Systems and methods for controlling and managing programming content and portions thereof

• US 7,380,258 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Durden, George A., Swix, Scott R., Stefanik, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US09/751,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20040250272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,706 Days
• Field of Search: 725/28, 725135-140, 725/24, 725 34- 35, 725/25, 715/23
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• 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 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47211 for requesting pay-per-view content payment schemes payment architectures or payment protocols G06Q20/00, G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• 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 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

This document discloses systems and methods for enabling viewers to control and manage the presentation of programs based on specified types of rating categories and content attributes that the viewer desires not to be presented. The invention provides program data corresponding to each program. The data contains (1) time-varying information related to the content of discrete portions of the television program and, optionally, (2) corresponding data controlling the presentation of that content. By way of example, the program data includes rating and content attribute values as well as control data indicating to which media component the value applies or instructions corresponding to the ways in which each portion of the program may be disabled, modified, replaced, and/or edited. A set top box or other configured consumer electronics device combines the program data with data input by the user concerning the programming the user desires to disable and the methods therefor. Based on the program data and the viewer'"'"'s presentation profile, the consumer electronic device controls whether and/or how each applicable portion or component of programming is presented to the viewer.

Claims

1. A system for controlling and managing presentation to viewers of programming content, the system comprising:

a processor communicating with memory and with a user interface, the processor adapted to receive the programming content comprising a program and program control data, the program control data having a data format in which a default setting is subsequently followed by a series of data records, with one or more of the data records associated with a particular portion of the program, the one or more of the data records having a linear representation comprising an offset time stamp, a rating value, a content attribute value, a component value, and an action;

the user interface adapted to receive information related to program presentation preferences of a viewer, the program presentation preferences including options to block or modify content, the options comprising;

if the default setting equals or exceeds the program presentation preferences, then the rating value and the content attribute value have no effect and the program is blocked from presentation;

if the rating value and the content attribute value exceed the program presentation preferences, then the default setting is not used and the program is blocked from presentation; and

if the rating value and the content attribute value are missing, then if the default setting equals or exceeds the program presentation preferences, then modification of the program is not allowed and any instructions to modify the program are interpreted as an instruction to block the program from presentation.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor receives alternative plots as channels of the programming content.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the offset time stamp is expressed in hours, minutes, and seconds from a start of the program.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the component value of the one or more of the data records refers to an audio and video portion of the program to which the rating value and the content attribute value apply.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the component value of the one or more of the data records refers to a substitute audio and substitute video portion for the program to which the rating value and the content attribute value apply.

6. A method for controlling and managing presentation to viewers of programming content, comprising:

receiving the programming content comprising a program and program control data, the program control data having a data format in which a default setting is subsequently followed by a series of data records, with one or more of the data records associated with a particular portion of the program, the one or more of the data records having a linear representation comprising an offset time stamp, a rating value, a content attribute value, a component value, and an action;

receiving information related to program presentation preferences of a viewer, the program presentation preferences including options to block or modify content, the options comprising;

if the default setting equals or exceeds the program presentation preferences, then the rating value and the content attribute value have no effect and the program is blocked from presentation; and

if the rating value and the content attribute value exceed the program presentation preferences, then the default setting is not used and the program is blocked from presentation; and

if the rating value and the content attribute value are missing, then if the default setting equals or exceeds the program presentation preferences, then modification of the program is not allowed and any instructions to modify the program are interpreted as an instruction to block the program from presentation.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving the offset time stamp expressed from a start time of the program.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving the offset time stamp expressed in hours, minutes, and seconds from a start of the program.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving the component value referring to an audio and video portion of the program to which the rating value and the content attribute value apply.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving the component value referring to a substitute audio and substitute video portion for the program to which the rating value and the content attribute value apply.