Method and apparatus for managing viewing of media content

• US 10,104,435 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meredith, Sheldon Kent, Fix, Jeremy, Kosseifi, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jason K
• Application Number:
  US15/606,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20170264955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/2295 Parent-child type, e.g. where parent has control on child rights
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26291 for providing content or additional data updates, e.g. updating software modules, stored at the client deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may perform, for example, generating parental control information for each of a plurality of users according to options selected from a plurality of media program tags retrieved from a library, detecting a first user of the plurality of users according to biometric information of the first user, identifying the parental control information associated with the first user, tuning to a first media channel responsive to receiving a first request, receiving in the first media channel a first media program tag associated with a first media program, and enabling presentation of the first media program at a presentation device responsive to detecting from the parental control information associated with the first user that the first media program tag is included in a first list of unrestricted media program presentations. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing system including a first media processor of a first network subscriber, a library comprising a plurality of media program tags, the plurality of media program tags being associated with at least some of a plurality of media programs, wherein the library is a vendor library generated by a vendor and supplied by a service provider, wherein the vendor and the service provider are different entities;

detecting, by the processing system, whether each of the plurality of media programs has a missing media program tag or an unrecognized media program tag associated therewith;

generating, by the processing system, a first list of media programs with missing media program tags and a second list of media programs with unrecognized media program tags;

presenting, by the processing system, the first list and the second list via a graphical user interface of the first media processor; and

transmitting, by the processing system, a rating for the library to equipment of the service provider, wherein the rating is based on the first list and a number of instances of unrecognized media program tags associated with the second list,

wherein the rating is combined with at least one other rating for the library transmitted by a second media processor of a second network subscriber to provide an aggregate rating for the library.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the library further comprises receiving the aggregate rating for the library.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregate rating is determined at least in part by a social network of users.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitted rating is combined with the aggregate rating to provide a rating score viewable by future users.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving vendor information regarding a geographic region, a media channel, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a media program tag is associated with a media program based on a geographic region, a media channel, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the processing system, a custom media program tag for a media program of the plurality of media programs having a missing media program tag.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the custom media program tag is selected from a list of custom media program tags stored at the first media processor.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the custom media program tag uniquely identifies the media program.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the library is selected by the first network subscriber from a plurality of libraries generated by a plurality of vendors.

11. A device comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations comprising;

receiving a library comprising a plurality of media program tags, the plurality of media program tags being associated with at least some of a plurality of media programs wherein the library is received at equipment of a first network subscriber, and wherein the library is a vendor library generated by a vendor and supplied by a service provider;

detecting whether each of the plurality of media programs has a missing media program tag or an unrecognized media program tag associated therewith;

generating a first list of media programs with missing media program tags and a second list of media programs with unrecognized media program tags;

presenting the first list and the second list via a graphical user interface; and

transmitting a rating for the library to equipment of the service provider, wherein the rating is based on the first list and a number of instances of unrecognized media program tags associated with the second list,

wherein the rating is combined with at least one other rating for the library transmitted by equipment of a second network subscriber to provide an aggregate rating for the library.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the aggregate rating is determined at least in part by a social network of users.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the receiving further comprises receiving vendor information regarding a geographic region, a media channel, or a combination thereof.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise providing a custom media program tag for a media program of the plurality of media programs having a missing media program tag.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the custom media program tag is selected from a list of custom media program tags stored in the memory.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

receiving a library comprising a plurality of media program tags, the plurality of media program tags being associated with at least some of a plurality of media programs, wherein the library is received at equipment of a first network subscriber, and wherein the library is a vendor library generated by a vendor and supplied by a service provider;

detecting whether each of the plurality of media programs has a missing media program tag or an unrecognized media program tag associated therewith;

generating a first list of media programs with missing media program tags and a second list of media programs with unrecognized media program tags;

presenting the first list and the second list via a graphical user interface; and

transmitting a rating for the library to equipment of the service provider, based on the first list and a number of instances of unrecognized media program tags associated with the second list,

wherein the rating is combined with at least one other rating for the library transmitted by equipment of a second network subscriber to provide an aggregate rating for the library.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the receiving the library further comprises receiving the aggregate rating for the library.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the aggregate rating is determined at least in part by a social network of users.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise providing a custom media program tag for a media program of the plurality of media programs having a missing media program tag.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the custom media program tag uniquely identifies the media program.