Control of a system for processing a stream of information based on information content

• US 7,249,366 B1
• Filed: 08/05/1999
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Flavin, Robert Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Beliveau; Scott E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US09/368,433
• Time in Patent Office: 2,910 Days
• Field of Search: 725/82,110,138,139,144,148,151,12,14,28,31,25,46
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream

Abstract

A segment announcing system is disclosed that contains one or more segment announcement receivers that receive one or more announcements over a network connection and/or other communication connection. The announcements contain content information about the content of broadcast information being broadcast, e.g., to a television. The segment announcement receivers have one or more control outputs to perform a function, typically to control the segment announcement receivers during processing of information called a content stream.

Claims

1. A segment announcement receiver comprising:

a receiver section that receives a plurality of announcements, wherein each of said plurality of announcements corresponds to a content being provided on one or more content streams, and said plurality of announcements are created by a plurality of announcers which are other than a broadcaster of said one or more content streams and include;

a description about said corresponding content in said one or more of the content streams;

a time at which said corresponding content is transmitted on said signal, and

a content identifier;

a filter record including a plurality of actions corresponding to an announcement type, content stream type, and announcer identification, said plurality of actions including at least one user preference for altering a presentation of said one or more content streams; and

a controller that;

compares an announcement type for an announcement in said plurality of announcements with said announcement type in said filter record, compares an announcer identification for said announcement with said announcer identification in said filter record, and compares a content stream type for said one or more content streams with said content stream type in said filter record; and

if said announcement type for said announcement matches said announcement type in said filter record, said announcer identification for said announcement matches said announcer identification in said filter record, and said content stream type for said one or more content streams matches said content stream type in said filter record, selects a corresponding action from said plurality of actions to alter said presentation in accordance with said at least one user preference,

wherein said plurality of announcements are not received via said broadcaster

wherein said plurality of actions comprises at least one of switching a sound device of a presentation device to an ON state, switching the sound device of said presentation device to an OFF state, switching a display apparatus of said presentation device to an ON state, switching a display apparatus of said presentation device to an OFF state, changing the channel on said presentation device, starting a recording operation, and stopping a recording operation.

2. A segment announcement receiver, as in claim 1, where the description includes any one or more of the following:

a rating, a category, a comment, a content description, a segment type, a program part, a program source, a review, a statistic, and a character name.

3. A segment announcement receiver, as in claim 1, wherein the segment announcement receiver further comprises any one or more of the following:

a television, a radio, a closed circuit television, a video recorder, and a computer.

4. A segment announcement receiver as in claim 1, wherein said presentation is by any one or more of the following:

a television, a radio, a closed circuit television, a video recorder, and a computer.

5. The receiver of claim 1, further comprising a presenting section for presenting said content stream, wherein said controller controls said presenting section to alter said presentation.

6. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said receiver section receives said plurality of announcements via a first communication connection and wherein said one or more content streams are provided on a second communication connection that is separate from said first communication connection.

7. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said receiver section receives said plurality of announcements via the Internet and wherein said one or more content streams are provided on a communication connection that is separate from said Internet.

8. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said receiver section receives said plurality of announcements via a telephone network and wherein said one or more content streams are provided on a communication connection that is separate from said telephone network.

9. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said one or more content streams are provided on one of a cable television network, a television airwave broadcast and a satellite network and wherein said receiver section receives said plurality of announcements via a connection that is completely independent of said one of a cable television network, a television airwave broadcast and a satellite network.

10. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said receiver section receives said plurality of announcements via a radio broadcast and wherein said one or more content streams are provided on a communication connection that is separate from said radio broadcast.

11. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said receiver section receives said plurality of announcements via a satellite broadcast and wherein said one or more content streams are provided on a communication connection that is separate from said satellite broadcast.

12. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said receiver section receives said plurality of announcements via a data network and wherein said one or more content streams are provided on a communication connection that is separate from said data network.

13. The receiver of claim 1, wherein said receiver section receives said plurality of announcements via physical transport of a storage media and wherein said one or more content streams are provided on a communication connection that is separate from said physical transport of said storage media.

14. A segment announcement receiver comprising:

a first receiver section that receives one or more content streams on a content carrier signal;

a second receiver section that receives a plurality of announcements which are created by a plurality of announcers which are other than a broadcast of said one or more content streams, said plurality of announcements including;

a description about a corresponding content within said one or more content streams,

a time at which the corresponding content is transmitted by the first receiver section, and

a content identifier;

a filter record including a plurality of actions corresponding to an announcement type, content stream type, and announcer identification, said plurality of actions including at least one user preference for altering a presentation of said one or more content streams; and

a controller that;

compares an announcement type for an announcement in said plurality of announcements with said announcement type in said filter record, compares an announcer identification for said announcement with said announcer identification in said filter record, and compares a content stream type for said one or more content streams with said content stream type in said filter record; and

if said announcement type for said announcement matches said announcement type in said filter record, said announcer identification for said announcement matches said announcer identification in said filter record, and said content stream type for said one or more content streams matches said content stream type in said filter record, selects a corresponding action from said plurality of actions to alter said presentation in accordance with said at least one user preference,

wherein said plurality of actions comprises at least one of switching a sound device of a presentation device to an ON state, switching the sound device of said presentation device to an OFF state, switching a display apparatus of said presentation device to an ON state, switching a display apparatus of said presentation device to an OFF state, changing the channel on said presentation device, starting a recording operation, and stopping a recording operation.

15. The receiver of claim 14, further comprising a presenting section for presenting said content stream, wherein said controller controls said presenting section to alter said presentation.

16. The receiver of claim 14, wherein said first receiver section receives said one or more content streams via a first communication connection and wherein said second receiver section receives said plurality of announcements on a second communication connection that is separate from said first communication connection.

17. A segment announcement system comprising:

an analyzer that analyses a content of one or more content streams;

an announcement generator that creates a plurality of announcements containing a description about said content of one or more of the content streams;

a transmitter section that sends said plurality of announcement to one or more receivers, said plurality of announcements being provided by a plurality of announcers which are other than a broadcaster of said one or more content streams,

wherein each of said receivers comprises;

a filter record including a plurality of actions corresponding to an announcement type, content stream type, and announcer identification, said plurality of actions including at least one user preference for altering a presentation of said one or more content streams; and

a controller that;

compares an announcement type for an announcement in said plurality of announcements with said announcement type in said filter record, compares an announcer identification for said announcement with said announcer identification in said filter record, and compares a content stream type for said one or more content streams with said content stream type in said filter record; and

if said announcement type for said announcement matches said announcement type in said filter record, said announcer identification for said announcement matches said announcer identification in said filter record, and said content stream type for said one or more content streams matches said content stream type in said filter record, selects a corresponding action from said plurality of actions to alter said presentation in accordance with said at least one user preference,

wherein said plurality of actions comprises at least one of switching a sound device of a presentation device to an ON state, switching the sound device of said presentation device to an OFF state, switching a display apparatus of said presentation device to an ON state, switching a display apparatus of said presentation device to an OFF state, changing the channel on said presentation device, starting a recording operation, and stopping a recording operation.

18. A segment announcement system, as in claim 17, wherein the analyzer comprises any one or more of the following:

a person, a group of people, and an electronic signal processor.

19. A segment announcement system, as in claim 18, wherein the electronic signal processor includes any or more of the following:

a brightness detection device, and video image process that queries by image content.

20. A segment announcement system, as in claim 17, wherein the announcement further comprises a time associated with the content.

21. A segment announcement system, as in claim 20, wherein the announcement further comprises a content identifier.

22. The receiver of claim 17, further comprising a presenting section for presenting said content stream, wherein said controller controls said presenting section to alter said presentation.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein said analyzer analyzes said content on said one or more content streams on a first communication connection and wherein said transmitter section sends said announcement to said one or more receivers using a second communication connection that is separate from said first communication connection.

24. A closed circuit transmission system comprising:

a segment announcer comprising;

an analyzer that analyses a content of one or more content streams, wherein said analyzer comprises a party other than a broadcaster of said content;

an announcement generator that creates a plurality of announcements containing a description about said content and a time associated with said content; and

a transmitter section that sends the plurality of announcements; and

a segment announcement receiver comprising;

a receiver section for receiving said plurality of announcements and said one or more content streams;

a filter record including a plurality of actions corresponding to an announcement type, content stream type, and announcer identification, said plurality of actions including at least one user preference for altering a presentation of said one or more content streams; and

a controller that;

compares an announcement type for an announcement in said plurality of announcements with said announcement type in said filter record, compares an announcer identification for said announcement with said announcer identification in said filter record, and compares a content stream type for said one or more content streams with said content stream type in said filter record; and

if said announcement type for said announcement matches said announcement type in said filter record, said announcer identification for said announcement matches said announcer identification in said filter record, and said content stream type for said one or more content streams matches said content stream type in said filter record, selects a corresponding action from said plurality of actions to alter said presentation in accordance with said at least one user preference,

wherein said announcement is not sent to said receiver via said broadcaster, and

wherein said plurality of actions comprises at least one of switching a sound device of a presentation device to an ON state, switching the sound device of said presentation device to an OFF state, switching a display apparatus of said presentation device to an ON state, switching a display apparatus of said presentation device to an OFF state, changing the channel on said presentation device, starting a recording operation, and stopping a recording operation.

25. The receiver of claim 24, further comprising a presenting section for presenting said content stream, wherein said controller controls said presenting section to alter said presentation.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein said analyzer analyzes said content on said one or more content streams on a first communication connection and wherein said transmitter section sends said announcement to said one or more receivers using a second communication connection that is separate from said first communication connection.

27. A process comprising:

providing a plurality of announcements by a plurality of announcers which are other than a broadcaster of a content stream;

receiving said content stream, said plurality of announcements having a description about a content of said content stream;

referring to a filter record including a plurality of actions corresponding to an announcement type, content stream type, and announcer identification, said plurality of actions including at least one user preference for altering a presentation of said one or more content streams;

comparing an announcement type for an announcement in said plurality of announcements with said announcement type in said filter record, comparing an announcer identification for said announcement with said announcer identification in said filter record, and comparing a content stream type for said one or more content streams with said content stream type in said filter record; and

if said announcement type for said announcement matches said announcement type in said filter record, said announcer identification for said announcement matches said announcer identification in said filter record, and said content stream type for said one or more content streams matches said content stream type in said filter record, selects a corresponding action from said plurality of actions to alter said presentation in accordance with said at least one user preference,

wherein said announcement is not provided via said broadcaster,

wherein said plurality of actions comprises at least one of switching a sound device of a presentation device to an ON state, switching the sound device of the presentation device to an OFF state, turning a display apparatus of the presentation device to an ON state, turning the display apparatus of the presentation device to an ON state, changing the channel on the presentation device, starting a recording operation, and stopping a recording operation.

28. The process of claim 27, wherein said providing comprises providing said announcement to a first communication connection and wherein said content stream is provided on a second communication connection that is separate from the first communication connection.

29. A segment announcement receiver comprising:

means for providing a plurality of announcements from a plurality of announcers which are other than a broadcaster of a content stream;

means for receiving said content stream, said plurality of announcements having a description about a content of said content stream;

means for referring to a filter record including a plurality of actions corresponding to an announcement type, content stream type, and announcer identification, said plurality of actions including at least one user preference for altering a presentation of said one or more content streams;

means for comparing an announcement type for an announcement in said plurality of announcements with said announcement type in said filter record, comparing an announcer identification for said announcement with said announcer identification in said filter record, and comparing a content stream type for said one or more content streams with said content stream type in said filter record; and

means for selecting a corresponding action from said plurality of actions to alter said presentation in accordance with said at least one user preference, if said announcement type for said announcement matches said announcement type in said filter record, said announcer identification for said announcement matches said announcer identification in said filter record, and said content stream type of said one or more content streams matches said content stream type in said filter record,

wherein said announcement is not provided via said broadcaster, and

wherein said plurality of actions comprises at least one of switching a sound device of a presentation device to an ON state, switching the sound device of the presentation device to an OFF state, switching a display device of the presentation device to an ON state, switching the display device of the presentation device to an ON state, changing the channel on a presentation device, starting a recording operation, and stopping a recording operation.

30. The process of claim 29, wherein said means for providing comprises means for providing said announcement to a first communication connection and wherein said content stream is provided on a second communication connection that is separate from the first communication connection.