Distributive system for marking and blocking video and audio content related to video and audio programs

• US 20060130118A1
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Damm, Gerard Louis Jacques Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,006,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A system is provided for rating multimedia content streamed over a data network as a series of data frames, segments, or packets and for administering display of the rated content. The system includes at least one content source device for creating raw multimedia content; an intermediate content marking and delivery agent for marking and delivering the content created; and a content receiving device for displaying or rejecting delivered content according to detection of and comparison of content markings applied to at least one preset value. In one aspect, the content marking follows some existing or devised rating system and whereupon the marked content is identifiable at the receiving end for each received data frame, segment, or data packet carrying content in a payload.

Claims

1. A system for rating multimedia content streamed over a data network as a series of data segments, and for administering display of the content, the system comprising:

at least one content source device for creating raw multimedia content;

an intermediate content marking and delivery agent for marking and delivering the segments; and

a content receiving device for displaying or rejecting delivered content according to detection of and comparison of segment markings.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is one or a combination of an Internet protocol network, a satellite television network, a cable television network, and a cellular telephony network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the content source device is one of a video camera, a video telephone, a Web camera, or a microphone.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the content receiving device is one of a television, a set-top box with a connected video display unit, a computer with a video display screen, or a cellular telephone.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the content marking and delivery agent is one of an Internet service provider, a satellite programming provider, a cable programming provider, or a cellular telephone service provider.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the multimedia content includes one or a combination of video and audio and text subtitle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the content markings include one or a combination of an overall rating and at least one sub-rating category level.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the threshold includes one or a combination of an overall rating and at least one sub-rating category level.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the sub-rating category levels are configurable.

10. A utility for applying rating information related to multimedia content to data segments adapted to carry the content over a data network comprising:

an input port for receiving the multimedia content;

a segment builder for creating data segments to carry the content;

a data bit handler within the segment builder for inserting, removing, or otherwise manipulating existing bit values contained in an information field portion of each data segment created; and

an output port for outputting the created data segments for network delivery.

11. The utility of claim 10, wherein the utility is software application running on a host multimedia processing terminal and the input and output ports are virtual ports.

12. The utility of claim 10, wherein the utility is a hardware device running software and the input and output ports are hardware port structures.

13. The utility of claim 10, wherein the data network is one or a combination of an Internet network, a satellite television network, a cable television network, and a cellular telephony network.

14. The utility of claim 10, wherein the multimedia content includes one or a combination of video and audio and text subtitle.

15. The utility of claim 10, wherein the bit values define one or a combination of an overall rating and at least one sub-rating category level.

16. The utility of claim 10, wherein the bit values define one or a combination of an overall rating and at least one sub-rating category level, the bit values pertaining to content carried in the payload portion of each data packet.

17. The utility of claim 10 further comprising:

metadata associated with the multimedia content received, the metadata describing at least existence of, categorization of and level of the each categorized content according to a ratings system.

18. The utility of claim 17, wherein the metadata is extensible markup language received with the multimedia content.

19. The utility of claim 10, wherein the information field is a field added to the header portion of each data packet, data frame, or data segment.

20. The utility of claim 10, wherein the information field and bit values are provided by a network layer transport protocol.

21. The utility of claim 20, wherein the protocol is an extension of the real-time transport protocol.

22. In cooperation with a utility for applying rating information related to multimedia content to data segments adapted to carry the content over a data network, a method for administering display of the rated multimedia content comprising:

(a) beginning download of the content to a content player;

(b) determining rating of the content;

(c) comparing the determined rating of the content to one or more preset values applying to the content; and

(d) determining whether to display the content based on the comparison results.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein in step (a), the content player is one of a television set, a set-top box having a video display unit, a software media player, or an audio playback device.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein in step (b), the determination of rating is made repetitively for each downloaded data packet, data frame or data segment.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein in step (b), the rating represents a rating level associated with a rating system of more than one rating level.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein in step (b), the rating further defines at least one sub-rating category and the level of existence of the at least one category in the data packet, data frame, or data segment.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein in step (c), the comparison is made by consulting a ratings settings table.

28. The method of claim 22 wherein in step (c), the one or more preset values define an acceptable rating and one or more acceptable levels of any sub-rating categories associated with the determined rating.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein in step (c), the sub-rating category levels may be adjustably set according to a provided increment of adjustment, the one or more preset values then defining an acceptable overall rating and any levels of associated sub-rating categories associated with the overall rating.

30. The method of claim 22 wherein in step (c), the sub-rating categories define content not categorized by violence, nudity, coarse language, or suggestive dialogue.

31. The method of claim 22 wherein in step (d), the resulting determination is one of blocking the content in its entirety from display.

32. The method of claim 22 wherein in step (d), the resulting determination is one of displaying the content in its entirety.

33. The method of claim 22 wherein in step (d), the resulting determination is one of displaying some of the content and blocking some of the content replacing the blocked content with blank display.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein in step (d), the resulting determination is one of displaying video while blocking audio.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein in step (d), the resulting determination is one of blocking video while displaying audio.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein in step (d), the resulting determination is one of displaying and blocking some video and some audio.

37. The method of claim 33 wherein in step (d) the content includes subtitling.