System and method for selectively de-scrambling media signals

• US 20040210928A1
• Filed: 04/21/2003
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Scott Thomas, Hamzy, Mark Joseph, Zannucci, Peter A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44055 by partially decrypting, e.g. decrypting a video stream that has been partially encrypted
• 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 21/4751 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58

Abstract

A system and method for selectively de-scrambling a media signal is presented. A user enters control settings into a content receiver whereby the control settings correspond to a particular viewer or a particular time-of-day. The content receiver receives a media signal and metadata that includes censorship level information. The content receiver uses the control settings to identify an applicable censorship level and uses the metadata to de-scramble the media signal to a censorship level corresponding to the identified applicable censorship level. The content receiver provides the de-scrambled media signal to a viewer'"'"'s display.

Claims

1. A method of user-controlled censoring of media signals, said method comprising:

receiving a media signal and metadata tags corresponding to segments included in the media signal, wherein the metadata tags include censorship level data;

retrieving control settings from a storage area; and

determining, based upon the retrieved control settings, whether to display the corresponding segments in a scrambled format.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the media signal is scrambled, the method further comprising:

identifying an applicable censorship level using the retrieved control settings in response to the determination;

retrieving the censorship level data corresponding to the applicable censorship level;

descrambling the media signal using the retrieved censorship level data; and

displaying the descrambled media signal.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the identifying further comprises:

detecting a censorship type selection, wherein the censorship type selection is selected from the group consisting of a time censorship selection and a viewer censorship selection.

4. The method as described in claim 2 further comprising:

detecting that a censorship type selection is a time censorship selection;

retrieving a system time in response to the detecting;

retrieving time censorship settings corresponding to the time censorship selection; and

performing the identifying using the system time and the time censorship settings.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the control settings are configured prior to receiving the media signal, the configuring further comprising:

receiving a user request;

authenticating the user request;

receiving the control settings in response to the authentication; and

storing the control settings in the storage area.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the media signal is unscrambled, the method further comprising:

identifying an applicable censorship level using the retrieved control settings in response to the determination;

retrieving the censorship level data corresponding to the applicable censorship level;

scrambling the media signal using the retrieved censorship level data; and

displaying the scrambled media signal.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the media signal and the metadata are included in a composite signal.

8. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a display device;

a memory accessible by the processors;

one or more nonvolatile storage devices accessible by the processors;

a censorship controller to control censorship levels of media signals, the censorship controller including;

a receiver that receives a media signal and metadata tags corresponding to segments included in the media signal, wherein the metadata tags include censorship level data;

an input processor that retrieves control settings from one of the nonvolatile storage devices; and

display logic that determines, based upon the retrieved control settings, whether to display the corresponding segments in a scrambled format on the display device.

9. The information handling system as described in claim 8 wherein the media signal is scrambled, the information handling system further comprising:

an sensor that identifies an applicable censorship level using the retrieved control settings in response to the determination;

retrieving the censorship level data corresponding to the applicable censorship level from one of the nonvolatile storage devices;

deciphering logic that descrambles the media signal using the retrieved censorship level data; and

a display output that displays the descrambled media signal on the display device.

10. The information handling system as described in claim 9 wherein the sensor further comprises:

detection logic that detects a censorship type selection, wherein the censorship type selection is selected from the group consisting of a time censorship selection and a viewer censorship selection.

11. The information handling system as described in claim 9, wherein the detection logic detects that a censorship type selection is a time censorship selection, the information handling system further comprising:

a system clock from which a current time is retrieved;

time censorship settings corresponding to the current time retrieved from one of the nonvolatile storage devices; and

a transmitter that sends the time censorship settings to the sensor.

12. The information handling system as described in claim 8 wherein the control settings are configured prior to receiving the media signal, the information handling system further comprising:

an input device that receives a user request;

authentication logic that authenticates the user request;

control settings received in response to the authentication of the user request; and

an output processor that stores the control settings in one of the nonvolatile storage devices.

13. The information handling system as described in claim 8 wherein the media signal is unscrambled, the information handling system further comprising:

an applicable censorship level identified using the retrieved control settings;

censorship level data retrieved from the nonvolatile storage devices that corresponds to the applicable censorship level;

encryption logic that scrambles the media signal using the censorship level data; and

a display output that displays the scrambled media signal on the display device.

14. A computer program product stored on a computer operable media for user-controlled censoring of media signals, said computer program product comprising:

means for receiving a media signal and metadata tags corresponding to segments included in the media signal, wherein the metadata tags include censorship level data;

means for retrieving control settings from a storage area; and

means for determining, based upon the retrieved control settings, whether to display the corresponding segments in a scrambled format.

15. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the media signal is scrambled, the method further comprising:

means for identifying an applicable censorship level using the retrieved control settings in response to the determination;

means for retrieving the censorship level data corresponding to the applicable censorship level;

means for descrambling the media signal using the retrieved censorship level data; and

means for displaying the descrambled media signal.

16. The computer program product as described in claim 15 wherein the identifying further comprises:

means for detecting a censorship type selection, wherein the censorship type selection is selected from the group consisting of a time censorship selection and a viewer censorship selection.

17. The computer program product as described in claim 15 further comprising:

means for detecting that a censorship type selection is a time censorship selection;

means for retrieving a system time in response to the detecting;

means for retrieving time censorship settings corresponding to the time censorship selection; and

means for performing the identifying using the system time and the time censorship settings.

18. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the control settings are configured prior to receiving the media signal, the configuring further comprising:

means for receiving a user request;

means for authenticating the user request;

means for receiving the control settings in response to the authentication; and

means for storing the control settings in the storage area.

19. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the media signal is unscrambled, the computer program product further comprising:

means for identifying an applicable censorship level using the retrieved control settings in response to the determination;

means for retrieving the censorship level data corresponding to the applicable censorship level;

means for scrambling the media signal using the retrieved censorship level data; and

means for displaying the scrambled media signal.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein the media signal and the metadata are included in a composite signal.