System, method, and computer program product for selective filtering of objectionable content from a program

• US 7,360,234 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2002
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 1, LLC
• Original Assignee: Caption TV, Inc.
• Inventors: Gee, James D. Jr., Robson, Gary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, KIEU OANH T
• Application Number:
  US10/187,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20040006767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 725/10, 725/14, 725/28, 725/32, 725/37, 725/39, 725/127, 725/136, 348/553, 348/564, 348/568
• US Class Current: 725/127
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• 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 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• 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 7/0887 for the transmission of programme or channel identifying signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product is provided for the selective filtering of objectionable content from a program. The selective filtering of objectionable content from a program is accomplished by applying an encoding process and a decoding process to the audio and/or video signal of the program. The encoding process includes marking potentially objectionable material in the program with filtering information that identifies the type (e.g., audio, violent content, sexual content, etc.) and intensity level (e.g., mild, graphic, extreme, etc.) of the potentially objectionable material using filter codes. The decoding process includes comparing, during the presentation of the program to the user and prior to outputting the audio or displaying the video, the filtering information to filter criteria, which includes user supplied filter settings, to determine whether filtering of the potentially objectionable content (i.e., audio and/or video) should be performed. If filtering is to be performed, the objectionable content in the program is filtered according to the filtering information which, in the preferred embodiment, identifies the start and duration of the filtering and, for filtering of the video of the program, also identifies the display area of the video to be blocked.

Claims

1. A device for selectively filtering objectionable content from a video program intended for viewing on a screen, including a video signal and/or an audio signal, comprising:

an extraction device receiving at least a portion of said signal(s) and configured to extract information therefrom rating audio and/or video content of said video program;

a video control device and/or an audio control device;

a processor operatively coupled to said video control device and said audio control device and communicatively coupled to said extraction device for receiving at least a portion of said extracted information therefrom;

a memory coupled to said processor and storing filtering criteria defining disallowed audio and/or video content;

said processor programmed to cause said audio control device to filter a portion of the audio signal in response to rated audio content that satisfies said filtering criteria; and

said processor programmed to cause said video control device to filter a portion of the video signal in response to rated video content that satisfies said filtering criteria such that substantially only subpictures of displayed video frames corresponding to that rated video content are obscured.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said extracted information is extracted from data in Line 21 of the vertical blanking interval (“

VBI”

) or packet data, such as extended data services (“

XDS”

), in the VBI.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said filtering information is extracted from streaming text transmitted in conjunction with the video and/or audio signal.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said filtering information is extracted from a text file transmitted independently of the video and/or audio signal.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said filtering information is extracted from textual information embedded in or transmitted in conjunction with directory or guide information in a satellite, HDTV, or other digital television environment.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said filtering information is extracted from a metafile or sub-picture in a DVD, video CD, or other stored digital video medium utilizing MPEG or similar video and/or audio storage formats.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said filtering information is extracted from a subcarrier, FM sideband or from text data or packet data embedded in digital radio signal.

8. A device for filtering objectionable content from a video program intended for viewing on a display screen including a video signal and an audio signal, said device comprising:

an extraction device receiving at least a portion of the video and audio signal and configured to extract information therefrom identifying potentially objectionable video and/or audio content in said video program;

a video control device;

a processor coupled to said video control device and receiving at least a portion of said extracted information;

a memory coupled to said processor and storing filtering criteria defining disallowed audio and/or video content;

said processor programmed to determine filtering information in said extracted information identifying at least video content; and

said processor programmed to cause said video control device to filter the video signal in response to filtering information satisfying said filtering criteria so that substantially only subpictures of displayed video frames corresponding to disallowed video content in said video program cannot be visually discerned.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said filtering information is user defined.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to a location in the video program the filtering should begin.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to a time in the video program the filtering should begin.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to the level of intensity of the objectionable content.

13. The device of claim 8, further including:

an audio control device coupled to said processor; and

wherein;

said memory contains one or more words and/or word fragments stored therein corresponding to disallowed audio content;

said extraction device is configured to extract a closed caption signal from the video signal;

said processor receives said extracted closed caption signal and is programmed to compare words in said extracted closed caption signal with said words and/or word fragments stored in memory; and

said processor causes said audio control device to filter the audio signal in response to determining that a word stored in said memory is present in said extracted closed caption signal.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to the duration the video signal is to be filtered in response to said filtering information satisfying said filtering criteria.

15. The device of claim 8, wherein said filtering information is present in the vertical blanking interval of a television broadcast signal.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein said filtering information is present in line 21 of the television broadcast signal.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein said filtering information is present in a text field in the VBI or in packet data, such as XDS, in the VBI.

18. The device of claim 8, wherein:

said filtering criteria includes audio filtering criteria and video filtering criteria;

said processor causes said video control device to filter the video signal in response to filtering information satisfying said video filtering criteria;

the device further comprising;

an audio control device coupled to said processor and wherein

said processor is programmed to cause said audio control device to filter the audio signal in response to filtering information satisfying said audio filtering criteria to inhibit broadcast of disallowed audio content.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein said filtering information represents a word that is present in the audio signal in an encoded form.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein said filtering information includes:

information identifying a portion of the video signal having violent content;

information identifying a portion of the video signal having sexual content; and

/or

information identifying a portion of the audio signal having potentially objectionable language.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to an audio channel in which the objectionable content is present.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to a word present in the audio signal.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein said information relating to a word is compared with said audio filtering criteria in said memory to determine whether to filter the word from the audio signal.

24. A method for filtering objectionable content from a signal having both audio and video components intended for viewing on a display screen;

said method comprising the steps of;

storing video filtering criteria in a memory identifying disallowed video content;

receiving the signal;

extracting filtering information from said signal identifying potentially objectionable content in said signal;

determining whether said filtering information satisfies said video filtering criteria; and

filtering a portion of the video signal in response to determining that said filtering information satisfies said video filtering criteria so that substantially only subregions of displayed video frames corresponding to disallowed video content are obscured.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to the duration the video component of said signal should be filtered in response to said filtering information satisfying said video filtering criteria.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to a location in the signal said filtering should begin.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to a relative time in the signal said filtering should begin.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to the level of intensity of the objectionable content.

29. The method of claim 24, further including:

storing one or more words and/or word fragments in said memory identifying disallowed audio content;

extracting a closed caption signal from the signal;

comparing said closed caption signal with said words and/or word fragments stored in said memory; and

filtering the audio signal in response to determining that a word in said memory is present in said closed caption signal to inhibit broadcast of disallowed audio content.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of receiving said filtering criteria from a user.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information is contained in streaming text transmitted in conjunction with the signal.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information is contained in a text file transmitted independently of the signal.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information is contained in textual information embedded in or transmitted in conjunction with directory or guide information in a satellite, HDTV, or other digital television environment.

34. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information is contained in a metafile or sub-picture in a DVD, video CD, or other stored digital video medium utilizing MPEG or similar video andlor audio storage formats.

35. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information is contained in a subcarrier, FM sideband or from text data or packet data embedded in a digital radio signal.

36. The method of claim 24, wherein said filtering information is present in the vertical blanking interval of a television signal.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said filtering information is present in line 21 of the television signal.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said filtering information is present in a text field in the VBI or packet data, such as XDS, in the VBI.

39. The method of claim 24, further including the steps of:

storing audio filtering criteria in said memory identifying disallowed audio content;

determining whether said filtering information satisfies said audio filtering criteria;

filtering a portion of the audio signal in response to determining that said filtering information satisfies said audio filtering criteria to inhibit broadcast of disallowed audio content.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to a word that is present in the signal.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein said filtering information includes data representing a word that is present in the signal in an encoded form.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein said filtering information may includes:

information identifying a portion of the video signal having violent content;

information identifying a portion of the video signal having sexual content; and

/or

information identifying a portion of the audio signal having potentially objectionable language.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein said filtering information includes information relating to an audio channel in which objectionable content is present.

44. A device for selectively filtering objectionable content from a video program intended for viewing on a screen, including a video and/or an audio signal, comprising:

an extraction device receiving all or part of said signal(s) and configured to extract filter codes therefrom identifying potentially objectionable content in said video program;

a video control device and/or an audio control device;

a processor operatively coupled to said video control device and said audio control device and communicatively coupled to said extraction device for receiving extracted filter codes;

a memory coupled to said processor and storing filtering criteria defining disallowed audio and/or video content; and

said processor programmed to cause said video control device to selectively obscure substantially only subpictures of displayed video frames corresponding to disallowed video content when extracted filter codes match said filtering criteria.

45. The device of claim 44, wherein said filter codes are extracted from streaming data in the vertical blanking interval (“

VBI”

), or from packet data in the VBI such as extended data services (“

XDS”

).

46. The device of claim 44, wherein said filter codes are extracted from streaming data transmitted in conjunction with the video and/or audio signal.

47. The device of claim 44, wherein said filter codes are extracted from a text file transmitted independently of the video and/or audio signal.

48. The device of claim 44, wherein said filter codes are extracted from textual information embedded in or transmitted in conjunction with directory or guide information in a satellite, HDTV, or other digital television environment.

49. The device of claim 44, wherein said filter codes are extracted from a metafile or sub-picture in a DVD, video CD, or other stored digital video medium utilizing MPEG or similar video and/or audio storage formats.

50. The device of claim 44 wherein said filter codes define the coordinates of the subpictures within the video frames.

51. The device of claim 50 wherein the subpictures are rectangular regions encompassing the disallowed video content.