PARENTAL CONTROL FOR MEDIA PLAYBACK

• US 20100287584A1
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lo, Philip, Stone, Jeffrey S., Starikov, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US12/437,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20100287584A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/28
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Embodiments related to the parental control of media item playback are disclosed. In one embodiment, a computing device is configured to receive an input of unified parental control information that comprises a selection of an age to which to compare a rating of a media item. The computing device is further configured to receive a first media item and a second media item that are rated under different first and second rating systems, and to receive ratings information associated with each media item. The computing device is further configured to compare the ratings information for each media item to the unified parental control information, and to restrict playback of the first and/or second media item if the unified parental control information meets a threshold condition compared to the ratings information associated with the first and/or second media item.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a processor; and

memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to;

receive an input of unified parental control information that comprises an access restriction age to which to compare to a rating of a media item;

receive a first media item that is rated under a first rating system;

receive ratings information associated with the first media item;

compare the ratings information associated with the first media item to the unified parental control information;

restrict playback of the first media item if the unified parental control information meets a threshold condition compared to the ratings information associated with the first media item;

receive a second media item that is rated under a second rating system that is different than the first rating system;

receive ratings information associated with the second media item;

compare the ratings information associated with the second media item to the unified parental control information; and

restrict playback of the second media item if the unified parental control information meets a threshold condition compared to the ratings information associated with the second media item.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the ratings information comprises a rating, and wherein the instructions are executable to compare the ratings information associated with the first media item to the unified parental control information by converting the rating to an age value and comparing the age value to the access restriction age.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the instructions are executable to receive a home country identity as a part of the unified parental control information.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the ratings information comprises a rating system identity, and wherein the instructions are further executable to receive the rating system identity and determine if the rating system identity is associated with a home country rating system.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the instructions are further executable to compare the age value to the access control age only if the rating system identity is associated with the home country.

6. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the instructions are executable to convert a strongest rating in the ratings information to an age value, and to compare the age value to the access control age if the rating system identity is not associated with the home country.

7. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the ratings information for the first media item comprises ratings under two or more rating systems.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first rating system and second rating system each comprises one of a television rating system, a movie rating system, a music rating system, and a video game rating system.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first rating system is used in a first country, and wherein the second rating system is used in a second country.

10. A method of controlling playback of a media item, comprising;

receiving an input of unified parental control information, the unified parental control information comprising a home country identity and an access restriction age;

storing the unified parental control information;

receiving a media item;

receiving a rating for the media item;

converting the rating to an age value;

comparing the age value to the access restriction age; and

restricting playback of the media item if a threshold condition of the age value relative to the access restriction age is met.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving a rating from the media item comprises receiving a rating system identity along.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining whether the rating system is a home country rating system by comparing the rating system identity to the home country identity, and comparing the age value to the access restriction age only if the rating is from the home country rating system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising comparing the access restriction age to a strongest rating of the plurality of ratings if the rating is not from the home country rating system.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing the rating and the rating system identity in a ratings table, and storing the ratings table with the media item prior to converting the rating to the age value for comparison to the access restriction age.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving a rating attribute from the media data, and storing the rating attribute in the ratings table.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the rating attribute comprises a subrating.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the rating attribute comprises a window of time during which a stronger restriction applies.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the rating is a first rating, wherein the rating system identity is a first rating system identity, and further comprising:

receiving a second rating and a second rating system identity from the media item;

storing the second rating and the second rating identity in the ratings table; and

determining which rating to compare to the unified parental control information by comparing the first rating system identity and the second rating system identity to the home country information to determine whether either rating system is a home country rating system.

19. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by a computing device to control playback of a media item by the computing device, wherein the instructions comprise:

instructions executable to operate a capture module, wherein the capture module is configured to;

receive an input of a media item;

receive a plurality of rating system identities and a plurality of associated ratings from the media item; and

store each rating system identity and rating in a ratings table associated with the media item;

instructions executable to operate a ratings manager module configured to;

receive an input of unified parental control information that comprises a home country identity and an access control age;

receive the ratings table associated with the media item;

compare the home country identity to the rating system identities to select a selected rating to apply;

convert the selected rating to an age value; and

compare the age value to the access control age to determine whether to restrict playback of the media item; and

instructions executable to operate a playback module configured to;

receive the media item with the ratings table;

send the ratings table to the ratings manager module; and

play the media item only if the ratings manager module does not restrict playback.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions are executable to compare a strongest rating of the plurality of associated ratings to compare to the access control age if none of the plurality of rating systems is associated with the home country identity.