Methods, Systems, and Products for Blocking Content

• US 20100325653A1
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matz, William R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,136,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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

Methods, systems, and products block objectionable content and substitute alternative content. Multiple fields of a preferred tag are retrieved from memory. Multiple fields of an alternative tag, associated with alternative content, are retrieved from the memory. A number of matching fields, between the multiple fields of the preferred tag and the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag, are determined. The number of matching fields is compared to a threshold value. When the number of matching fields exceeds the threshold value, then the alternative content is substituted for the objectionable content.

Claims

1. A method of substituting objectionable content, comprising:

retrieving multiple fields of a preferred tag from memory;

retrieving the multiple fields of an alternative tag associated with alternative content from the memory;

determining, by a processor, a number of matching fields between the multiple fields of the preferred tag and the multiple fields of the alternative tag;

comparing the number of matching fields to a threshold value; and

substituting the objectionable content with the alternative content when the number of matching fields exceeds the threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value is two (2), such that at least three (3) matching fields cause the alternative content to replace the objectionable content.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving a profile.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving the preferred tag from a profile.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising blocking the objectionable content.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising presenting the alternative content.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining multiple alternative contents exceed the threshold value; and

selecting the alternative content that has not been recently presented.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor executing instructions stored in memory that cause the processor to;

retrieve multiple fields of a preferred tag from memory;

retrieve the multiple fields of an alternative tag associated with alternative content from the memory;

determine, by a processor, a number of matching fields between the multiple fields of the preferred tag and the multiple fields of the alternative tag;

compare the number of matching fields to a threshold value; and

substitute objectionable content with the alternative content when the number of matching fields exceeds the threshold value.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the threshold value is two (2), such that at least three (3) matching fields cause the alternative content to replace the objectionable content.

10. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to retrieve a profile.

11. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to retrieve the preferred tag from a profile.

12. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to block the objectionable content.

13. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to present the alternative content.

14. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:

determine multiple alternative contents exceed the threshold value; and

select the alternative content that has not been recently presented.

15. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing processor executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

retrieving multiple fields of a preferred tag from memory;

retrieving the multiple fields of an alternative tag associated with alternative content from the memory;

determining, by a processor, a number of matching fields between the multiple fields of the preferred tag and the multiple fields of the alternative tag;

comparing the number of matching fields to a threshold value; and

substituting the objectionable content with the alternative content when the number of matching fields exceeds the threshold value.

16. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the threshold value is two (2), such that at least three (3) matching fields cause the alternative content to replace the objectionable content.

17. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for retrieving the preferred tag from a profile.

18. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for blocking the objectionable content.

19. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for presenting the alternative content.

20. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for:

determining multiple alternative contents exceed the threshold value; and

selecting the alternative content that has not been recently presented.