Management of media content ratings information

• US 20070288616A1
• Filed: 06/12/2006
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hewit, Ross F., Bradstreet, John, Woodruff, Bryan A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,769,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method, system and/or computer program product for managing the use of media content ratings information by a media content receiver, including communicating media content for presentation by a media content receiver; communicating media content ratings information for the media content, the media content ratings information being communicated discretely from the media content. The communicating operations include one or both of transmitting and receiving the content and/or ratings information.

Claims

1. A method of managing the use of media content ratings information by a media content receiver, the method comprising:

communicating media content for presentation by a media content receiver;

communicating media content ratings information for the media content, the media content ratings information being communicated discretely from the media content.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the communicating media content ratings information includes one or both of transmitting and receiving the media content ratings information.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the communicating media content ratings information includes receiving the media content ratings information at the media content receiver.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the communicating media content ratings information includes transmitting the media content ratings information to the media content receiver.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the media content also contains in-band media content ratings information communicated therewith.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the media content also contains in-band media content ratings information communicated therewith, the method further comprising:

determining a change in the in-band media content ratings information.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the media content also contains in-band media content ratings information communicated therewith, the method further comprising:

determining a change in the in-band media content ratings information, and,

communicating, in response to the determining of a change, media content ratings information discretely from the media content ratings information.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the media content also contains in-band media content ratings information communicated therewith, the method further comprising:

determining a difference in the in-band media content ratings information, and,

blocking presentation of media content; and

,

communicating, in response to the determining of a change, media content ratings information discretely from the media content ratings information.

9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising:

unblocking the presentation of media content.

10. A method according to claim 8 wherein the a difference in the in-band media content ratings information is relative to one or more of the in-band ratings information, the ratings information communicated discretely from the media content and ratings information hard-coded in the media content receiver.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the ratings information includes one or both of a rating code and a ratings schema.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the ratings information includes one or any combination of a rating code, a ratings schema, and ancillary ratings information.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the ratings information includes one or any combination of a rating code, a ratings schema, and ancillary ratings information, and wherein the ratings information may be used for presentation of the ratings information for management thereof by the end-user.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein the media content receiver is one or both of digital or analog.

15. A method according to claim 1 wherein the media content receiver is one or more of a television (TV), set-top box, personal computer (PC), smartphone, personal audio and/or video player, or a mobile digital device.

16. A method according to claim 1 wherein the communicating of the ratings information is through a data library, or other data communications device such as a floppy disk, compact disc (CD), other memory device, such as a memory stick, smart card, by USB, flash memory via wireless, wi-fi, or via a telephone signal or text message.

17. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

managing presentation of the media content by the media content receiver in accordance with the media content ratings information.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein the managing includes one or more of presenting the ratings information for end-user decision-making, blocking, filtering and presenting guide information in an arrangement based on ratings information criteria.

19. A computer program product for managing the use of media content ratings information by a media content receiver, the computer program product comprising:

means for communicating a media content signal for presentation of media content by a media content receiver;

means for communicating a media content ratings information signal for the media content signal, the media content ratings information signal being communicated discretely from the media content signal.

20. A system for the use of parental ratings information comprising:

a media content receiver for receiving both media content for presentation by the media content receiver; and

, media content ratings information for the media content, the media content ratings information being received discretely from the media content.