System and method for controlling provision of content over a television network

• US 20070183746A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Christopher, McCarthy, Mary, Pettit, Scott, Haeuser, Anthony, Cox, Ross
• Application Number:
  US11/348,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20070183746A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/214
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for controlling recording of content delivered over a television network. The method includes receiving content over a television network corresponding to a customer identifier, receiving an input corresponding to the customer identifier to block a selected content from recording on a recording device, and blocking the recording of the selected content in response to the received input. The method also may block the recording of the selected content corresponding to any other account associated with the customer identifier. The method may further enable viewing of the selected content on a television set while the content is being blocked from recording.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium accessible to a processor for executing instructions contained in a computer program embedded in the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising:

instructions to receive content over a television network for display on a television set corresponding to a customer identifier;

instructions to receive an input corresponding to the customer identifier to block a selected content from recording on a recording device; and

instructions to block the selected content from recording on the recording device in response to the received input.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to display the selected content on the television set while blocking the selected content from recording on the recording device.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to confirm the customer identifier before blocking the selected content from recording on the recording device.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the selected content corresponds to one of:

a rating;

a video-on-demand (VOD);

a pay-per-view (PPV) program;

an age group;

a time period of a day;

a type of show; and

a television channel.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the input to block the selected content is received from one of:

a remote control associated with a set-top-box (STB);

a cellular telephone;

a personal digital assistant (PDA);

a computer via the Internet; and

an Interactive Voice Recognition System

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the customer identifier has at least one associated sub-account and wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to block the selected channel corresponding to the at least one sub-account.

7. An apparatus for use in providing content received over a television network, comprising:

a first interface that provides content to a television set corresponding to a customer identifier;

a second interface that provides the content to a recording device; and

a processor for executing instructions contained in a computer program accessible to the processor, the computer program comprising;

instructions to receive an input corresponding to the customer identifier to block a selected content from recording on the recording device; and

instructions to block recording of the selected content in response to the received input.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the recording device is integral to the apparatus.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to display the selected content on the television set while blocking the selected content from recording on the recording device.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a memory that stores a list of programs that corresponds to the selected content and wherein the processor displays the list for viewing on the television set.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to unblock recording of a program from the list of programs in response to an input corresponding to the customer identifier.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the selected content corresponds to on one of:

a rating;

a VoD content;

a PPV content ;

an age group;

a time period of a day;

a type of show;

a television channel;

a content that has a charge associated therewith.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the input is received from one of:

a remote control associated with the apparatus;

cellular telephone;

PDA; and

computer via the internet.

14. A computer-readable medium accessible to a processor for executing instructions contained in a computer program embedded in the computer readable medium, the computer program comprising:

instructions to receive television content from a network corresponding to a customer identifier;

instructions to record a selected content from the received content in response to a first input corresponding to the customer identifier; and

instructions to block at least a portion of the recorded content from displaying on a television set in response to a second input corresponding to the customer identifier.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to unblock the at least a portion of the recorded content in response to a third input corresponding to the customer identifier.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first, second and third inputs is received from one of a:

remote control associated with a customer premise equipment (CPE);

cellular telephone;

PDA; and

computer.

17. A system for providing a television service, comprising:

a database that stores customer information, including a customer identifier;

a server linked to a CPE;

a computer readable medium accessible to the server to execute instructions contained in a computer program embedded in the computer-readable medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to receive an input from a remote device corresponding to the customer identifier to block a selected content from a recording device associated with the CPE; and

instructions to transmit information to the CPE to block the selected content from recording on the recording device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to receive an input to unblock at least a portion of the selected content from recording on the recording device; and

instructions to unblock the at least a portion of the selected content from recording on the recording device in response to the input to unblock.

19. A method of providing a television service, comprising:

receiving content over a television network corresponding to a customer identifier;

receiving an input corresponding to the customer identifier to block recording of a selected content on a recording device; and

blocking the selected content from recording on the recording device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing the selected content to a television set while blocking the selected content from recording on the recording device.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising unblocking the selected content from recording on the recording device in response to an input to unblock the selected content.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the selected content is based on one of:

rating;

VOD;

PPV;

age group;

time of day;

type of show;

television channel; and

monetary amount.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the input to block the selected content is received from one of a:

remote control associated with the CPE;

cellular telephone;

PDA; and

computer.