Content reproducing apparatus, and television receiving apparatus

• US 7,765,565 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): STRONCZER, RYAN S
• Application Number:
  US11/730,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20070245367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A plurality of types of rating information are easily and reliably set. A television receiver A includes a receiver main body 1 and a remote controller 15 for controlling it. The receiver main body 1 includes a tuner unit 3, a signal processing unit 5, a display control unit 7 for controlling display, a display unit 11, a remote controller photoreception unit 17, a control unit 21 for overall control, a parental control unit 23 for controlling view, and a rating information storage unit 25 in which rating information is stored. In the rating information storage unit, tables relating to rating information 25 shown in Tables 1 to 9 are stored. In the television receiver A, based on an instruction from the control unit 21, the information in the tables can be referred to as needed. Tables indicating a plurality of types of rating information are stored in the rating information storage unit 25. The rating information storage unit 25 stores a plurality of types of rating information based on different standards regarding parental control, with items capable of being commonly set among the multiple types of rating information being associated with each other. The control unit 21 can set at once the common items based the association regarding age limitation. When a block for rating information concerning a viewed program is not yet set, and if the rating of a particular program is equal to or above the level set by the user based on another rating information, a message is displayed so as to alert the user to the broadcast of programs that are not desirable for children.

Claims

1. A television receiver capable of imposing parental control on a received program based on a rating that is set, the television receiver comprising:

a rating information storage unit storing a plurality of types of rating information based on different standards of parental control, each standard including levels corresponding to an approved viewer'"'"'s age, with levels capable of being commonly set among the plurality of types of rating information being associated with each other;

a control unit for setting common levels as parental control settings based on the association; and

an interface configured to display a message indicating that no parental control setting is set in a first standard when the received program exceeds a corresponding level set as a parental control setting in a second standard.

2. The television receiver according to claim 1, comprising a display control unit for adding the common levels as items on a menu display.

3. The television receiver according to claim 2, wherein the common levels are associated with age.

4. The television receiver according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit displays on the menu display a button for setting parental control based on the rating information in a stepwise manner.

5. The television receiver according to claim 3, wherein the display control unit displays on the menu display a button for setting parental control based on the rating information in a stepwise manner.

6. The television receiver according to claim 2, wherein the common levels are associated with a specific text string.

7. The television receiver according to claim 2, wherein the common levels are associated with a numeral string.

8. The television receiver according to claim 1, wherein the interface is further configured to provide a user input concurrently with displaying the message, the user input providing an option to:

override the parental control setting in the second standard;

prevent displaying the particular program; and

set a parental control setting in the first standard.