executing the first and second adjustment techniques are accessible to the system, wherein the first adjustment techniques include amplifying selective frequencies and translating the second user input into first sign language images, wherein the second adjustment techniques include translating user input from sign language images into synthesized audio speech, wherein first user input is adjusted by the system to generate adjusted synthesized audio speech from second sign language images from the first end user device, wherein the adjusted synthesized audio speech is delivered to the second end user device for presentation at the second end user device; and

presenting the adjusted second user output at the first end user device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

capturing the first user input at the first end user device; and

providing the first user input to the system to enable the system to generate adjusted first user output responsive to the detection of the second impairment of the second user of the second end user device and based on a second selected adjustment technique that is selected by the system from first adjustment techniques.