Parental monitoring of digital content

• US 20060218575A1
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: BLAIR, Ronald Lynn
• Application Number:
  US10/561,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218575A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4227 Providing Remote input by a user located remotely from the client device, e.g. at work
• 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 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/637 Control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for obtaining information about a media object being rendered on a remote device is returned in response to a parental monitoring query. Specifically, a query is issued via a monitoring device through a network connection. In response to such a query, information is returned back to the monitoring device indicating a multicast address and port number to which the remote device is currently joined. The monitoring device then joins the multicast address and port number to receive the media object transmitted over such a multicast address. Optionally, the monitoring device kills the receipt of the media object by the remote device in response to a kill command.

Claims

1. A method for issuing a parental monitoring query command for determining a media object being rendered on a remote device, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a query requesting identification information for a media object being received on a remote device;

receiving information in response to said query, wherein said information indicates a multicast address and port which is used to multicast said media object; and

resolving said multicast address and port information to identify attributes of said media object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said query is issued by a monitoring device, and said media object is rendered on said monitoring device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said monitoring device joins a multicast group using said received multicast address and port information to receive said media object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said monitoring device issues a command to kill the receipt of said media object by said remote device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said monitoring device is an Internet Protocol enabled set top box.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said monitoring device uses a channel list that maps said multicast address and port to a channel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a program guide is used to select media objects transmitted via a multicast media object corresponding to said channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said media object is transmitted as part of an Internet Group Management compatible protocol multicasting service and program identification information is available for said media object as part of a Session Description compatible protocol.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said resolving step uses IGMP data obtained from a middleware server.

10. The method of claim 1, where said query additional comprises:

requesting a browser history log file, wherein said log file comprises the IP addresses of media objects accessed by said remote device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said remote device is a personal computer.

12. An apparatus for issuing a parental monitoring query command for determining a media object being rendered on a remote device, comprising:

a network interface that issues a query requesting identification information for a media object being received on a remote device;

a transport decoder that processes information in response to said query, wherein said information indicates a multicast address and port which is used to multicast said media object; and

a data transport decoder that resolves said multicast address and port information to identify attributes of said media object.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 said media object is rendered on said apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said apparatus joins a multicast group using said received multicast address and port information to receive said media object.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said apparatus issues a command to kill the receipt of said media object by said remote device.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said apparatus uses a channel list that maps said multicast address and port to a channel.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a program guide is used to select media objects transmitted via a multicast media object corresponding to said channel.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said media object is transmitted as part of an Internet Group Management compatible protocol multicasting service and program identification information is available for said media object as part of a Session Description compatible protocol.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, where said query additional comprises:

requesting a browser history log file, wherein said log file comprises the IP addresses of media objects accessed by said remote device.