Method and apparatus for discouraging commercial skipping

• US 20050185919A1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Warner Bros Entertainment Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Wayne M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,280,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording

Abstract

A program includes sequential program segments, commercial segments, segment dividers delimiting the program and commercial segments and extraneous signals inserted into the segments. The extraneous signals are selected to mimic segment dividers and thus discourage recording of the program by a commercial skipping recorder device.

Claims

1. A method of discouraging commercial skipping in a program consisting of a sequence of segments including program segments, commercial segments and segment dividers comprising inserting in said program a plurality of extraneous signals selected to be interpreted by a program player as segment dividers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said extraneous signals have characteristics similar to said segment dividers.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said extraneous signals are inserted at predetermined intervals preceding or succeeding respective segment dividers.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said predetermined intervals are selected from 15, 30, 45 and 60-second intervals.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said predetermined intervals are selected from the intervals of succeeding respective segment dividers.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said extraneous signals are black fields.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said extraneous signals include at least one of a change in the sound level, a change in the CC signals, a change in the SAP signals and a change in the video signals.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said extraneous signals include metatags associated with said segments.

9. A method of providing a sequence of program segments, commercial segments and segment dividers delimiting said program and commercial segments;

and

inserting in at least one of said program and commercial segment an extraneous signal having characteristics selected to discourage recording the program without said commercial segments.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said extraneous signal is selected from black field frames, changes in visual levels, changes in audio level, changes in CC content, changes in SAP content and metatags.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said extraneous signal is inserted at a predetermined interval before or after one of said segment dividers.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said extraneous signal is inserted randomly.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein said extraneous signal is not inserted within a predetermined interval before or after one of said segment dividers.

14. A program comprising:

a sequence of a plurality of program segments, a plurality of commercial segments, segment delimiting means for defining boundaries between consecutive program and commercial segments; and

extraneous signal means inserted in at least one of said program and commercial segments for discouraging recording of the program by a commercial skipping recorder.

15. The program of claim 14 wherein said extraneous signal means has the characteristics of said segment delimiting means.

16. The program of claim 14 wherein said segment delimiting means comprise black fields.

17. The program of claim 14 wherein said extraneous signal means is inserted at predetermined intervals within said program.

18. The program of claim 17 wherein said extraneous signal means is inserted at predetermined intervals with respect to said segment delimiting means.

19. The program of claim 14 wherein said extraneous signal means includes one of a change in color level, change in sound level, change in a CC signal and change in an SAP signal.

20. The program of claim 14 wherein said segment delimiting means and said extraneous signal means include metatags.