Method and apparatus for content blocking

• US 20030125033A1
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: XM Satellite Radio Incorporated (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Marko, Paul, Rindsberg, Mark, Michalski, Richard Andrew, Malinsky, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,035,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/450
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution

Abstract

A method of disabling at least a portion of one of a plurality of channels in a digital audio radio system includes the steps of receiving (702) a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air on the plurality of channels and decoding (704) a selected channel among the plurality of channels. The method further comprises the steps of selectively tagging (706) an undesired type of content on the selected channel, analyzing (708) for an indication of content of the undesired type among the plurality of channels, and selectively disabling (710) at least the portion of the selected channel containing the undesired type of content.

Claims

1. A method of content blocking in a digital audio radio, comprising the steps of:

selectively choosing to skip undesired content on at least a portion of a channel;

communicating an indicia of the undesired content to a central station; and

receiving a signal over-the-air from the central station that disables the undesired content in the digital audio radio.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of blocking the output of the content by disabling the portion of the channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of blocking the output of the content by disabling at least the channel completely.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of selectively choosing and communicating the indicia of the undesired content to the central station is achieved via a computer network.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of selectively choosing and communicating the indicia comprises selecting a profile for a particular user on a website coupled to the central station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selectively choosing is achieved via a user interface in the digital audio radio and the step of communicating the undesired content to the central station is achieved via a reverse channel to the central station.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the indicia communicated to the central station is selected from the group comprising a location, a song title, an artist'"'"'s name, a band name, a channel number, an album, a rating, a tier level, or an identification number associated with the digital audio radio.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of selectively choosing comprises the step of storing a code representative of the undesired content in a memory of the digital audio radio and wherein the step of blocking comprises the step of comparing the code with a second code embedded in the signal from the central station.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the code stored in the memory is representative of a location and wherein the code representative of the location is updated via a GPS receiver or other location determination means utilizing time delays.

10. A method of disabling at least a portion of one of a plurality of channels in a digital audio radio system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air on the plurality of channels;

decoding a selected channel among the plurality of channels;

selectively tagging an undesired type of content on the selected channel;

analyzing a broadcast information channel and/or an Electronic Program Guide for an indication of content of the undesired type among the plurality of channels; and

selectively disabling at least the portion of the selected channel containing the undesired type of content.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of selectively disabling further comprises the step of selectively disabling all channels among the plurality of channels containing the indication of content of the undesired type.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of tagging further comprises the step of storing descriptors representative of the content on the selected channel in a memory.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises the step of comparing descriptors of content for at least a portion of the plurality of channels in the broadcast information channel with the descriptor stored in the memory.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication of undesired content comprises descriptors selected from the group comprising song title, artist, composer, lyricist, label, album name, genre, sub-genre, length, lyric keywords, audience level rating, service tier level, location, or any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of selectively tagging comprises the step of storing a descriptor such as a undesired artist or song from a channel reference table and/or an Electronic Program Guide in a memory or other storage media within a satellite digital audio radio receiver unit and the step of analyzing further comprises comparing the descriptor with descriptors in a broadcast information channel for an indication of content of the undesired type among the plurality of channels, wherein the broadcast information channel is updated frequently to provide the user with up-to-date information about the plurality of channels.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the step of selecting the undesired content by a single user input.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of disabling comprises the step of disabling a time division channel among a plurality of time division channels received at a digital audio radio.

18. A digital audio radio capable of disabling at least a portion of a channel among a plurality of channels containing undesired content, comprises:

a receiver for receiving a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air having a plurality of channels, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of channels contains content and associated channel information;

a decoder for selectively decoding at least a portion of the plurality of channels and the associated channel information;

an input enabling the selective storage of descriptors associated with undesired content on at least one of the plurality of channels into a memory; and

a processor programmed to compare the selectively stored descriptors with the associated channel information and further programmed to disable at least the portion of the channel containing undesired content when at least a portion of the selectively stored descriptors matches the associated channel information.

19. The digital audio radio of claim 18, wherein the associated channel information is broadcast on a separate broadcast information channel that is transmitted and updated frequently to provide the user with up-to-date information about the plurality of channels.

20. The digital audio radio of claim 18, wherein the selectively stored descriptors comprises location information that is either received or calculated at the digital audio radio.

21. The digital audio radio of claim 18, wherein the processor is further programmed to re-enable at least the portion of the channel that has been disabled when at least a portion of the selectively stored descriptors no longer matches the associated channel information.

22. A digital audio radio capable of disabling at least a portion of a channel among a plurality of channels containing undesired content, comprises:

a receiver for receiving the plurality of channels via a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of channels contains content and associated channel information;

a user interface coupled to the receiver and enabling a user to selectively choose at least the portion of the channel containing the undesired channel; and

a processor programmed to disable at least the portion of the channel in response to a user input via the user interface.

23. The digital audio radio of claim 22, wherein the digital audio radio further comprises a transmitter for communicating an indicia of the undesired content to a central station.

24. The digital audio radio of claim 22, wherein the processor is further programmed to disable the undesired content in the digital audio radio after receiving a signal over-the-air from a central station to the digital audio receiver.

25. The digital audio radio of claim 24, wherein the content disabled on at least a portion of a channel is selected from the group of content comprising audio, images, text or data.

26. A digital audio radio capable of disabling at least a portion of a channel among a plurality of channels containing undesired content, comprises:

a receiver for receiving the plurality of channels via a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of channels contains content and associated channel information;

means for selectively choosing to skip undesired content on at least a portion of a channel; and

a processor programmed to communicate an indicia of the undesired content to a central station and to disable at least the portion of the channel in response to receipt of a signal over-the-air from the central station that disables the undesired content in the digital audio radio.

27. A method of content blocking in a digital audio radio receiving content and associated content code on a plurality of channels, comprising the steps of:

storing in a first memory of the digital audio radio the associated content codes;

storing in a second memory of the digital audio radio defined content codes associated with undesired content on at least a portion of a channel;

comparing the associated content code with the defined content codes; and

processing the content based on the comparison.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the processing step further comprises the step of disabling at least the portion of the channel containing the undesired content.