Media player configured to receive playback filters from alternative storage mediums

• US 20060177198A1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clearplay Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Clearplay Incorporated
• Inventors: Iverson, Brent L., Jarman, Matthew T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/261
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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 21/45452 applied to an object-based stream, e.g. MPEG-4 streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

A media player configured with a first removable memory reader, such as a DVD drive, and a second removable memory reader, such as a flash memory reader, adapted to communicate with a removable memory containing filter data. The media player is configured to allow filtered playback of a multimedia presentation, such as a movie. Filtered playback causes certain portions of the multimedia presentation to be skipped, muted, blurred, cropped, or otherwise modified to eliminate or reduce potentially objectionable scenes, language, or other content. The second memory reader provides a convenient medium for the loading of filter information, whether data files, executable program code, or the like, to local memory of the media player to employ during filtered playback. Alternatively, the filters may be accessed from the removable storage media during playback rather than loading to local memory.

Claims

1. A method for loading filter information to a media player comprising:

analyzing a status of a first memory reader adapted to communicate with a removable storage medium including data associated with a multimedia presentation;

establishing communication with a second storage medium;

determining whether the second storage medium includes filtering information associated with a multimedia presentation; and

providing for presentation of the multimedia presentation pursuant to the filtering information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second storage medium is a removable memory adapted for communication with a flash memory reader.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the flash memory reader is selected from at least the group comprising a universal serial bus port, a multimedia card reader, an SD card reader, and a compact flash card reader.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the multimedia presentation comprises a movie.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the multimedia presentation comprises a movie stored on an optical storage medium.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the multimedia presentation comprises encoded video and audio data.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the multimedia presentation comprises motion pictures expert group encoded video and audio data.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the filter information comprises at least one identification of a start time and end time associated with a portion of the movie along with a filtering action.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the filter information comprises at least one identification of a start location and an end location associated with a portion of the movie along with a filtering action.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the filtering action is selected from the group comprising skipping, muting, blurring, and cropping.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising a content identifier.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one content identifier is selected from the group comprising violence, sex and nudity, language, and other.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising loading the filtering information from the second storage medium into a local memory.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing for selectively loading the filtering information from the second storage medium into the local memory.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising determining whether there is sufficient space in the local memory.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation of providing for presentation of the multimedia presentation pursuant to the filtering information further comprises reading the filtering information from the second storage medium.

17. A computer readable media comprising computer readable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

25. A media player configured to perform the operations of claim 1.

18. A media player comprising:

a processing configuration in communication with a first memory reader configured to receive and read information from a first storage medium including data associated with a multimedia presentation; and

the processing configuration in communication with at least one second memory reader configured to read filter information from a second storage medium.

19. The media player of claim 18 wherein the second memory reader is selected from at least the group comprising a universal serial bus port, a multimedia card reader, an SD card reader, and compact flash card reader.

20. The media player of claim 18 wherein the storage medium comprises means for storing filter information.

21. The media player of claim 18 wherein the second memory reader comprises means for reading filter information from a storage medium.

22. The media player of claim 18 wherein the first memory reader is an optical storage reader and the first storage medium is an optical storage medium.

23. The media player of claim 18 wherein the first memory reader is a DVD reader and the first storage medium is a DVD.

24. The media player of claim 18 wherein the data comprises encoded video and audio data.