Method and apparatus for content blocking

• US 7,035,628 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: XM Satellite Radio Incorporated (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Michalski, Richard Andrew, Malinsky, Jeffrey, Marko, Paul, Rindsberg, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US10/039,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20030125033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/418, 455/420, 455/45, 455/186.1, 455/507, 455/517, 455/524, 358/908, 348/722, 348/723, 348/732, 375/221
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution

Abstract

A method of disabling at least a portion of one of a plurality of channels in a digital audio radio system includes the steps of receiving (702) a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air on the plurality of channels and decoding (704) a selected channel among the plurality of channels. The method further comprises the steps of selectively tagging (706) an undesired type of content on the selected channel, analyzing (708) for an indication of content of the undesired type among the plurality of channels, and selectively disabling (710) at least the portion of the selected channel containing the undesired type of content.

Claims

1. A method of content blocking in a digital audio radio on at least a portion of one of a plurality of channels, comprising the steps of:

receiving a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air on the plurality of channels;

selectively choosing to skip undesired content on at least a portion of a channel by storing a code representative of the undesired content in a memory of the digital audio radio, wherein the code stored is representative of a location and wherein the code representative of the location is updated via a GPS receiver or other location determination means utilizing time delays;

communicating an indicia of the undesired content to a central station;

receiving a signal over-the-air from the central station that disables the undesired content in the digital audio radio; and

blocking the output of the content by disabling the portion of the channel by comparing the code with a second code embedded in the signal from the central station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of blocking the output of the content by disabling at least the channel completely.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of selectively choosing and communicating the indicia of the undesired content to the central station is achieved via a computer network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of selectively choosing and communicating the indicia comprises selecting a profile for a particular user on a website coupled to the central station.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the indicia communicated to the central station is selected from the group comprising a location, a song title, an artist'"'"'s name, a band name, a channel number, an album, a rating, a tier level, or an identification number associated with the digital audio radio.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selectively choosing is achieved via a user interface in the digital audio radio and the step of communicating the undesired content to the central station is achieved via a reverse channel to the central station.

7. A method of content blocking in a digital audio radio on at least a portion of one of a plurality of channels, comprising the steps of:

receiving a digitally encoded bit stream over-the-air on the plurality of channels;

selectively choosing to skip undesired content on at least a portion of a channel;

communicating an indicia of the undesired content to a central station;

receiving a signal over-the-air from the central station that disables the undesired content in the digital audio radio;

decoding a selected channel among the plurality of channels;

selectively tagging an undesired type of content on the selected channel;

analyzing a broadcast information channel and/or an Electronic Program Guide for an indication of content of the undesired type among the plurality of channels; and

selectively disabling at least the portion of the selected channel containing the undesired type of content.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of selectively disabling further comprises the step of selectively disabling all channels among the plurality of channels containing the indication of content of the undesired type.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of tagging further comprises the step of storing descriptors representative of the content on the selected channel in a memory.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises the step of comparing descriptors of content for at least a portion of the plurality of channels in the broadcast information channel with the descriptor stored in the memory.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication of undesired content comprises descriptors selected from the group comprising song title, artist, composer, lyricist, label, album name, genre, sub-genre, length, lyric keywords, audience level rating, service tier level, location, or any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of selectively tagging comprises the step of storing a descriptor such as a undesired artist or song from a channel reference table and/or an Electronic Program Guide in a memory or other storage media within a satellite digital audio radio receiver unit and the step of analyzing further comprises comparing the descriptor with descriptors in a broadcast information channel for an indication of content of the undesired type among the plurality of channels, wherein the broadcast information channel is updated frequently to provide the user with up-to-date information about the plurality of channels.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises the step of selecting the undesired content by a single user input.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of disabling comprises the step of disabling a time division channel among a plurality of time division channels received at a digital audio radio.