Method and apparatus for controlling play of an audio signal

Abstract

Apparatus and methods conforming to the present invention comprise a method of controlling playback of an audio signal through analysis of a corresponding close caption signal in conjunction with analysis of the corresponding audio signal. Objection text or other specified text in the close caption signal is identified through comparison with user identified objectionable text. Upon identification of the objectionable text, the audio signal is analyzed to identify the audio portion corresponding to the objectionable text. Upon identification of the audio portion, the audio signal may be controlled to mute the audible objectionable text.

1 . A method of controlling play of an audio signal comprising: 
 receiving a close caption signal;    analyzing the close caption signal for a specified text;    identifying the specified text;    analyzing an audio signal as a function of the identification of the specified text from the close caption signal; and    controlling playback of the audio signal corresponding to the specified text.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the operation of controlling playback further comprises attenuating a portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified text of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the operation of controlling playback further comprises substantially deleting the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified text of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the operation of controlling playback further comprises issuing at least one command adapted to cause attenuation of a portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified text of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the operation of controlling playback further comprises inserting at least one control code in the audio signal, the control code adapted to cause attenuation of a portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified text from the close caption signal.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the operation of converting the specified text to a phonetic representation of the specified text.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  further comprising time extending the phonetic representation of the specified text to define a time extended phonetic representation of the specified text.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising determining at least one energy value for the time extended phonetic representation of the specified text to define a comparative form of the specified text.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising determining at least one energy value for the audio signal to define a comparative form of the audio signal.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the operation of analyzing an audio signal further comprises the operation of comparing the comparative form of the specified text with the comparative form of the audio signal.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the operation of comparing further comprises identifying the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified text.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the specified text is selected from the group comprising a space, a letter, a word, a phrase, a sentence, a control code, and a symbol.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein specified text is selected by a user.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the specified text is selected from a text considered objectionable.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the operation of identifying the specified text further comprising the operation of identifying a preceding text, the preceding text temporally preceding the specified text.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the operation of analyzing an audio signal as a function of the identification of the specified text from the close caption signal further comprises analyzing the audio signal as function of the identification of the preceding text from the close caption signal.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the operation of controlling playback of the audio signal corresponding to the specified text further comprises controlling playback of the audio signal corresponding to the preceding text.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the operation of converting the specified text to a phonetic representation of the specified text comprises applying a letter-to-sound algorithm to the specified text.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the operation of analyzing an audio signal as a function of the identification of the specified text from the close caption signal comprises applying a dynamic time warping algorithm.  
     
     
         20 . A processor comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions configured to perform the method of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 6  further comprising determining at least one energy value for the phonetic representation of the specified text to define a comparative form of the specified text.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising determining at least one energy value for the audio signal to define a comparative form of the audio signal.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the operation of analyzing an audio signal further comprises the operation of comparing the comparative form of the specified text with the comparative form of the audio signal.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the operation of comparing further comprises identifying the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified text.  
     
     
         25 . A method of controlling play of an audio signal comprising: 
 converting a specified portion of a close caption text signal to an audio equivalent of the specified portion;    comparing the audio equivalent of the specified portion of the close caption text signal to an audio signal to identify a portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified portion of the close caption signal; and    controlling playback of the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified portion of the close caption signal.    
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the operation of controlling playback further comprises attenuating the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified portion of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the operation of controlling playback further comprises substantially deleting the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified portion of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the operation of controlling playback further comprises issuing at least one command adapted to cause attenuation of the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified portion of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the operation of controlling playback further comprises inserting at least one control code in the audio signal, the control code adapted to cause attenuation of the audio signal corresponding with the specified portion of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the operation of converting a specified portion of a close caption text signal to an audio equivalent of the specified portion further comprises the operation of converting the specified portion of the close caption signal to a phonetic representation of the specified portion of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30  further comprising time extending the phonetic representation of the specified portion of the close caption signal to define a time extended phonetic representation.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31  further comprising determining at least one energy value for the time extended phonetic representation to define a comparative form of the specified portion of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32  further comprising determining at least one energy value for the audio signal to define a comparative form of the audio signal.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33  wherein the operation of comparing further comprises the operation of comparing the comparative form of the specified portion of the close caption signal with the comparative form of the audio signal.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34  wherein the operation of comparing further comprises identifying the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the specified portion of the close caption signal.  
     
     
         36 . A processor comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions configured to perform the method of  claim 25 .  
     
     
         37 . A method of controlling playback of an audio signal comprising: 
 receiving an indication of at least one objectionable word;    identifying the at least one objectionable word in a close caption signal; and    identifying the at least one objectionable word in an audio signal as a function of the operation of identifying the at least one objectionable word in a close caption signal.    
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37  further comprising controlling an audio presentation of the audio signal as a function of the operation of identifying.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38  further comprising muting the audio presentation of a portion of the audio signal corresponding with the at least one objectionable word.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38  further comprising identifying a portion of the close caption signal preceding the objectionable word.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40  wherein the preceding portion is selected from the group comprising a space, a letter, a word, a phrase, a symbol, and a close caption control signal.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40  further comprising identifying the at least one objectionable word in an audio signal as a function of the operation of identifying the at least one objectionable word in a close caption signal and the operation of identifying a portion of the close caption signal preceding the objectionable word.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42  wherein the operation of controlling is a function of the identification of a portion of the close caption signal preceding the objectionable word.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43  further comprising causing a mute of the audio presentation as a function of the identification of the portion of the close caption signal preceding the objectionable word in the audio stream.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 44  further comprising ending the mute as a function of the identification of the at least one objectionable word in the audio signal.  
     
     
         46 . A processor comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions configured to perform the method of  claim 37 .  
     
     
         47 . A method of controlling playback of an audio presentation comprising: 
 receiving an indication of at least one objectionable word;    receiving an audio signal;    storing the audio signal in a memory;    processing the stored audio signal to determine whether the at least one objectionable word is present in the audio signal; and    controlling an audio presentation of the audio signal as a function of the operation of processing.    
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47  wherein the operation of controlling further comprises attenuating the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the at least one objectionable word.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 47  wherein the operation of controlling further comprises substantially deleting the portion of the audio signal corresponding with the at least one objectionable word.  
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 47  wherein the operation of controlling further comprises inserting at least one control code in the audio signal, the control code adapted to cause attenuation of the audio signal corresponding with the at least one objectionable word.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 46  wherein the operation of processing further comprises analyzing at least one channel of the audio signal.  
     
     
         52 . A processor comprising a plurality of computer executable instructions configured to perform the method of  claim 47.