Content reproducing apparatus, and television receiving apparatus

• US 20070245367A1
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A plurality of types of rating information are easily and reliably set. A television receiver A includes a receiver main body 1 and a remote controller 15 for controlling it. The receiver main body 1 includes a tuner unit 3, a signal processing unit 5, a display control unit 7 for controlling display, a display unit 11, a remote controller photoreception unit 17, a control unit 21 for overall control, a parental control unit 23 for controlling view, and a rating information storage unit 25 in which rating information is stored. In the rating information storage unit, tables relating to rating information 25 shown in Tables 1 to 9 are stored. In the television receiver A, based on an instruction from the control unit 21, the information in the tables can be referred to as needed. Tables indicating a plurality of types of rating information are stored in the rating information storage unit 25. The rating information storage unit 25 stores a plurality of types of rating information based on different standards regarding parental control, with items capable of being commonly set among the multiple types of rating information being associated with each other. The control unit 21 can set at once the common items based the association regarding age limitation. When a block for rating information concerning a viewed program is not yet set, and if the rating of a particular program is equal to or above the level set by the user based on another rating information, a message is displayed so as to alert the user to the broadcast of programs that are not desirable for children.

Claims

1. A television receiver capable of imposing parental control on a received program based on a rating that is set, comprising:

a rating information storage unit for storing a plurality of types of rating information based on different standards regarding parental control; and

a control unit for imposing parental control by referring to the rating information stored in the rating information storage unit.

2. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein the control unit compares a first parental control information set by the user and a second parental control information set in a program, and imposes actual parental control.

3. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein, when, among the plurality of types of rating information, no parental control setting is made in terms of a first rating information but parental control is set in terms of a second rating information, if the rating level of a particular program is equal to or higher than the level set in the receiver, a message is displayed to that effect.

4. A television receiver capable of imposing parental control on a received program based on a rating that is set, comprising:

a rating information storage unit in which a plurality of types of rating information based on different standards regarding parental control are stored, with items capable of being commonly set among the plurality of types of rating information being associated with each other; and

a control unit for setting at once the common items based on the association.

5. The television receiver according to claim 4, comprising a display control unit for adding the common items as items on a menu display.

6. The television receiver according to claim 5, wherein the common items are associated with age, or a specific text string or numeral string.

7. The television receiver according to claim 5, wherein the display control unit displays on the menu display a button for setting parental control based on the rating information in a stepwise manner.

8. The television receiver according to claim 4, wherein, when, among the plurality of types of rating information, no parental control setting is made in terms of a first rating information but parental control is set in terms of a second rating information, if the rating level of a particular program is equal to or higher than the level set in the receiver, a message is displayed to that effect.

17. The television receiver according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit displays on the menu display a button for setting parental control based on the rating information in a stepwise manner.

9. A content reproducing apparatus for acquiring content and reproducing the acquired content, comprising:

a first parental control information extraction unit for detecting a first limitation regarding viewer age that is attached to content;

a second parental control information extraction unit for obtaining a second limitation regarding viewer age based on content information related to the nature of content; and

a parental control unit for controlling parental control regarding age based on the first limitation, the second limitation and age information set in the apparatus.

10. The content reproducing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the parental control unit compares the higher of the first limitation and the second limitation with the age information, and exerts control such that no content to be viewed is displayed if the higher limitation is below the age information.

11. The content reproducing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the parental control unit exerts control such that no content to be viewed is displayed if, when only one of the first limitation and the second limitation is available, the available limitation is below the age information.

12. The content reproducing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second limitation comprises parental control that is determined by searching a database in which keywords contained in the content information are associated with parental control determined for the keywords, using a keyword contained in the content information as a search key.

13. The content reproducing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the keywords can be set by user operation.

14. The content reproducing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the keywords can be set through a download.

15. The content reproducing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first limitation is stored in a database in the same manner as the keywords.

16. A television receiving apparatus having a parental control function, comprising:

means for determining a viewer age from program name and/or program information;

means for setting parental control based on the age determined from a keyword contained in the program information if no parental information for a particular program exists or the program can be above the intended age set in its existing parental information;

means for setting an age; and

means for determining whether or not parental control is to be imposed based on the age and the parental control setting, and imposing parental control if it is determined that such parental control should be imposed.