Methods, systems, and products for blocking content

• US 8,136,135 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Matz, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Jonathan V
• Application Number:
  US12/869,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 725/34
• US Class Current: 725/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• 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 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products block objectionable content and substitute alternative content. Multiple fields of a preferred tag are retrieved from memory. Multiple fields of an alternative tag, associated with alternative content, are retrieved from the memory. A number of matching fields, between the multiple fields of the preferred tag and the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag, are determined. The number of matching fields is compared to a threshold value. When the number of matching fields exceeds the threshold value, then the alternative content is substituted for the objectionable content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving objectionable content at a client device;

receiving an input in a graphical user interface that selects automatic substitution of the objectionable content;

retrieving from memory multiple fields of a preferred tag associated with preferred content that is preferred by a user profile;

retrieving from the memory the multiple fields of a corresponding alternative tag associated with alternative content;

setting an initial value of a score to zero;

successively comparing each field of the multiple fields of the preferred tag to each corresponding field of the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag;

incrementing the score by a processor when a field of the preferred tag matches a corresponding field of the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a threshold value;

substituting the alternative content for the objectionable content when the score exceeds the threshold value;

when the score is less than the threshold value, then retrieving another preferred tag from the memory and successively comparing each field of the another preferred tag to each corresponding field of the corresponding alternative tag;

when the user profile contains no more preferred tags, then retrieving another alternate tag from the memory associated with another alternative content and successively comparing each field of the another alternate tag to each field of the preferred tag;

incrementing the score when any field of the another alternate tag matches the corresponding field of the preferred tag; and

when the score satisfies the threshold score, then substituting the another alternative content for the objectionable content.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value is two (2), such that at least three (3) matching fields cause the alternative content to replace the objectionable content.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising retrieving the user profile.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising negating a flag.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising blocking the objectionable content.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising presenting the alternative content.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining multiple alternative contents exceed the threshold value; and

selecting the alternative content that has not been recently presented.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor executing instructions stored in memory that cause the processor to;

receive objectionable content at a client device;

receive an input in a graphical user interface that selects automatic substitution of the objectionable content;

retrieve from memory multiple fields of a preferred tag associated with preferred content that is preferred by a user profile;

retrieve from the memory the multiple fields of a corresponding alternative tag associated with alternative content;

set an initial value of a score to zero;

successively compare each field of the multiple fields of the preferred tag to each corresponding field of the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag;

increment the score by a processor when a field of the preferred tag matches a corresponding field of the alternative tag;

compare the score to a threshold value;

substitute the alternative content for the objectionable content when the score exceeds the threshold value;

when the score is less than the threshold value, then retrieve another preferred tag from the memory and successively compare each field of the another preferred tag to each corresponding field of the corresponding alternative tag;

when the user profile contains no more preferred tags, then retrieve another alternate tag from the memory associated with another alternative content and successively compare each field of the another alternate tag to each field of the preferred tag;

increment the score when any field of the another alternate tag matches the corresponding field of the preferred tag; and

when the score satisfies the threshold score, then substitute the another alternative content for the objectionable content.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the threshold value is two (2), such that at least three (3) matching fields cause the alternative content to replace the objectionable content.

10. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to retrieve the user profile.

11. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to negate a flag.

12. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to block the objectionable content.

13. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to present the alternative content.

14. The system according to claim 8, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:

determine multiple alternative contents exceed the threshold value; and

select the alternative content that has not been recently presented.

15. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing processor executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

receiving objectionable content at a client device;

receiving an input in a graphical user interface that selects automatic substitution of the objectionable content;

retrieving from memory multiple fields of a preferred tag associated with preferred content that is preferred by a user profile;

retrieving from the memory the multiple fields of a corresponding alternative tag associated with alternative content;

setting an initial value of a score to zero;

successively comparing each field of the multiple fields of the preferred tag to each corresponding field of the multiple fields of the corresponding alternative tag;

incrementing the score by a processor when a field of the preferred tag matches a corresponding field of the alternative tag;

comparing the score to a threshold value;

substituting the alternative content for the objectionable content when the score exceeds the threshold value;

when the score is less than the threshold value, then retrieving another preferred tag from the memory and successively comparing each field of the another preferred tag to each corresponding field of the corresponding alternative tag;

when the user profile contains no more preferred tags, then retrieving another alternate tag from the memory associated with another alternative content and successively comparing each field of the another alternate tag to each field of the preferred tag;

incrementing the score when any field of the another alternate tag matches the corresponding field of the preferred tag; and

when the score satisfies the threshold score, then substituting the another alternative content for the objectionable content.

16. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the threshold value is two (2), such that at least three (3) matching fields cause the alternative content to replace the objectionable content.

17. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for retrieving the preferred tag from the user profile.

18. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for blocking the objectionable content.

19. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for presenting the alternative content.

20. The computer storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for:

determining multiple alternative contents exceed the threshold value; and

selecting the alternative content that has not been recently presented.