Video viewing responsive to content and time restrictions

• US 6,091,886 A
• Filed: 07/01/1998
• Issued: 07/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissim Corp.
• Original Assignee: Nissim Corp.
• Inventors: Abecassis, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/108,820
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/83, 386/92, 386/52, 386/1, 386/4, 386/94, 386/125, 348/7, 348/12, 360/32
• US Class Current: 386/344
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/338 using television networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/47 involving branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible scenarios at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/409 Data transfer via television network
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/63 for controlling the execution of the game in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 Role playing or strategy games
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/022 Control panels
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/12 by sensing distinguishing features of or on records, e.g. diameter end mark
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2587 Laser Discs; Optical disc using analog recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 : Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/14 : specially adapted to record on, or to reproduce from, more than one track simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 : for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 : for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/48 : for recognising items expressed in broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/59 : of video recognising characters or patterns in general G06F18/00, G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 : for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 : by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 : Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 : Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 : being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/426 : Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 : Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/454 : Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• 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 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 : for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 : for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• 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 21/8405 : represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 : for frame-grabbing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17354 : in an intermediate station common to a plurality of user terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A method and a system for a user (e.g. a parent) to restrict a time (e.g. a time of day and/or an accumulated viewing during a specified time frame), and to restrict the videos and/or versions of videos that may be viewed by a viewer (e.g. a child) and/or a plurality of individually restricted viewers. The videos and/or versions of videos being restricted with respect to, for example, at least one content category (e.g. a rating code), a level in at least one content category, and/or a level of explicitness in each of a plurality of content categories. In an embodiment, random access and buffering means are utilized to retrieve segments of a video, to buffer at least a portion of a segment of a video, and to seamlessly skip a retrieval of at least one segment of the video, thereby playing, from within the video a seamless version of the video less in length than the length of the video.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

time restricting means for establishing a restriction with respect to a time that video programs may be played;

preferencing means for preestablishing a content preference for a level of explicitness in each of a plurality of video content categories, the preestablishing permitting the application of the content preference in a playing of a plurality of video programs;

selecting means for selecting, responsive to the time restriction, segments of a video program by applying the content preference to segment information directly defining at least one segment within the video program, the defining being responsive to a level of explicitness in each of the plurality of video content categories; and

playing means for playing, without requiring an alternate source of video, the selected segments as a seamless version of, from within, and less in length than the length of, the video program, the playing comprising buffering sufficient video information to enable a random accessing to seamlessly skip over at least one non-selected segment included within the video program.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time that video programs may be played is responsive to a time of day that video programs may be played.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of video content categories include a video content category of violence and a video content category of sex.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of video content categories include a video content category of violence and a video content category of sex;

and wherein an editing of the content preference is responsive to permissions established specifically for each of the plurality of video content categories.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time that video programs may be played is responsive to an accumulated playing time during a specified time frame for each of a plurality of viewers;

wherein the plurality of video content categories include a video content category of violence and a video content category of sex; and

wherein an editing of the content preference is responsive to permissions individualized for each of the plurality of viewers and established specifically for each of the plurality of video content categories.

6. A method comprising the steps of:

establishing a restriction with respect to a time that video programs may be played;

preestablishing a content preference for a level of explicitness in each of a plurality of video content categories, the preestablishing permitting the application of the content preference in a playing of a plurality of video programs;

selecting, responsive to the time restriction, segments of a video program by applying the content preference to segment information directly defining at least one segment within the video program, the defining being responsive to a level of explicitness in each of the plurality of video content categories; and

playing, without requiring an alternate source of video, the selected segments as a seamless version of, from within, and less in length than the length of, the video program, the playing comprising buffering sufficient video information to enable a random accessing to seamlessly skip over at least one non-selected segment included within the video program.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the time that video programs may be played is responsive to an accumulated playing time during a specified time frame.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of video content categories include a video content category of violence and a video content category of sex.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the time that video programs may be played is responsive to an accumulated playing time during a specified time frame and a time of day that video programs may be played;

wherein the plurality of video content categories include a video content category of violence and a video content category of sex; and

wherein an editing of the content preference is responsive to permissions established specifically for each of the plurality of video content categories.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the time that video programs may be played is responsive to a time of day each of the plurality of viewers may play video programs;

wherein the plurality of video content categories include a video content category of violence and a video content category of sex; and

wherein an editing of the content preference is responsive to permissions individualized for each of the plurality of viewers and established specifically for each of the plurality of video content categories.

11. An apparatus capable of playing a version of a video program from a video program source providing (1) a video program including within a set of parallel segments that provide for at least two versions of a scene, each parallel segment comprising a sequence of video frames, (2) a user interface, particular to the video program, for a user of the video program to establish a content preference, and (3) data, not prepared by the user of the video program, directly defining a plurality of segments within the video program, the apparatus comprising:

time restricting means for establishing a restriction with respect to a time that video programs may be played;

preferencing means for enabling the user of the video program to establish a content preference by utilizing the user interface;

selecting means for selecting, for the user, segments from within the video program by applying the content preference to the data, the selected segments including only one parallel segment from the set of parallel segments; and

playing means for playing, without requiring an alternate source of video, the selected segments as a seamless version of, from within, and less in length than the length of, the video program, the playing comprising buffering sufficient video information to enable a random accessing to seamlessly skip over at least one non-selected segment included within the video program.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the time that video programs may be played is responsive to a time of day that video programs may be played;

and wherein the selecting is responsive to a descriptor associated with at least one parallel segment.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the set of parallel segments provide for at least two versions of a scene with different levels of violence;

wherein another set of parallel segments, included within the video program, provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of sex; and

wherein the content preference is responsive to an MPAA rating.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the time that video programs may be played is responsive to a time of day that video programs may be played;

wherein the set of parallel segments provide for at least two versions of a scene with different levels of explicitness in at least one of a plurality of video content categories;

wherein another set of parallel segments, included within the video program, provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of explicitness in another of the plurality of video content categories; and

wherein the defining of the plurality of segments and the content preference are responsive to a level of explicitness in each of the plurality of video content categories.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the video program, the user interface, and the data, are obtained from a communications and downloaded to the video program source;

wherein the time that video programs may be played is responsive to a time of day that video programs may be played;

wherein the set of parallel segments provide for at least two versions of a scene with different levels of violence;

wherein another set of parallel segments, included within the video program, provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of sex; and

wherein the selecting is responsive to a descriptor associated with at least one parallel segment in each set of parallel segments.

16. A method for playing a version of a video program from a video program source providing (1) a video program including within a set of parallel segments that provide for at least two versions of a scene, each parallel segment comprising a sequence of video frames, (2) a user interface, particular to the video program, for a user of the video program to establish a content preference, and (3) data, not prepared by the user of the video program, directly defining a plurality of segments within the video program, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a restriction with respect to a time that video programs may be played;

enabling the user of the video program to establish a content preference by utilizing the user interface;

selecting, for the user, segments from within the video program by applying the content preference to the data, the selected segments including only one parallel segment from the set of parallel segments; and

playing, without requiring an alternate source of video, the selected segments as a seamless version of, from within, and less in length than the length of, the video program, the playing comprising buffering sufficient video information to enable a random accessing to seamlessly skip over at least one non-selected segment included within the video program.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the time that video programs may be played is responsive to an accumulated playing time during a specified time frame;

and wherein the selecting is responsive to a descriptor associated with at least one parallel segment.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of parallel segments provide for at least two versions of a scene with different levels of violence;

wherein another set of parallel segments, included within the video program, provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of sex; and

wherein the content preference is responsive to an MPAA rating.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of parallel segments provide for at least two versions of a scene with different levels of explicitness in at least one of a plurality of video content categories;

wherein another set of parallel segments, included within the video program, provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of explicitness in another of the plurality of video content categories;

wherein the defining of the plurality of segments and the content preference are responsive to a level of explicitness in each of the plurality of video content categories; and

wherein the selecting is responsive to a descriptor associated with at least one parallel segment in each set of parallel segments.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the video program, the user interface, and the data, are obtained from a communications and downloaded to the video program source;

wherein the set of parallel segments provide for at least two versions of a scene with different levels of violence;

wherein another set of parallel segments, included within the video program, provide for at least two versions of another scene with different levels of sex; and

wherein the selecting is responsive to a descriptor associated with at least one parallel segment in each set of parallel segments.