CONTROLLING ACCESS TO CONTENT AND/OR SERVICES

• US 20080163286A1
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies Corporation (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Rudolph, Daniel L., White, James M., Taxier, Karen M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,869,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• 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 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

The exemplary embodiments of the method and system according to the present invention provide a system and method for controlling access to audiovisual content such as television shows, video-on-demand services or streaming video which can be delivered by cable, satellite, wired or wireless networks, cell phones, the Internet, etc. More particularly, the present invention provides a capability to define certain criteria which can be used to restrict access to content based on combinations of various parameters including, but not limited to, time of day, day of the week, type of content, source of content, content display device, etc. These criteria may also be provided by data storage arrangements or a network, and access restrictions specified by such criteria can be associated with a plurality of display devices.

Claims

1. A method for restricting access to content on a first display device via a second display device remote from the first display device, the method comprising:

displaying a first menu at the second display device, wherein the menu includes a first display device selection feature and a second display device selection feature; and

displaying a second menu including setting options pertaining to the first display device upon selection of the first display device selection feature of the first menu.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising restricting content on the first display device according to settings options selected on the second menu.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first display device and the second display device is a television.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the setting options is associated with access restrictions associated with program ratings, adult content, and pay-per-view.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the setting options results in copying of selected setting options from one of the display devices to the other display device.

6. A method for controlling access to content on a first display device from an input device remote from the first display device, the method comprising:

accessing via the input device a first menu associated with setting options pertaining to the first display device; and

enabling setting options via the first menu.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising restricting content on the first display device according to setting options selected on the second menu.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first display device is a television and the input device is a portable communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the portable communication device is a cellular telephone.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the first display device is a television and the input device is another television.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the setting options results in copying of selected setting options from one television to the other television.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the first display device is a television and the input device is a personal computer.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one of the setting options is associated with access restrictions associated with program ratings, adult content, and pay-per-view.