Method and apparatus for parental control

• US 8,024,753 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Satellite LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Petruzzelli, Edmund F., Minnick, Danny J., Kummer, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Newlin; Timothy R
• Application Number:
  US11/118,219
• Time in Patent Office: 2,336 Days
• Field of Search: 725/25, 725/27, 725/28, 725/30, 725/31
• US Class Current: 725/28
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• 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

Abstract

Television converter devices in accordance with present invention determine whether the programming is to be blocked or not, then inserts an appropriate V-code into the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the programming before delivering the programming to one or more V-chip enabled TV where the V-chip blocks the programming as appropriate. Various methods of determining whether the programming is to be blocked are disclosed.

Claims

1. A television converter device adapted to receive multiple television programs and content information concerning the multiple programs and deliver television programs to at least one television, the television converter device comprising:

a processor for controlling the operation of the television converter device;

at least one selector, capable of selecting at least one television program from the multiple television programs received and delivering the selected at least one television program to the at least one television;

a means for converting a first type of blocking code associated with the at least one television program to a second type of blocking code based on a set of user modifiable correspondences between blocking codes of the first type of blocking code and blocking codes of the second type of blocking code and adding the second type of blocking code into the at least one television program prior to delivery; and

a means for transmitting the at least one television program to the at least one television, the second type of blocking code configured to block the at least one television program after delivery to the at least one television and the first type of blocking code not operable to block the at least one television program after delivery to the at least one television.

2. The television converter device of claim 1 further comprising:

a storage device capable of recording, storing and retrieving television programs;

and wherein the at least one selector is further capable of delivering the selected at least one television program to the storage device.

3. The television converter device of claim 1 wherein the first type of blocking code is a PCS code indicative of a rating classification of content of the at least one television program.

4. The television converter device of claim 3 wherein the PCS code is embedded in the at least one television program.

5. The television converter device of claim 4 wherein the PCS code is embedded in a vertical blanking interval of the at least one television program.

6. The television converter device of claim 3 wherein the PCS code is embedded in a television program other than the at least one television program to be delivered.

7. The television converter device of claim 3 wherein the PCS code is embedded in scheduling information provided by a satellite service.

8. The television converter device of claim 3 further comprising

a lookup table comprising a list of PCS codes and their corresponding blocking codes.

9. The television converter device of claim 8 wherein the lookup table may be edited by a user to change the corresponding blocking codes.

10. The television converter device of claim 1 wherein the second type of blocking code is a V-code.

11. The television converter device of claim 1, wherein adding the second type of blocking code replaces the first type of blocking code.

12. A method of adding one or more blocking codes into television programs delivered by a television converter device to at least one television, the method comprising the steps:

receiving a command to display at least one television program on at least one television;

reading a first type of blocking code associated with the at least one television program;

converting the first type of blocking code into a second type of blocking code that corresponds to the first type of blocking code based on a set of correspondences between each possible blocking code of the first type of blocking code and blocking codes of the second type of blocking code;

adding the second type of blocking code into the at least one television program.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the second type of blocking code causes the at least one television to block display of the delivered at least one television program.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the second type of blocking code is a V-code.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the first type of blocking code is a rating classification blocking code.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the television converter device further comprises a lookup comprising rating classification blocking codes and corresponding second type of blocking codes.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the second type of blocking code is inserted in a vertical blanking interval of the at least one television program.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the first type of blocking code is embedded in a second television program.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the television program comprises data used in an electronic program guide.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the first type of blocking code is embedded in the vertical blanking interval of the at least one television program.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one television program is delivered to the television converter device from a storage device.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one television is equipped with a V-chip.

23. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step:

delivering the at least one television program, including the added second type of blocking code, to the at least one television.

24. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step:

storing the at least one television program, including the added second type of blocking code, on a storage device.

25. The method of claim 12, wherein adding the second type of blocking code replaces the first type of blocking code.

26. A method of using an television converter device to cause a television to block the display of television programming, the method comprising the steps:

determining a first blocking code associated with at least one television program to be delivered to at least one television by a television converter device;

converting the first blocking code into a V-code at least based on user preferences and a set of correspondences between blocking codes of the first type of blocking code and blocking codes of the second type of blocking code;

adding, by the television converter device, the V-code into the at least one television program; and

transmitting the at least one television program to the at least one television.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the V-code causes the at least one television to block the display of the delivered at least one television program.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the first blocking code is embedded within the at least one television program.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the first blocking code is embedded in a television program other than the at least one television program.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said converting the first blocking code into a V-code at least based on user preferences comprises:

converting the first blocking code into the V-code at least based on user preferences and a schedule of television programming and ratings associated with the at least one television program.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the V-code corresponds to the first blocking code on a lookup table stored on the television converter device.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein the V-code is inserted in a vertical blanking interval of the at least one television program.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein adding the V-code replaces the first blocking code.

34. A method of implementing television content control for a television program received by a set-top-box in a home and then rebroadcast in analog format to one or more televisions in the home, the method comprising:

detecting at the set-top-box a first blocking code associated with at least one program being received by the set-top-box in the home;

converting the received first blocking code into a corresponding analog content code based on a set of user modifiable correspondences between each possible blocking code of the first type of blocking code and at least one of each possible analog content code;

adding the analog content code into the rebroadcast of the at least one program in analog format; and

transmitting the at least one program to the one or more televisions, the at least one program configured to block display based on the analog content code.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the corresponding analog content code is a V-chip code.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein the analog content code is inserted into the vertical blanking interval of the rebroadcast of the at least one program in analog format.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the corresponding analog content code is a V-chip code.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein adding the analog content code replaces the first blocking code.

39. A method of implementing television content control, the method comprising the steps:

detecting at a set-top-box a first type of blocking code associated with at least one program being received by the set-top-box;

converting the first type of blocking code into a corresponding second type of blocking code based on a set of user modifiable correspondences between blocking codes of the first type of blocking code and blocking codes of the second type of blocking code;

adding the second type of blocking code to the at least one program prior to delivery; and

transmitting the at least one program to one or more televisions, the at least one program configured to block display based on the second type of blocking code.