System and method for monitoring blocked content

• US 20040261096A1
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matz, William R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,818,764 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method for monitoring termination of blocked content. After unwanted content is blocked using substitution, user channel selection, or otherwise, a number of methods are available for monitoring blocked content and choosing content for presentation after the blocked content ends. Default content may be automatically presented. Default content includes content that was being presented prior to blocking, or any user selected default content. The user may opt to continue viewing substitute content. A termination notification may be generated, whereby the user the notified that blocked content is terminated, or will terminate imminently. One type of termination notification includes a prompt enabling the user to select among possible content to switch to.

Claims

1. A method of presenting content in a distributed network having a client device and a server device, the method comprising:

blocking the tagged content having a time duration;

determining the end of the time duration; and

presenting desired content after the blocked content has terminated.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

generating a termination notification that the blocked tagged content has terminated.

3. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein the termination notification comprises an audible sound.

4. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein the termination notification comprises a visual display element.

5. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein the visual display element comprises a prompt enabling a user to enter user input related to content to be presented after the blocked content terminates.

6. A method as defined in claim 5 further comprising:

detecting user input in response to the termination notification; and

presenting desired content in response to detecting the user input.

7. A method as defined in claim 6 wherein the user input comprises a selection of content to be presented after the blocked content.

8. A method as defined in claim 6 wherein the user input comprises a ‘

mouse click’

indicating acknowledgment of blocked content termination.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising presenting substitute content in place of the blocked tagged content.

10. A method as defined in claim 9 further comprising:

generating a termination notification that the blocked content has terminated.

11. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein the termination notification comprises and audible sound.

12. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein the termination notification comprises a visual display element.

13. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein presenting substitute content comprises:

identifying substitute content that has a duration that substantially matches the duration of the blocked tagged content.

14. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein the step of generating a termination notification occurs a predetermined time duration prior to the termination of the blocked content.

15. A method as defined in claim 14 wherein the predetermined time duration is user selectable.

16. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein presenting desired content after termination of the blocked content comprises automatically returning to content that was being presented prior to the blocked content.

17. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein presenting desired content after termination of the blocked content comprises presenting content that is chosen by a user.

18. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein presenting desired content after termination of the blocked content comprises automatically presenting default content.

19. A method as defined in claim 11 further comprising repeating the generating the termination notification.

20. A method as defined in claim 19 wherein repeating occurs substantially periodically according to a predetermined frequency.

21. A method as defined in claim 20 wherein the predetermined frequency is user selectable.

22. A method as defined in claim 14 wherein the termination notification includes a visual display of a time until termination of the blocked content.

23. A method as defined in claim 22 wherein the visual display of the time is updated periodically.

24. A method as defined in claim 23 wherein the termination notification further includes a user selectable menu of content enabling a user to select content to return to after termination of the blocked content.

25. A method of claim 1 wherein blocking the tagged content comprises switching to another channel in a television network.

26. A method of claim 1 wherein blocking the tagged content comprises automatically determining whether tag data in the tagged content is identified in a user profile of tag data.

27. A client system for presenting media content comprising:

a receive module receiving tagged content from a server system;

a presentation module operable to present tagged content that is not blocked; and

an monitor module coupled to the receive module and the presentation module operable to determine when blocked content terminates and generate a termination signal.

28. A client system as defined in claim 27 wherein the presentation module is operable to generate a termination notification in response to receiving the termination signal.

29. A client system as defined in claim 28 wherein the termination notification comprises:

a visual display element.

30. A client system as defined in claim 29 wherein the visual display element comprises:

a selectable content indicator enabling a user to select content to be presented after termination of the blocked content.

31. A client system as defined in claim 29 wherein the visual display element comprises a time value indicating a time until termination of the blocked content.

32. A client system as defined in claim 28 further comprising an analysis module operable to switch to other content upon termination of the blocked content.

33. A client system as defined in claim 32 wherein the other content comprises at least one of default content and user-selected content.

34. A client system as defined in claim 28 wherein the termination notification comprises:

an audible sound.

35. A client system as defined in claim 34 wherein the audible sound is a repeating audible sound, repeating until a user input entry is detected or the blocked content terminates.

36. A client system as defined in claim 32 wherein the analysis module comprises:

a content insertion engine in operable communication with the receive module and a prestored content storage;

a user profile having tags associated with content;

a blocking module in operable communication with the content insertion engine and the user profile, operable to receive tagged content, and compare the tagged content to tags in the user profile; and

a presentation module in operable communication with the content insertion engine and the blocking module, operable to receive a blocking signal identifying blocked content from the blocking module and present substitute content in place of the blocked content.

37. A client system as defined in claim 36 wherein the analysis module further comprises:

a preferred data storage in operable communication with the presentation module, operable to store data related to user selections.

38. A client system as defined in claim 37 wherein the preferred data storage is further in operable communication with the content insertion engine and the content insertion engine is further operable to receive preferred tags from the preferred data storage and compare the preferred tags to tags in the prestored content storage.

39. A client system as defined in claim 38 wherein the content insertion engine is further operable to automatically identify a list of one or more content items in the prestored content storage and communicate the list to the presentation module for presentation to a user, the content insertion engine further operable to detect a selection of the one of the list of one or more content items and transmit the selected content item to the blocking module.

40. A client system as defined in claim 39 further comprising:

a profile generator in operable communication with the user profile ; and

a user input/output module operable to receive one or more user selections identifying one or more tags to be blocked and transmit one or more tags associated with the user selection to the profile generator.

41. A client system as defined in claim 40 wherein the user selections may identify predetermined user profile data for storage in the user profile.

42. A client system as defined in claim 41 wherein the predetermined user profile data is downloaded from a network operably coupled to the client system.

43. A client system as defined in claim 42 wherein the user selections correspond to a code uniquely identifying a set of tags to be stored in the user profile.

44. A client system as defined in claim 43 wherein the user input/output module is operable to present a menu of tags to a user and to receive the user selections via the menu of tags and communicate the user selections to the profile generator.

45. A client system receiving tagged content via a distributed network comprising:

an receiver operable to receive tagged content; and

means for identifying unwanted tagged content and determining when the unwanted tagged content terminates.

46. A client system as defined in claim 45 wherein the means for identifying unwanted tagged content and determining when the unwanted content terminates comprises an analysis module coupled to the receiver.

47. A client system as defined in claim 46 wherein the analysis module comprises:

a presentation module for presenting content;

a blocking module coupled to the presentation module operable to block unwanted tagged content;

a monitor module operable to determine when the blocked unwanted tagged content terminates; and

a content insertion engine coupled to the monitor module and the presentation module operable to generate a termination notification to the presentation module.

48. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for performing steps of:

blocking the tagged content having a time duration;

determining the end of the time duration; and

presenting desired content after the blocked content has terminated.

49. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 48 further comprising computer executable instructions for performing steps of:

generating a termination notification that the blocked tagged content has terminated.

50. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 49 further comprising computer executable instructions for performing steps of:

detecting user input in response to the termination notification; and

presenting desired content in response to detecting the user input.