Enhancing Emotional Accessibility of Media Content

Number: 20250057453
Published: 2025-02-20
Filed: 2023-08-15
Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Inventors: Chin; Elinor et al.
CPC: A61B5/165; G06V20/70; G06F3/011; G06F3/04815; G06F3/04817; G06F3/04842; G06T17/00; H04N21/8146
Verdict: Set aside accessibility content feature, business
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

Abstract

A system configured to enhance emotional accessibility of media content depicting one or more characters includes a computing platform having a hardware processor and a memory storing software code. The hardware processor executes the software code to obtain annotation metadata identifying one or more emotions of at least one character, determine, based on the one or more emotions, a mood of the at least one character. The hardware processor further executes the software code to identify, based on the mood of the at least one, one of a plurality of emojis for visually communicating that mood, and generate a visual accompaniment to be displayed in synchronization with displaying the media content to enhance the emotional accessibility of the media content, wherein the visual accompaniment includes the one of the plurality of emojis.

Background

BACKGROUND

Closed captioning and audio description are commonly used accessibility features for media content. Nevertheless, a significant consumer segment who may be characterized as neurodivergent is subject to a lesser media consumption experience due to a lack of accessibility features catering to their needs.

For example, in 2023, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that approximately 1 in 36 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). (CDC Report, dated Mar. 24, 2023, titled “Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder.”) According to statistics, autism prevalence has increased 178% since 2000, and the needs of individuals on the autism spectrum are typically not addressed when providing accessibility features for media content. Like closed captioning for the audio impaired and audio description for the visually impaired, accessibility features providing emotional assistance cues for those with medically diagnosed, or undiagnosed, social impairments could be life changing. Consequently, there is a need for a solution for enhancing emotional accessibility of media content.

Claims

1. A system configured to enhance an emotional accessibility of media content depicting one or more characters, the system comprising: a computing platform including a hardware processor and a system memory storing a software code: the hardware processor configured to execute the software code to: obtain annotation metadata identifying one or more emotions of at least one character of the one or more characters; determine, based on the one or more emotions, a mood of the at least one character; identify, based on the mood of the at least one character, one of a plurality of emojis for visually communicating the mood of the at least one character, and generate a visual accompaniment to be displayed in synchronization with displaying the media content to enhance the emotional accessibility of the media content, wherein the visual accompaniment includes the one of the plurality of emojis. || 11. A method for use by a system configured to enhance an emotional accessibility of media content depicting one or more characters, the system including a computing platform having a hardware processor and a system memory storing a software code, the method comprising: obtaining, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, annotation metadata identifying one or more emotions of at least one character of the one or more characters; determining, by the software code executed by the hardware processor based on the one or more emotions, a mood of the at least one character; identifying, by the software code executed by the hardware processor based on the mood of the at least one character, one of a plurality of emojis for visually communicating the mood of the at least one character; and generating, by the software code executed by the hardware processor, a visual accompaniment to be displayed in synchronization with displaying the media content to enhance the emotional accessibility of the media content, wherein the visual accompaniment includes the one of the plurality of emojis.