Remote parental control with reward unlock

• US 10,277,948 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2013
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Ukraine LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Ukraine LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Meijer, Johannes, Oleschuk, Nikolay
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US14/893,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,164 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42684 Client identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number, MAC address, socket ID network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• 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 21/4542 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 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• 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 21/4758 for providing answers, e.g. voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server

Abstract

Authorized access to broadcast programming may be gained upon correct or at least sufficient answering of a particular question. The question may prompt a user to correctly solve a problem. The question may prompt a user to confirm completion of a particular task.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving by the television receiver a request to access the particular broadcast programming;

determining, by a resource access control (RAC) module of the television receiver, a first system user associated with the request to access the particular broadcast programming, the RAC module having previously received one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, and having previously received an instruction, from a computing system other than the television receiver, for the television receiver to prevent unauthorized access to particular broadcast programming by the first system user in accordance with a programming lock mode;

automatically selecting, by the RAC module of the television receiver, a particular access question from a plurality of access questions in an access question data store based on the one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, so as to control access to the particular broadcast programming, the particular access question having multiple user response options;

outputting, by the television receiver for presentation by a display device, an interactive user interface including the particular access question to be asked;

receiving, by the television receiver, a selection of one of the user response options associated with the particular access question, via the interactive user interface; and

controlling access, by the television receiver, to the particular broadcast programming based on the selected user response option.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the particular access question to be asked to control access to the particular broadcast programming comprises:

determining that a particular question mode is associated with the first system user, wherein the particular question mode corresponds to a question mode that prompts the first system user to correctly solve a logical problem.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the particular access question to be asked to control access to the particular broadcast programming comprises:

determining that a particular question mode is associated with the first system user, wherein the particular question mode corresponds to a question mode that prompts the first system user to confirm completion of a particular physical task.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received programming lock mode corresponds to one of:

a channel-specific programming lock mode that restricts access to broadcast programming associated with a particular broadcast channel or station;

a content-specific programming lock mode that restricts access to broadcast programming associated with a particular broadcast program; and

a global programming lock mode that restricts access to all broadcast programming received at the television receiver.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the RAC module has, stored therein, a system configuration file to store the previously received one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, and the particular access question comprises a logical problem that is automatically selected based on the one or more parameters associated with the first system user contained within the system configuration file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the RAC module has, stored therein, a system configuration file to store the previously received one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, and the particular access question comprises a confirmation of a completion of a particular task automatically selected based on the one or more parameters associated with the first system user contained within the system configuration file.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input that specifies a custom message to be presented within the interactive user interface; and

outputting within the interactive user interface a prompt that prompts the first system user to confirm completion of a particular task as specified by the custom message.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to access the particular broadcast programming is received from the display device, and wherein the first system user is determined by retrieving a previous association between the display device and the first system user.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically selecting the particular access question comprises:

automatically selecting the particular access question based further on at least one of the particular broadcast programming, or the display device.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting via the interactive user interface a prompt that prompts the first system user to upload an image of completion of a particular task to confirm completion of the particular task;

receiving an upload of the image;

communicating the image to an administrator user; and

receiving, by the television receiver, an indication from the administrator permitting access by the first system user to the particular broadcast programming via the television receiver.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors further to:

output via the interactive user interface a prompt that prompts the first system user to upload an image of completion of a particular task to confirm completion of the particular task;

receive an upload of the image;

communicate the image to an administrator user; and

receive, by the television receiver, an indication from the administrator permitting access by the first system user to the particular broadcast programming via the television receiver.

8. A television receiver, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a request to access the particular broadcast programming;

determine, by a resource access control (RAC) module, a first system user associated with the request to access the particular broadcast programming, the RAC module having previously received one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, and having previously received an instruction to prevent unauthorized access to particular broadcast programming by the first system user in accordance with a programming lock mode;

automatically selecting, by the RAC module, a particular access question from a plurality of access questions in an access question data store based on the one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, so as to control access to the particular broadcast programming, the particular access question having multiple user response options;

output for presentation by a display device, an interactive user interface including the particular access question to be asked;

receive a selection of one of the user response options associated with the particular access question, via the interactive user interface; and

control access to the particular broadcast programming based on the selected user response option.

9. The television receiver of claim 8, wherein automatically selecting the particular access question comprises:

determining that a particular question mode is associated with the first system user, wherein the particular question mode corresponds to a question mode that prompts the first system user to correctly solve a logical problem.

10. The television receiver of claim 8, wherein automatically selecting the particular access question comprises:

determining that a particular question mode is associated with the first system user, wherein the particular question mode corresponds to a question mode that prompts the first system user to confirm completion of a particular task.

11. The television receiver of claim 9, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

enable authorized access to the particular broadcast programming in response to verifying correct solving of the logical problem.

12. The television receiver of claim 10, wherein the memory having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

output for presentation by the display device a particular alphanumeric password in response to confirming completion of the particular task by the first system user;

receive an indication of entry of the alphanumeric password within a text field of the interactive user interface; and

enable authorized access to the particular broadcast programming, in response to receiving the indication of the entry of the alphanumeric password into the interactive user interface.

13. The television receiver of claim 8, wherein the RAC module has, stored therein, a system configuration file to store the previously received one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, and the particular access question comprises a logical problem that is selected based on the one or more parameters associated with the first system user contained within the system configuration file.

14. The television receiver of claim 8, wherein the RAC module has, stored therein, a system configuration file to store the previously received one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, and the particular access question comprises a confirmation of a completion of a particular task selected based on the one or more parameters associated with the first system user contained within the system configuration file.

18. The television receiver of claim 8, wherein automatically selecting the particular access question comprises:

automatically selecting the particular access question based further on at least one of the particular broadcast programming, or the display device.

15. A non-transitory processor-readable medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to:

receive a request to access the particular broadcast programming;

determine, by a resource access control (RAC) module, a first system user associated with the request to access the particular broadcast programming, the RAC module having previously received one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, and having previously received an instruction to prevent unauthorized access to particular broadcast programming by the first system user in accordance with a programming lock mode;

automatically select, by the RAC module, a particular access question from a plurality of access questions in an access question data store based on the one or more parameters characterizing the first system user, so as to control access to the particular broadcast programming, the particular access question having multiple user response options;

output for presentation by a display device, an interactive user interface including the particular access question to be asked;

receive a selection of one of the user response options associated with the particular access question, via the interactive user interface; and

control access to the particular broadcast programming based on the selected user response option.