Method and apparatus for information labeling and control

• US 6,675,384 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1995
• Issued: 01/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chartoleaux KG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Robert S. Block
• Inventors: Block, Robert S., Bramwell, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US08/576,486
• Time in Patent Office: 2,938 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.710, H04/N.714, 348/460, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/474, 348/479, 348/634, 348/553, 380/205, 380/206, 380/207, 380/208, 380/209, 380/210, 380/211, 380/212, 725/25, 725/27, 725/28, 725/30, 725/31, 725/104
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/06 Systems for the simultaneous transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by more than one carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A method and apparatus for information labeling and control includes central station equipment which combines a program signal with content labels which separately and continuously identify the audio, video, and data content of the program signal, and user station equipment which generates a local content label identifying program material which is acceptable to the user. By comparing the two labels the user station equipment can block or substitute alternative audio, video, or data for offensive portions of a program signal received through a transmission or stored for playback on various media such as video tapes, audio tapes, CDs, computer disks, optical storage media, and video game cartridges.

Claims

1. An information labeling and control method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a program signal and a transmitted information label to a user station;

generating at the user station a local information label which is related to the transmitted information label;

selecting portions of the program signal to be presented to a user based on the transmitted information label and the local information label, wherein the transmitted information label includes an audio category label and a video category label, and the audio category label and the video category label each have at least four values; and

transmitting to the viewer station an information signal which indicates a percentage of time during the program that the audio category and the video category label are rated at each of said at least four values.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a local information label; and

preventing the selection of the local information label from being changed, wherein a means for preventing comprises a combination lock having a changeable combination.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a default value for the local information label.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a means for storing a default value is adapted to store different default values for different time periods during a day.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the program signal comprises at least one of an audio signal and a video signal.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the transmitted information label on a video screen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the program signal is a digital signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of resuming the presentation of the program signal to the viewer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted information label includes at least one of a violence content label and a sexual content label.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio category label and the video category label each comprise at least one of a violence category signal and a sexual content category signal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting to the viewer station a signal which includes a textual description of the content of the program signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said signal further includes a description relating the content of the program signal to the transmitted information label.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of blocking an entire program signal when the indicated percentage of time for a selected value of the audio category label or the video category label exceeds a predetermined percentage of time.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio category label and the video category label are digital signals which each comprise at least two bits.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of independently varying, during the presentation of a program, the audio category label and the video category label according to a content of the audio signal and the video signal.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the program signal is divided into frames, and the transmitted information label is transmitted to the viewer station each time a frame of the program signal is transmitted to the viewer station.

17. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of presenting at least one of a substitute audio signal and a substitute video signal to the viewer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the substitute audio signal comprises a tone.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of generating the substitute video signal with a character generator.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the substitute video signal defines a graphic display which is presented to the viewer when the video signal is blocked.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of transmitting the substitute video signal to the viewer station.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the substitute video signal is generated at the viewer station.

23. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of transmitting a substitute audio signal to the viewer station within a bandwidth of the program signal allocated for audio transmission.

24. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of transmitting a substitute audio signal to the viewer station within a vertical retrace interval of the video signal.

25. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of transmitting a substitute audio signal to the viewer station in place of a portion of the video signal representing a line on a television screen.

26. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of transmitting a substitute audio signal to the viewer station in a portion of a spectrum allocated for transmission of video signals.

27. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of transmitting a substitute video signal to the viewer station on a frequency channel which is different from a frequency channel on which the program signal is transmitted.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of presenting to the user a menu of programs, wherein the programs appearing in the menu are selected responsive to the local information label.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the local information label from the user station to a central station; and

selecting a program to transmit to the user station based on said local information label.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein said program signal comprises world wide web pages.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the program signal and the transmitted information label are transmitted to the user station from a local storage device.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the local storage device comprises one of a compact disc, a video disc, a video tape, an audio tape, a computer disc, and a video game cartridge.

33. The method of claim 17, wherein the program signal program signal and at least one of the substitute audio signal and the substitute video signal are recorded on at least one of a compact disc, a video disc, a video tape, an audio tape, a computer disc, and a video game cartridge.