Real-time edit control for video program material

• US 5,778,135 A
• Filed: 12/30/1994
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ottesen, Hal H., Smith, Gordon J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, Y YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/366,555
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 360/14.1, 360/14.2, 360/14.3, 360/13.1, 348/7, 348/13, 358/335, 358/342, 358/311, 386/52-46, 386/125, 386/126, 386/95
• US Class Current: 386/282
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4756 for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A system and method for editing program material provide viewers with real-time editing control. Digital program material are divided into relatively short segments and each of these segments are rated to indicate a level of potentially objectionable material contained therein. Each segment is tagged to indicate this rating. Prior to viewing the program material, or during playback of the program material, the viewer determines the rating level at which he or she wishes to view the program material. This rating level is entered into the playback system. Upon playback, the system examines the tag of each segment to determine whether that segment should be played. If a segment is tagged to indicate a rating with a higher level than that requested by the viewer, the tag is edited and not displayed. Thus, the program material is edited in real time as it is displayed to the viewer.

Claims

1. A system for providing a viewer with edit control of video program material, comprising:

means for receiving the video program material, wherein said video program material is divided into a plurality of segments and each segment is tagged to indicate a rating for that segment;

means for providing the viewer with information regarding the percentage of material at a particular rating level in the program material; and

means for determining whether each segment is to be presented to the viewer based on said rating, comprising

means for examining said tag of each segment to determine said rating for that segment;

means for determining a selected rating level; and

means for comparing said rating of that segment to said selected rating level.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an RF modulator for modulating said segments to be presented to the viewer; and

buffer means for buffering the program material prior to modulation to ensure that a continuous stream of data is available to said RF modulator.

3. A method of providing a viewer with edit control of video program material, comprising the steps of:

receiving the video program material, wherein said video program material is divided into a plurality of segments and each segment is tagged to indicate a rating for that segment;

providing the viewer with information regarding the percentage of material at a particular rating level in the program material; and

determining whether each segment is to be presented to the viewer based on said rating, wherein said determining step comprises the steps of

examining said tag of each segment to determine said rating for that segment;

determining a selected rating level; and

comparing said rating of that segment to said selected rating level.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the steps of:

modulating said segments to be presented to the viewer; and

buffering program material prior to modulation to ensure that a continuous stream of data is available for modulation.