Method and apparatus for editing the output of a television set

• US 4,605,964 A
• Filed: 08/09/1983
• Issued: 08/12/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Parental Guide Of Texas, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Frederick W. Chard
• Inventors: Chard, Frederick W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/525,034
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 358/114, 358/117, 358/118, 358/120, 358/122, 358/141, 358/142, 358/146, 358/147, 358/165, 358/188
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

In order to enable the editing of television programs in the home to exclude undesired sound or visual events (such as swearing or scenes of violence), these events are identified by coding inserted in the television signal prior to mass distribution. Preferably this coding is used to identify a range of possibly undesirable events, the coding including a grading of the events in terms of their undesirability. In the home, the coding is extruded from the received television signal by a suitable decoder. This coding is compared with a preset code identifying the grade or grades of event to be excluded; on the basis of this comparison the television signal is doctored before output on a television set. To facilitate following of the program being edited, only that portion of the television signal (sound or vision) carrying the undesired event is doctored.

Claims

1. A method of providing for the editing of the output of sound and visual portions of a television set, comprising the steps of:

(a) inserting into a television signal, prior to mass distribution, coding which individually identifies, as they occur, possibly undersirable sound and visual events forming part of a programme represented by said signal, the coding indicating the sound or visual nature of each said event,

(b) monitoring the television signal to identify said coding,

(c) determining from the coding identified in step (b) the time of occurrence and nature of said possibly-undersirable events which are to be edited out, and

(d) inhibiting the intelligible output, via said set, of the sound portion of said television signal when the determination effected in step (c) indicates the presence of a sound event to be edited out, and inhibiting the intelligible output of the vision portion of said signal when the determination effected in step (c) indicates the presence of a visual event to be edited out.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised:

in that the said coding inserted into the television signal is used to identify a range of events of varying degrees of possible undersirability, the coding including a grading indicating the degree of possible undesirability of each said event, and

in that step (c) involves comparing the event grading included in the coding identified in step (b) with a predetermined code indicative of an undesired grade or grades of event, the result of this comparison being used to identify the events to be edited out in step (d).

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that said coding is inserted into said television signal as a teletext type signal.

4. A method according to claim 3, characterised in that said coding takes the form of one or more row addresses of a predetermined teletext page.

5. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that said coding is inserted into the television signal by passing the signal through a fixed time delay while an operator views and listens to the programme represented by the signal and inserts a suitable said coding upon the occurrence of a said possibly-undesirable event, the time delay serving to compensate for the non-instantaneous reaction of said operator to such an event.

6. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that coding identifying each possibly-undesirable event is only intermittently inserted in said signal during the event, and in that inhibition of the sound or vision portion of said signal, following each determination of the occurrence of an event to be edited out, is effected for a predetermined time period which is of greater duration than the interlude between successive insertions of coding identifying the event.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein during the inhibition of a said portion of the said television signal, a video character signal is added to the said television signal to provide a visual display, at said set, indicative of the reason for said inhibition.

8. A controller for editing out undesired sound and visual events from a television signal where this signal includes coding individually identifying, as they occur, certain possibly-undesirable events forming part of a programme represented by the signal, the coding including an indication of the sound or visual nature of each said event;

said controller comprising;

monitor means (40) for monitoring the television signal to identify said coding and output a corresponding coding signal,

signal processing means (40,42,43,44) connected to receive said coding signal and arranged to determine therefrom the time of occurrence and nature of said certain possibly-undesirable events, these latter events being events which are to be edited out, and produce inhibit signals in response thereto and

inhibit means (14,17) arranged to operate on said television signal in response to said inhibit signals such as to inhibit the intelligible output from said controller of the sound portion of said television signal when the signal processing means (40,42,43,44) indicates the presence of a sound event to be edited out, and to inhibit the intelligible output from the controller of the vision portion of said television signal when the signal processing means (40,42,43,44) indicates the presence of a visual event to be edited out.

9. A controller according to claim 8, intended for use where said coding is used to identify a range of events, including said certain events, of varying degrees of possible undesirability, the coding including a grading of each said event, characterised in that said signal processing means comprises:

selection means (44) enabling an operator to set in the grade or grades of event to be edited out, the selection means (44) being arranged to store a grade signal representative of the set in grade or grades, and

comparator means (42,43) for comparing the said coding signal with the said grade signal whereby to determine which events are to be edited out by said inhibit means (14,

     17).