Parental controls for entertainment content

• US 8,091,141 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Evans, C. Shane, Toll, Roderick M., Hildebrandt, Jonathan D., Choudhry, Kareem A
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Yin-Chen
• Application Number:
  US12/341,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726 26- 27, 725/25, 725/28, 705 50- 51
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; 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 21/4532 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 21/4751 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

Parental controls for entertainment digital media are provided that allow a parent to restrict multiple user'"'"'s access to entertainment content. One or more updatable rating definition files with dynamic data are used to define rating levels and content descriptors for a regional rating system. Entertainment content definition files define the rating level and content descriptors for entertainment content. User permission settings define a particular user'"'"'s access rating level and content descriptors. The rating definition file can be used to compare the entertainment content definition file and user permission settings in determining if a user is allowed access to particular entertainment content.

Claims

1. In an entertainment system for playing entertainment content, a method of controlling a user'"'"'s access to the entertainment content in a manner that allows rating systems to be changed, added, or removed, and by using dynamic data defined by a rating definition file, an entertainment content definition file, and user permission settings, the method comprising:

at an entertainment system, accessing a rating definition file, the accessed rating definition file dynamically defining an entertainment rating scale independent of any particular entertainment content, the rating definition file and the entertainment rating scale being independent of any particular rating system, the rating definition file data defining the entertainment rating scale being dynamically updateable to selectively perform each of adding, removing and changing rating levels and content descriptors within the entertainment rating scale, wherein the entertainment rating scale is defined independent of any particular entertainment content;

retrieving an entertainment content definition file that defines a content rating for entertainment content;

retrieving user access settings that define a user access rating for a particular user, the user access settings having been configured through a user interface (UI) enabling an administrator to configure entertainment content restrictions and permissions for a plurality of users such that different rating selections apply to different users;

using the entertainment rating scale dynamically defined by the rating definition file to compare the user access rating with the content rating for the entertainment content to determine if the particular user is allowed access to the entertainment content;

adding the particular user as a member of a security group associated with the entertainment content if the particular user is not authorized to access the entertainment content; and

denying access to the entertainment content based upon the security group associated with the entertainment content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rating definition file further dynamically defines one or more content descriptors for one or more rating levels within the entertainment rating scale, the rating levels within the entertainment rating scale are age-based rating levels and the content descriptors define the type of subject matter within each rating scale.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein entertainment content definition file further defines one or more content descriptors for the entertainment content and the user access settings further define user content descriptors that limit the type subject matter a user is allowed access to within the user access rating, and wherein using the entertainment rating scale dynamically defined by the rating definition file further includes:

using the one or more content descriptors dynamically defined by the rating definition file to compare the user content descriptors with the one or more content descriptors for the entertainment content definition file to determine if the particular user is allowed access to the entertainment content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the entertainment content is titled and a denial of access can be overridden by including the title of the entertainment content in the user access settings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein if it is determined that the particular user is denied access to the entertainment content, the user is denied access to a directory in which the entertainment content is stored.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the entertainment content is titled and, if it is determined that the user is allowed access to the entertainment content, the title and duration of access is recorded.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rating definition file retrieved is an XML file.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an update to the rating definition file and, in response, updating the rating definition file, wherein updating the rating definition file includes removing a rating level for the entertainment rating scale,

wherein using the entertainment rating scale dynamically defined by the rating definition file includes determining that the entertainment content definition file defines a content rating that does not exist in the updated rating definition file and, in response, determining whether the user can be granted access to the entertainment content according to rules defined for unrated content.

8. In an entertainment system for playing entertainment content, a computer-storage device for use in performing a method of controlling a user'"'"'s access to the entertainment content in a manner that allows rating systems to be changed, added, or removed, and by using dynamic data defined by a rating definition file, an entertainment content definition file, and user permission settings to be performed in the entertainment system, the computer-storage device comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media, the one or more computer-readable storage media including non-volatile storage devices and/or volatile memory, the computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, that, when executed by a processor, causes the entertainment system to perform a method that includes;

at the entertainment system, access a rating definition file, the rating definition file dynamically defining an entertainment rating scale independent of any particular entertainment content, the rating definition file and the entertainment rating scale being independent of any particular rating system, the rating definition file data defining the entertainment rating scale being dynamically updateable to selectively perform each of adding, removing and changing rating levels and content descriptors within the entertainment rating scale, wherein the entertainment rating scale is defined independent of any particular entertainment content;

retrieving an entertainment content definition file that defines a content rating for entertainment content;

retrieving user access settings that define a user access rating for a particular user, the user access settings having been configured through a user interface (UI) enabling an administrator to configure entertainment content restrictions and permissions for a plurality of users such that different rating selections apply to different users;

using the entertainment rating scale dynamically defined by the rating definition file to compare the user access rating with the content rating for the entertainment content to determine if the particular user is allowed access to the entertainment content;

adding the particular user as a member of a security group associated with the entertainment content if the particular user is not authorized to access the entertainment content; and

denying access to the entertainment content based upon the security group associated with the entertainment content.

9. The computer storage device of claim 8, wherein the rating definition file further dynamically defines one or more content descriptors for one or more rating levels within the entertainment rating scale, the rating levels within the entertainment rating scale are age-based rating levels and the content descriptors define the type of subject matter within each rating scale.

10. The computer-storage device of claim 9, wherein entertainment content definition file further defines one or more content descriptors for the entertainment content and the user access settings further define user content descriptors that limit the type subject matter a user is allowed access to within the user access rating, and wherein using the entertainment rating scale dynamically defined by the rating definition file further includes:

using the one or more content descriptors dynamically defined by the rating definition file to compare the user content descriptors with the one or more content descriptors for the entertainment content definition file to determine if the particular user is allowed access to the entertainment content.

11. The computer-storage device of claim 8, wherein the entertainment content is titled and a denial of access can be overridden by including the title in the user access settings.

12. The computer-storage device of claim 8, wherein if it is determined that the particular user is denied access to the entertainment content, the user is denied access to a directory in which the entertainment content is stored.

13. The computer-storage device of claim 8, wherein the entertainment content is titled and, if it is determined that the user is allowed access to the entertainment content, the title and duration of access is recorded.

14. The computer-storage device of claim 8, wherein the rating definition file retrieved is an XML file.

15. In an entertainment system for playing entertainment content, a method of controlling a user'"'"'s access to the entertainment content in a manner that allows rating systems to be changed, added, or removed, and by using dynamic data defined by a rating definition file, an entertainment content definition file, and user permission settings, the method comprising:

at an entertainment system, accessing a rating definition file, the rating definition file dynamically defining an entertainment rating scale independent of any particular entertainment content and by including one or more content descriptors for each level within the rating scale, the rating definition file and the entertainment rating scale being independent of any particular rating system, the rating definition file data defining the entertainment rating scale being dynamically updateable to selectively perform each of adding, removing and changing rating levels and content descriptors within the entertainment rating scale, wherein the entertainment rating scale is defined independent of any particular entertainment content;

retrieving an entertainment content definition file that defines a content rating and one or more content descriptors for entertainment content;

retrieving user access settings that define a user access rating and one or more content descriptors for a particular user, the user access settings having been configured through a user interface (UI) enabling an administrator to configure entertainment content restrictions and permissions for a plurality of users such that different rating selections apply to different users;

using the entertainment rating scale and one or more content descriptors for each level within the rating scale dynamically defined by the rating definition file to compare the user access rating and one or more content descriptors with the content rating and one or more content descriptors for the entertainment content to determine if the particular user is allowed access to the entertainment content;

adding the particular user as a member of a security group associated with the entertainment content if the particular user is not authorized to access the entertainment content; and

denying access to the entertainment content based upon the security group associated with the entertainment content.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the entertainment content is titled and a denial of access can be overridden by including the title in the user access settings.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein if it is determined that the particular user is denied access to the entertainment content, the user is denied access to a directory associated with the entertainment content.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the rating definition file retrieved is an XML file.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more rating definition files define a rating hierarchy and the one or more content descriptors are for levels within the rating hierarchy, and wherein determining if the particular user is allowed access to the entertainment content includes executing instructions, based on the rating hierarchy defined in the one or more rating definition files that comparing the user access rating from the rating hierarchy with the one or more content descriptors, and when the particular user is not authorized to access the entertainment content, adding the particular user as a member of a security group, thereby denying the particular user access to the entertainment content because members of the security group are denied access to the entertainment content.