System and method for providing substitute content in place of blocked content

• US 7,360,160 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wantage Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matz, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pillai; Namitha
• Application Number:
  US10/177,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20040168121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 725/28, 725/34, 725/35, 725/36, 725/32, 715/540, 715/716
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method for blocking content from being presented at a client device including substitution of alternative content. The client device recognizes and evaluates the received tags and blocks content based on a user profile. Substitute content is then identified and presented to the user. Substitute content includes a blank screen, prestored contents, a screen saver, alternative server content, and user selected content. The user may be prompted prior to substitution or choose that substitute content be automatically presented without prompting. Audio may be presented while substitute video is presented.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface to facilitate content substitution in response to identifying blocked content comprising:

a substitute source area operable to receive one or more user designations designating a source of substitute content, the substitute content comprising media content and a substitute content tag comprising multiple data fields with at least one data field comprising a weight value that indicates an importance of the data field, wherein the substitute source area comprises;

a selectable screen saver visual display element, whereby a user can select a screen saver as the source of substitute content,

a selectable prestored content visual display element, whereby the user can select prestored content as the source for substitute content,

a selectable local dynamic visual display element, whereby the user can choose the prestored content to be from a local dynamic source,

a selectable user selection visual display element, whereby the user can choose a user selection as the prestored content,

a selectable server content visual display element, whereby the user can select server content as the source for substitute content,

a selectable blank screen visual display element, whereby the user may select a blank screen as the source for substitute content,

a selectable ‘

with audio’

visual display element, whereby the user can choose that streaming audio be presented while the blank screen is presented, and

a selectable ‘

audio from file’

visual display element, whereby the user can choose an audio file to be presented while the blank screen is presented; and

a preview area to display at least one of the designated source of the designated source of the substitute content and the substitute content.

2. A graphical user interface as defined in claim 1, wherein the substitute source area further comprises:

a selectable file designation display element, whereby the user can choose a location and name of a screen saver file.

3. A graphical user interface as defined in claim 1, wherein the substitute source area further comprises:

a selectable manual substitution visual display element, whereby the user can choose to be prompted prior to content substitution; and

a selectable automatic substitution visual display element, whereby the user can choose that content be substituted automatically without prompting.