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  Information display apparatus, information display method and program thereforUSPTO Application #: 20080027713Title: Information display apparatus, information display method and program therefor Abstract: An information display apparatus includes a display device configured to display a video, a speech detection unit configured to detect a playback state of a playback speech, a closed caption display unit configured to generate character information associated with the playback speech and display it on the display device together with the video, and a closed caption display unit configured to carry out a changing control for changing according to the detected playback state a display state of the character information that is displayed on the display device by the closed caption display unit. (end of abstract)
Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland Maier & Neustadt, P.C. - Alexandria, VA, US Inventors: Kohei Momosaki, Kazuhiko Abe, Yasuyuki Masai, Makoto Yajima, Koichi Yamamoto, Munehiko Sasajima USPTO Applicaton #: 20080027713 - Class: 704201000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Data Processing: Speech Signal Processing, Linguistics, Language Translation, And Audio Compression/decompression, Speech Signal Processing, For Storage Or Transmission The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080027713. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.120 from U.S. application Ser. No. 10/810,648, filed Mar. 29, 2004, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-095402, filed Mar. 31, 2003, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to an information display apparatus which is incorporated in or connected to a video playback apparatus or video recorder/player apparatus represented by a television receiver, DVD apparatus, or hard disk video recorder and provides a closed caption display function, an information display method, and a program. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Television broadcasts and DVD video contents provide closed caption information that supplements speech information. In a television broadcast, teletext signals are superposed on video signals. More specifically, character information is transmitted using an identification signal (VBI signal>inserted during a vertical blanking period (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-65295). DVDs and the like are so designed as to record multilingual closed caption information together with images and speech. Digital high-definition television broadcasts can also transmit closed captions as sub-video information. [0006] The use of closed caption character information is effective not only for a hearing impaired person and deaf person but also for a normal listener when it is hard to hear speech corresponding to an image (for example, when the playback sound volume is small or ambient noise is large). This is also effective when it is difficult to play back speech corresponding to an image so as to be able to hear it (for example, in high speed playback such as fast-forward playback while displaying an image, slow-motion replay, pause, backward playback, or multi-screen display). [0007] However, a conventional video playback apparatus or information display apparatus does not provide closed caption character information display functions corresponding to viewing situations. A technique of displaying a closed caption in a mute state has also been known (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-46500). No conventional video playback apparatus or information display apparatus provides a function of controlling display of closed caption character information in accordance with the viewing situation. [0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide an information display apparatus capable of controlling display of closed caption character information in accordance with a viewing situation, and an information display method therefor. In playing back an image by a television receiver, video playback apparatus, video recorder/player apparatus, or the like, or playing back speech by a speech playback apparatus, speech recorder/player apparatus, or the like, closed caption character information is displayed or the display form is changed in accordance with the speech playback status to appropriately supplement speech information in, e.g., a situation in which it is probably impossible or hard to hear or understand speech. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information display apparatus comprising: a display device configured to display a video; a speech detection unit configured to detect a playback state of a playback speech; a closed caption display unit configured to generate character information associated with the playback speech and display it on the display device together with the video; and a closed caption display unit configured to carry out a changing control for changing according to the detected playback state a display state of the character information that is displayed on the display device by the closed caption display unit. [0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information display method comprising: generating a playback speech; detecting a playback state of the playback speech; and changing a display state of character information associated with the playback speech according to the detected playback state. [0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program stored in a computer readable medium for displaying character information on a display device, comprising: means for instructing a computer to playback a video and a speech from a recording medium; means for instructing the computer to change a playback state of the video and the speech; means for instructing the computer to display character information associated with the video and the speech; and means for instructing the computer to change a display state of the character information according to the display state of the video and the speech. [0012] According to the present invention, when an image is played back by a television receiver, video playback apparatus, video recorder/player apparatus, or the like, or speech is played back by a speech playback apparatus, speech recorder/player apparatus, or the like. Closed caption character information is displayed or the display form is changed in accordance with the speech playback status to appropriately supplement speech information in, e.g., a situation in which it is probably impossible or difficult to hear or understand speech. In this manner, display of closed caption character information can be controlled in accordance with the viewing situation. For example, when speech does not satisfy conditions which are set in advance as a state in which the speech can be properly heard, closed caption information which supplements the speech information can be properly displayed, or the display form can be appropriately changed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING [0013] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information display apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; [0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a process rule in a closed caption display controller of the embodiment; [0015] FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams showing an example of control of a closed captions display in the embodiment; [0016] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of control of a closed caption display in the embodiment; [0017] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an information display apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention; [0018] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a process rule in a closed caption display control unit of the embodiment; [0019] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of display on the screen in the embodiment; [0020] FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of a flow of a process in a closed caption display control unit of the embodiment; Continue reading... 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